From David C. Pattaya Ex-pat:
From Bob, a Jomtien resident:
Hi there Pattaya news land,
I wanted to take a moment to talk about what I see as a major issue in the Pattaya and Jomtien area in terms of recovery to tourism…and it’s not that virus everyone keeps blabbering on about.
I’m talking about the hundreds (I am not exaggerating for those not here) of stray dogs all over the city. We’ve always had strays but it has never been as bad as it has been now. They grew substantially during the first lockdown and now that we have a second shutdown period which is likely to go ahead and make the problem worse. With bars and clubs shut overnight and even 7-11 and stuff closed from 10:00 PM on the only traffic around is limited…and the dogs are moving in on major streets and areas all around the city.
I want to disclose, I’m a dog guy. I have two of my own. I love dogs. I have always been a proponent of the stray dog strategies of treating them, sterilize them, and then release as I know the pounds around here are living hell and need a ton of work.
However, I’m now afraid to walk around at night. I went for a walk on South Pattaya Road the other day which is heavily under construction around 7:00 PM. This isn’t “late” by any means. I counted 37 dogs from the highway to the third road alone and had two close encounters of dogs “protecting their territory” and either barking and running at me or causing a scene. Other than myself, only a few Thai people were walking around the mostly abandoned buildings as more and more dogs moved in.
As I enjoy walking I also took a walk near City Hall the other day on North Pattaya Road….and once again many packs of dogs, some sleeping right on pedestrian walkways, and although these were calm it made me uneasy and likely would do so for tourists who returned as well. This is directly in front of and around City Hall!
I used to walk the road by Royal Cliff leading to the lighthouse but there are now so many dogs in the area, including some that are aggressive and territorial, I will no longer walk in this area and it is supposed to be a park for exercise.
I don’t know what the solution is but the problem seems to be getting worse than better and I fear that when tourism returns we are going to have cases of tourists bit or worse. I mostly stick to the beach now and although there are dogs here too they seem to be the most docile and friendly in Pattaya. I won’t walk strange side roads or sois anymore and that’s a shame as I used to really enjoy this.