Who Made The Thai Ridgeback Dog?

Many questions concerning the Thai Ridgeback dog (TRD) have been raised by my friend Mr.Jack Sterling of Sterling kennels in San Francisco, California, USA. He has asked me to help clear up many question people have for him. Is the TRD a purbred dog? Does it’s come from the Chinese Shar-Pei or the Vietnamese “PhuQuoc�?dog? Where does it come from? How old of this breed? Does any club recognize it as a breed? The question he has for me goes on and on. Now, I will try to answer as many as I can.

My name is Chay Kulnipat of Bangkok Thailand. I publish an all breed magazine in Thailand tittle “DOG SHOW�? The magazine often features many articles on the TRD. I’ve collected some very important information on the TRD. I would like to present my information as follows:

The Thai Ridgeback Dog is one of the oldest breeds of dogs in the world today. It was recognized by the FCI (Federation Cynologique Internationale) on July 28, 1993 as #338. The TRD is the oldest and purest breed of dog in THAILAND. In October 1993, the communication Authority of Thailand printed the Thai Ridgeback Dog on four Official Thai postage stamps.

There is a very old book  with a drawing of a Thailand Ridgeback Dog. This book is about 350 years old.  Many Thai people say that the TRD is Kon San (Short-coat), Lung Ahn (Ridgeback), Hoo Tang (Erect ears), and Hang Dab (Tail-up like a sword). These words describe the characteristics of the dog in the drawing shown in this very old book. So this book can prove that the TRD has been in Thailand for at least 350 years.

A few years ago, some Thai people discovered a cave in Uthai-Tanee province. This cave is named Tum-Pra-Toon . There are a lot of drawings in this cave. The drawings show the daily life of that time. There are dogs in some of these drawings. One drawing of a dog was very clear. It looks just like the TRD. A professor has proved that these drawings are more than 3,000 years old. There are other caves in Korat, which has many drawings of dogs looking like the drawings in the Tun-Pra-Toon cave.

Prior to 1960, there were no dog shows in Thailand. Thai people just had dogs as pets or to protect their homes. Rich people would import dogs from Europe. German Shepherds being the most popular breed. Most of the Thai people have mixed breed dogs

Between 1967-1982 there were only a few dog shows, breeders and exhibitors in Bangkok. The TRD were always in the show rings. The owners of the TRD had to travel to all parts of Thailand to find the TRD. They were not easy to find. They were hidden away in areas where there is very poor communication and very few people would travel there because of poor roads. Because of these remote areas, the TRD could breed purely for a very long time. No other breeds were known to be in these areas except the TRD.

In 1988-1993 there was a very "Big Boom" of the TRD. Some TRD would cost as much as $20,000. Today, there are over 5,000 TRD registered by the Dog Association of Thailand (DAT), but there are over 100 times more TRDs than that not registered. So, there are more than a half a million TRDs in Thailand. I’ve been into dog business for several years and I have seen one Chinese Shar-Pei in Thailand in all this time. Thailand and China are not so far apart.. Is it possible that the TRD of today and the Chinese Shar-Pei actually came from the same dog? Or the Chinese Shar-Pei came from the TRD?

In a former time, many centuries ago, the King of Vietnam was in trouble with his people. He fled to Thailand and stayed with the King of Siam (Thailand used to be called Siam). The King of Siam supported the King of Vietnam to fight back his enemies. He soon regained his kingdom and developed a very good relationships with many Thai people. May he bring back the Thai Ridgeback Dog to his country. Could these dogs have evolved to become the Phu Quoc Dog of Vietnam?

So, who made the TRD? No one really knows. They go back in time before written History. 

No one can prove the TRD past, for no record were kept, only stories passed on through the centuries. I can only guess on the History of the Thai Ridgeback Dog.

 

Chay Kulnipat

Bangkok, Thailand

1994