Soi Dog welcoming 360 meat trade dogs

[Tobi]

The video is over 3 years old but Soi Dog continues to work with those dogs who would have been destined for the meat trade.
Here 360 of them have been transported to the Soi Dog new arrivals compound, and they are unloading:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4brphROpmHA

They all look in pretty decent shape so must have received care before they arrived.
They are all welcomed with a little treat just as a kind of greeting (probably some dried meat.)

[Catherine]

That is a lot of dogs. I am sure they have rescued many more since then.
You are right, they do look pretty good. They must have been given food and water before transport. Even in a crowded truck they are still better off that where they were rescued from. I am sure they responded to he better treatment and looked better even after a long trip.

All the dogs seemed to have their tails wagging and the other dogs were happy to greet them.

Bit by bit, sometimes one dog at a time the dog meat trade is coming to an end.

[Tobi]

The dogs arrived in 2 or 3 stages, I think. That was just one truckload. It was funny watching them pluck up courage to jump down, but I don't know what better way they could have unloaded them. I would have stuck a piece of matting or old carpet on that big board so that they would get a better grip when they landed. One of them slipped and rolled over. I hope he was OK. The dogs all looked very fit. I have a feeling they may have spent time at another animal rescue before being re-located.

[Catherine]

They did look well fed and clean so they didn't just come from a dog meat farm.

I don't know how they could get that many dogs from a truck. They didn't have fancy equipment. The board worked and only one dog fell. I am sure he was fine. He ran off afterwards. The one dog looked like he was waiting for a friend to come off the truck.
It is incredible that they can have so many dogs together and they all get along.  They are just so glad to be safe. They must know they are safe. I am sure they can sense that they are out of danger living with caring people.

It is wonderful work what Soi Dogs does. They have saved so many and they just keep working. I hope they can find homes for all the dogs. Those dogs deserve their own homes where they will be loved and cherished.

[Tobi]

Well....the everyday reality of so many dogs in a fairly enclosed space, is that no, sometimes they don't always all get along. There are dominance skirmishes, and all sorts of falling-out amongst dogs. And food aggression.

But I have noticed a tendency among "Street-dog temperament dogs", and that is, they understand immediately any chastisements from others, and will often slip into the "pack"mentality quite easily....that is if another dog behaves in a dominant way, others will allow it to do so, and fit in. That behaviour can prevent escalation of violence. They have an iinnate survival instinct and will do what it takes to fit in and protect themselves. Large numbers of dogs actually have a system of self-management if left alone. (well, maybe with a watchful eye on them.)

Apparently there is a compound which is for general socialisation- (for instance not for particular dogs with special needs, such as iinjured...mothers and pups....or pups alone...or particularly aggressive dogs who need work) -And skirmishes do sometimes break out there. They will be monitored of course, and any which are bullied or can't get to the food will be re-located.

[Catherine]

Dogs do form packs fairly quickly don't they. They just have an instinct for forming the social group that works best for them.

That big yard of dogs would be the healthy, socialized dogs that are ready for adoption. They all seem to be around the same size. Many of them look alike. How would you ever tell them apart without some kind of tags.

Their special needs dogs would have to be kept separate and of course moms and puppies would need to have more privacy.

I imagine they choose carefully which dogs to send when they fly them out to another country. They would need to be calm enough to handle the trip and to adjust when they arrive.  The rescuers and the dogs are amazing.