The Thais innate love for animals is almost an assurance that the Pet Expo 2001 held in Bangkok last weekend would be a worthwhile experience.
"Sawasdee krap," barked a male miniature Schnauzer as he trotted past me in the show ring. "Sawasdee kah," barked another female Schnauzer.
For anyone who has been to Thailand, the greeting Sawasdee is followed by krap if you are a male greeter and kha if you are female.
"Mabuhay," was my friendly reply, as it was the only greeting I could think of at the moment.
I was fortunate to have met four Schnauzer "ramp models" at the Pet Expo 2001 at the Queen Sirikit Convention Center (although seeing them made me miss my pet companions Yuri, Boris, Marx and yes, even Greta.)
All the best of Bangkok’s canines and some felines, too, made the show at the huge venue truly enjoyable.
Our first stop was the fashion show where the friendly Schnauzers came dressed as vegetables. Their kiddie humans also decided to come as vegies – with colors matching their canine wards. The kids and their Schnauzers stole the show of course, but how could they not, they were all so cute. (One of the kids ended up being walked by his dog, instead of the other way around.)
Other models in the fashion show included a few poodles that came dressed as cowboys, and some that came as Robin Hoods.
The fashion show was part of the day’s events that included an all-breed dog show, which was sponsored by the Kennel Club of Thailand.
There must have been a few hundred people who came to watch the show in the fully air-conditioned center. Kids sat around the show ring while their adult companions stood behind patiently.
I decided to walk around and check out what the pet expo had to offer. All the dog and cat food makers in Thailand gave away goodies. The prices, which I quickly converted to pesos, were not bad and they had a lot of products made locally.
I was particularly attracted to the Dog House Architect booth, which featured houses (yes, real ones) made for dogs and cats, designed just like houses for humans. "Most of my customers are Japanese," the Thai lady watching the booth told me. (I guess she thought I was Japanese, too.)
We were not able to get much of a conversation going as language was a problem. I took a souvenir shot of the doghouse – complete with a bulldog stuffed toy at the door – and then moved on.
I stumbled on another shop that sold accessories for "dogaholics." I picked up a Schnauzer key chain which cost 250 baht and a scarf (for Yuri) which cost around 50 baht.
I continued to walk and was greeted by both humans and their canine companions. The doggies were in their best behavior and the most they did was give me a good smelling. Others were busy showing off skills like shaking hands, rolling over and playing dead. There was a Yorkshire terrier sitting pretty on top of a box.
I passed by the doggie junk food section and I pulled out all the baht in my pockets in order to get the best treats for my doggies back home. I will not reveal how much I spent, but if you must know, I will have to fast for the next two weeks to make up for what I spent for them.
I later came to the kitty section. (I know Elvira would have loved to see the felines there). "Hi," I said to a big cat looking straight at me.
"His name is Jumbo. He is a one-and-a-half-year-old Persian," the lady informed me. Jumbo was one of 10 cats who were on sale in the show. They were bred in the Kitty Farm in Bangkok.
"He is very friendly," the lady assured me and handed Jumbo over to me. Indeed, he relaxed on my lap and was content to just lie there. "He is heavy," I thought. "No wonder his name is Jumbo." But he was very clean and such a warm and cuddly cat.
Next I met Jumbo’s other friends. Children came and eagerly cuddled the cats. Not one ran off, bared his teeth or clawed at the kids. A Persian cat with white markings like a Chinchilla was selling for 20,000 baht and the two-month-old Nepal Siamese was going for 10,000 baht. On sale, too were an American short-haired domestic (pusakal) and other tabbies.
The cats were so gentle, one of them fell asleep on my lap.
As soon as I returned the cats to their cage, I sent Yuri a text message telling him I had met some nice cats. He texted me back: "Yeah, right."
Well, the other thing I learned was that it did not matter that I did not speak Thai and they did not speak English. An animal lover anywhere in the world is an animal lover. I wish Yuri could have been with me.
Millet (STAR’s Lifestyle editor who decides who gets to travel and who gets to stay and close pages), next stop: Pet Expo Malaysia in 2002?