Princess Charming

Dear Diary,
It really is hard to believe how suddenly my life has changed. At the risk of sounding like a newly crowned beauty pageant princess, lolling in her enormous five-star bed with tiara still attached to her head—it’s like a dream.

I don’t have a lot in common with those pretty ladies: I don’t care for kids and I’m not concerned with world peace. After all, I’m just a street dog. But I’m a good breed, a cocker spaniel. Let me paint you a picture: I’m a five-month-old male puppy, mostly white with some brown on my face and ears. I don’t mean to brag—Thais like humble dogs as much as modest people—but there’s no avoiding the fact that I’m damn cute.

Still, life hasn’t always been easy for this cute little canine. It’s something of a Cinderella story, actually. My mom was dumped by an uncaring owner, so my three sisters and I have been raised at a place called Home For Handicapped Animals Foundation (15/1 Moo 1 Soi Pramahakarun, Tiwanon Rd., 02-584-4896, 02-961-5625. Open daily 8am-5pm)—a kind of puppy orphanage. Just this morning, as I was hanging out with my sis, a pretty girl called Khun Nu visited the foundation and adopted me. Khun Nu was like a talent scout searching for the next rising star at Siam Square—and the rising star today was me! She spotted me rolling around with my siblings and said, “Look at that cute cocker spaniel!” I stopped and looked at her, wagging my tail. Finally, somebody recognized me as the star that I am. And she even knew my breed. What a smart girl.

Excitedly,
That Cute Cocker Spaniel

A Street Dog by Any Other Name

Dear Diary,
Khun Nu took me to her big white house and let me play in the yard. She told everyone that my name was Kimchi because I’m stinky. “Besides, I think Kimchi’s a cool name,” Khun Nu told her mother, “and I want him to be trendy like me.”

“Trendy”? I wasn’t sure I liked the sound of that. As it turns out, the first step toward being trendy is taking a shower. I didn’t like the wet part much, but it was worth it afterward when Jaew, the maid, dried my fur with a hairdryer. Wow, what a great invention!

Clean and relaxed, I was just about to fall asleep when I heard Khun Nu on the phone. “Can you pick us up at 3?” she asked. “I need to take my dog to the vet.”

After that I couldn’t sleep.

Apprehensively,
Kimchi

V-Day

Dear Diary,
As promised, a dog taxi from Big Move (10 Soi Pattnakang 20, Pattanakan Rd., 02-720-0507, 06-399-9780. Mon-Fri 8am-9pm, Sat-Sun 8am-12am. www.dogstaxi.com) arrived today to pick up Khun Nu and me and take us to Thonglor Pet Hospital (205/19-21 Soi Thong Lor (between Thonglor 9 and 11), Sukhumvit Rd., 02-712-6301-4, www.thonglorpet.com. Open 24 hours). The vet there told me I was a lucky dog and very healthy, but he gave me vaccines anyway.

Did they hurt? Sure. I’m a puppy, not a robot. But I’ll soon be a big dog, and I have to be strong. As a reward for my bravery, Khun Nu bought me a little soccer uniform from the hospital’s gift shop. She put it on me right away.
Life is good with my new owner, but even with her constant company, I get lonely for other dogs. I wish I still had my siblings to play with.

Missing my friends,
Kimchi

Very Fit, Very Firm

Hello Diary,
This morning Khun Nu saw me trying to catch my own tail and realized that I needed some dog-to-dog interaction. (But I like playing with my tail!) She brought me to Dog Sport Club (777/1 Moo 11, Soi Nuanchan 36, Nuanchan Rd. (behind Kokkram police station), 02-519-3737, 01-776-3579, www.dogsportclub.com. Open daily 9am-6pm), where I can run, swim and wrestle with other dogs to my heart’s content. After a tour of the three-rai grounds, the generous Khun Nu signed me up for an annual membership (B2,500) and let me spend some time running in the “off-leash zone.” We even played this game called “fetch”: Khun Nu throws a bone, I bring it back, she says, “Good boy!” and I say “Good girl!” (The woman doesn’t have a clue what I’m saying, though.)

