Introducing Hanging Chad

Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like you to meet my buddy Chad, a 2 year old white mutt who in this photo appears somewhat brownish in color (he really needs a bath). We call him Hanging Chad because he's a slow paced guy who enjoys just hanging out, sitting and relaxing and watching life go by from spots all over Bangkok. He loves just hanging out, relaxing and not worrying about stuff.

In this photo, Chad is chilling out in a shady spot in a vacant lot off Sukhumvit Soi 22, and ruminating on philosphical subjects, one of his favorite pastimes. Chad also likes to sit along busy, traffic-choked streets in Bangkok and think, and sometimes even sits in the road itself, believing that the noise and chaos actually help clarify his thoughts. Chad once tried to climb a tree in Lumpini Park in order to meditate among its leafy upper reaches, but slipped and fell, landing on his head. However, Chad said the mishap -- and the ensuing concussion -- enabled his to reach parts of his inner psyche that he'd previously been able to reach only while asleep.

Chad has a very accepting outlook toward life, and he once told me that despite the hardship that many Bangkok street dogs experience in their lives, he feels it's much better to be a dog than to be some sort of horrid creature like a beetle, rat, or a cockroach. And that's how Chad manages to keep a smile on his face during the rough times. He's one of the most stable and truly happy hounds I've come across.

My friends have always thought he was a nutcase, but Chad is just a free spirit who does things his own way -- and makes no apologies for being different from the pack.