ไทย

Today, the Greater Bangkok area in Thailand is home to over 11 million people and close to 1.3 million companion dogs. A previous study estimated that 47% of households in Thailand care for at least one dog — a rather high number compared to other Asian countries. Market research suggests that Thailand’s companion animal care businesses will also continue to grow. These two facts alone stress the importance of promoting humane dog care and population management practices, especially in places like Thailand where most companion dogs are free-roaming.

However, despite these trends, research on dog guardianship in Thailand, and Greater Bangkok in particular, is limited. To help address this gap, researchers investigated dog demographics and care practices in Greater Bangkok, with a focus on confinement, vaccination, sterilization, and veterinary care. They also evaluated the impacts of the non-profit Soi Dog Foundation’s Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return (CNVR) programs in the region, as existing data suggests that such programs have effectively managed free-roaming dog populations and prevented the spread of rabies in other countries.

A total of 3,203 respondents completed a Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) survey, which was administered in person between July and August 2023 by interviewers from Soi Dog Foundation. The survey consisted of 42 questions: 20 focused on companion dogs, while the remaining 22 either requested demographic information or asked respondents about their opinions on and experiences with free-roaming dogs.

Survey areas were divided into four categories based on how many CNVR rounds Soi Dog Foundation had done between 2016 and 2023: zero, one, two, or three rounds. Areas with zero rounds served as controls. The researchers randomly selected 25 areas from each category, and interviewers surveyed a sample of approximately 800 households within those areas.

Results showed that 628 out of 3,203 households — roughly 20% — were home to at least one companion dog. The authors note that while the survey represented a total of 1,138 dogs, demographic information wasn’t obtained for each dog. Of the companion dogs with demographic information:

• The majority (63%) were male. Most (66%) were allowed to roam, while around a third (34%) were always confined to a home or yard. Of the dogs allowed to roam, just over three-quarters (76%) roamed at all times. Dogs living in areas where CNVR rounds had been performed had significantly lower odds of roaming than dogs living in control areas.
• More than half (53%) were sterilized. Female dogs were more likely to be sterilized (65%) than males (44%). Roaming dogs had 50% higher odds of being sterilized than dogs who were confined. Over 60% of dogs in areas with at least one round of CNVR were sterilized, whereas 68% of dogs living in control areas were still intact.
• Most (84%) had been vaccinated against rabies in the past year. Roaming dogs had about half the odds of being vaccinated compared to dogs who were confined. CNVR rounds weren’t predictive of vaccination status.
• The majority (84%) hadn’t received veterinary care in the past year. Confined dogs were much more likely to be taken to a veterinary clinic (27%) than roaming dogs (10%). CNVR rounds weren’t predictive of veterinary visits.

The authors cited social desirability bias as a potential limitation to their research. For example, respondents could’ve provided interviewers with untruthful information to conceal potentially poor treatment of their companion dog. However, to minimize this risk, interviewers only informed respondents of their affiliation with Soi Dog Foundation when explicitly requested to do so.

This study provides valuable insights into dog guardians’ care practices in a densely populated area with high concentrations of free-roaming companion dogs. It’s especially timely given the forecasted “boom” of the companion animal care market in Thailand. Indeed, as the numbers of companion dogs and guardians increase, so too do the concerns of researchers and animal advocates regarding the dogs’ health and welfare. Humane and efficient population management is therefore key, which the authors suggest can be achieved through the steady implementation of CNVR programs throughout the region. The study found that CNVR is associated with increased sterilization rates and decreased roaming in companion dogs in Greater Bangkok. In contrast, vaccination rates for companion dogs are consistently high in the region and don’t appear to be affected by CNVR efforts.

For animal advocates, understanding dog guardian behavior is essential to strengthening education and awareness campaigns and overcoming obstacles to care practices such as sterilization and vaccination. It’s also important to consider the positive impacts that CNVR programs have on the health of free-roaming companion dogs in order to better promote them in other parts of the world where they may be needed. While the study’s authors conclude that more research should be conducted on the link between CNVR and dog care, such approaches seem to be taking a step in the right direction.