When I had worn her out, my master sat down to rest and I made friends with a Yorkshire terrier called Angelina. We left the sports club with Angelina and her owner and went to check out a new pet-friendly complex called Ozano (307 Sukhumvit 39, 02-259-2786. Open daily 7am-12am). While Khun Nu and her friend went to the spa, Angelina and I were pampered at the Aqua Dog Salon & Spa (307 Sukhumvit 39, 02-259-2786. Open daily 10am-9pm). Dirty after my romp at the club, I had a shower, mud treatment, haircut and massage. Angelina talked the whole time about all the other salons she had been to. “You know at The World Pet Angle (40/736 Moo 10 Soi Nuanchan, Klonglamjeak Rd., 02-509-2001, 02-509-2039. Open daily 9am-8pm), you can soak in a warm bath for half an hour. Of course I don’t stay that long, but it’s quite an experience. Every dog I know has done it—I can’t believe you’ve never been to a spa before!” she yammered. I didn’t tell her that, three days ago, I was a scrappy orphan with no owner to take me for walks, let alone to the spa.

Overwhelmed,
Kimchi

Strike a Pose

Dear Diary,
Feelin’ fine after my day of beauty and fitness, I went with Khun Nu (as if I had a choice) to Doggie Bag (370 Sukhumvit 39, 02-259-2786. Open daily 10am-9pm), a shop that sells everything a dog lover could want, from canine clothing to coffee mugs. Khun Nu chose a black tux that made me look like Johnny Depp on Oscar Night. And I had to get into it in a hurry, because Angelina was waiting for us at a pet photography studio called Buddy-Puppy (Suanlum Night Bazzar, Pet Zone next to BEC TERO Hall, 01-720-0994. Open Tue-Fri 4-11pm, Sat-Sun 1-11pm), where we posed for some portraits to commemorate the day we met.

I know I’ll sleep well tonight—after an action-packed day, I’m mellowing out to the sweet sounds of Dog Radio Thailand (01-933-8055, www.dogradiothailand.com. Online daily 8-10pm).

Sleepy and Satisfied,
Kimchi

What A Life!

Hey Diary,
What’s up? Man, I feel like a whole new dog. This morning Khun Nu woke me up to show me the package that came in the mail from eluxury.com—for me, a Louis Vuitton leash monogrammed with my new initials (B1,200), and for her, a matching sac chien—that’s “dog carrier” (B1,500).

Wanting to show off our new accessories, we headed to Pet Park (Garden Mall, next to Seacon Square and Royal Princess Srinakarin Hotel, 02-721-8222. Open daily 10am-8pm), where I played at the pet playground. When I had to answer nature’s call, Khun Nu and Jaew were ready to clean up after me with plastic bags provided by the park. Of all the new experiences I’ve had over the last few days, this has to be one of the strangest. When I see humans picking up their dogs’ poop I wonder if I’ve misunderstood the hierarchy of the master-pet relationship.

I worked up a good appetite running at the park, and I guess the humans were able to forget the poop-scooping incident, because they ate a lot, too. We had a nice lunch at Chom Suan (Sukhumvit 16, 02-663-2169. Open Mon-Sat 11am-3:30pm), a pet-friendly restaurant owned by the singer P’Pu Anchalee, who walked around with her own dog while we were there. Just as I was thinking about how skinny she was, Khun Nu must have read my mind because she said that P’Pu spends a lot of time exercising. I wonder if she goes to the Pet Park?

Curiously,
Kimchi

A Day at the Beach

Hello there,
This weekend Khun Nu is taking me to Cha-Am beach. I’m so excited! I’ve never been to the beach before. Khun Nu says we can take walks on the sand and even go swimming in the ocean. But we won’t be leaving behind the luxuries I’ve grown accustomed to over the past week; while Khun Nu stays at the hotel building, I’m staying at the Pet Resort (Regent Cha-Am, 849/21 Petchkasem Rd., Cha-Am, Petchburi. 032-451 240-9). Room service!

Hungrily,
Kimchi

Small Screen, Here I Come!

Dearest Diary,
Today I was watching TV and I saw a commercial for dog food and thought, I could act better than that silly shih tzu! (Shit tzu!) Maybe I should try my hand (paw) at acting. After all, I have some free time now that Khun Nu is back to work. Who knows, I might be bigger than Lassie.

Hopefully,
The Artist Formerly Known as Kimchi

Doggy Language

Veternarian Dr. Thitiporn Pliansamai explains what your pet means when (s)he…

barks and steps backward = feels insecure or threatened
barks and steps forward = feels angry and confident, as when facing an intruder
barks and wags its tail = happy or looking for attention; possibly sick
bites your hand lightly = looking for attention
drops its tail = surrender
howls after hearing other dogs howl = wants to mate or communicate with other dogs
howls when alone = feels lonely and wants your attention
growls and/or bares teeth = ready to fight or chase away an intruder
rubs itself against you = soliciting friendship, attention or possibly a good scratch
paws at you with front legs = wants attention or to play
scratches floor or door = wants to get out
tries to lick you on the mouth = saying hello or looking for food