‘He just barked’: pitiful tale of 8-year-old raised by dogs in Thailand

The boy’s drug-addicted mother and brother would leave him alone with only the family’s dogs for company for long stretches of time

An eight-year-old boy, abandoned in the company of his family’s six dogs for years in Thailand, could communicate only by barking, authorities found when they turned up to check on him in response to reports from a local school principal and child activist.

The boy had not been to school in two years despite his mother receiving about 400 baht (US$12) in government education support funds to enrol him in classes, according to news site Khaosod English.

Neighbours said the 46-year-old would beg for money and food at local villages and temples, leaving her son with only the dogs for company at their single-storey wooden house in northern Thailand’s Uttaradit province.

Authorities raided the crumbling stilt house on Monday after a local school principal contacted politician and activist Paveena Hongsakul with her concerns. They found the child living with his mother and 23-year-old brother, both of whom tested positive for drugs.

“He didn’t speak, he just barked. It was pitiful to see,” said Paveena, president of the Paveena Hongsakul Foundation for Children and Women, who led the rescue effort alongside local police.

The boy, who had been to kindergarten, had visited the school once when he reached Grade 1 age but had not been allowed to return. “His mother hasn’t allowed him to go to school since he received a subsidy for free education. After getting the money, she simply kept him at home,” Paveena said.

Neighbours reportedly stopped their own children from playing with the boy as they were disturbed by the family’s behaviour. Left without human contact, the boy bonded with the dogs and began mimicking their behaviour, including barking to communicate.

“The house is in a red zone for drugs. The boy had no one, just the dogs to play with,” said one local teacher.

The boy’s mother and brother have been charged with drug use and taken in for treatment. He is now in the care of a local children’s shelter, while Paveena’s foundation is working with officials to ensure he receives a proper education and long-term support to help him reintegrate into society.

“The boy will be given a chance at a good life. We’ll follow up with him to make sure he gets everything he needs,” Paveena said.