Stray Dogs Are Fighting Crime In This Asian Country With CCTV Vests

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a very good boy. From troublesome pests to heroes in vests, Thailand’s notorious soi dogs are fighting crime and helping to clean up the same streets they call home.

Agency’s solution to a woof problem

You might have heard of Guardians of the Galaxy, but Thailand’s dog have launched their own careers as guardians of the alleyways, thanks to the help of an advertising agency in the country. While Thailand struggles to find a solution to the stray dog problem in its cities, Cheil advertising agency used came up with a creative solution to turn one problem into a solution to another.

Stray dogs are being put to use in Thailand

By working with the Phuket-based Soi Dogs Foundation to fit stray dogs with a rather fetching vest—equipped with a camera—Cheil hopes to turn the usual doggy delinquents into pillars of the community by watching and recording what happens on the streets at night, helping to fight crime and make people feel safer in their homes.

As anxious as we’d all be to see a video that shows a day in the life of a stray dog in Bangkok, that isn’t how it works. Rather than recording all the time, the cameras only begin to record once the dog starts to bark in a certain way. Cheil noted that dogs use different barks for different situations, and programmed their cameras to only start filming once a more aggressive barking tone was registered.

Once triggered, the camera on the offending dog will livestream a video of what’s happening direct to mobile devices, where people who signed up for alerts can see exactly what’s going on. Having only started in March 2017, the jury is still out as to whether or not our furry friends can be trusted to be a pooch police force, but it makes for an interesting experiment.

From fighting crime to fighting culls

Unfortunately, fighting crime isn’t the only problem that stray dogs in Thailand have to worry about. The last few weeks has seen an increase in hysteria towards an as-yet unfounded rabies epidemic, with news reports citing an increase in the number of wild animals testing positive for the disease. Culls have reportedly taken place in cities all over Thailand, as people are reacting to a problem that there’s little real evidence to suggest even exists.

A very good boy keeping the streets safe

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.