A Facebook video showing a hundred temple dogs waiting for the call to mealtime from an abbot in Nakhon Sawan province has been widely shared as a vehicle to raise awareness for stray dog problems in Thailand.
Nattaya Ruenura, who posted the video, wrote that she accompanied her mother to Wat Kow Jedi to make a birthday offering and captured the doggie dinner hour.
In the video, which has surpassed 5 million views since it was posted Sunday, the puppies are seen eating rice on the temple grounds. As soon as the abbot shouts “Now eat!” a hundred adult dogs excitedly run to their meal.
According to Nattaya, the abbot set the rule that the puppies get to eat first. After that, the large dogs can dive in, and they obediently listen for the abbot’s signal.
The abbot said some of these dogs were abandoned by locals. Initially, people donated money to the temple’s dog food fund, but as time went by, the financial support stopped.
Nattaya was hoping to raise awareness for the insufficient food for the temple strays. Many netizens said they have made donations to help the abbot feed the dogs.
