The Stray Dogs of Cambodia

As anyone who has ever met me, spoken to me for 5 minutes or shown me a picture of a pug will know – I adore dogs. The main thing that struck me immediately upon arrival in Cambodia was the amount of dogs roaming the streets.

Largely, dogs are not owned. They are left to their own devices, scavenging on street corners, sleeping under piers and in riverbanks. These dogs are at risk of disease, injury, and becoming targets for dog meat – a trade still alive and well in Cambodia.

Considering the environment in which these street dogs are living, it can often be assumed that they are dangerous, feral, out of control, or a general threat to people. In my experience, this could not be further from the truth.
Of all the stray dogs I saw and interacted with, every one of them seemed calm, friendly, sometimes even shy.

Whilst these dogs are not owned, they still have a huge familiarity with people. Children approach them for hugs, street food vendors feed them scraps, some people even end up calling them ‘my dogs’ because they return so many times for food or shelter.

Ironically it seemed the bought and owned dogs could be the most threatening – the dogs purchased purely for guarding property, never socialised properly.

This situation is common across a lot of Asia, but the dogs I saw and met in Cambodia had some truly amazing personalities.
Whilst it often felt sad to see their life on the streets, every pooch was a real character and it feels important to share that.

Here are all the beautiful and unique stray dogs of Cambodia I photographed on my trip:

Up first, this adorable little guy chasing pigeons in the park:

…meeting the love of his life…

…and running away together into the sunset:

Three peckish pooches awaiting food from a pair of beach bums:

This smiley furball seeking shade from the sun:

This beautiful little lady, giving the greatest welcome the world has ever seen:

This handsome post-dip sea dog:

These two romantic sunset strollers:

…and their cautious friend who tagged along:

These sandpit soulmates:

This thoughtful wanderer, taking a moment to reflect on the meaning of life:

‘I am but a flicker of an eye, in a vast and unknowable universe…’

This sleepy huggable companion:

And finally, the only reason you’ll ever need to visit a massage parlour:

There are several organisations working in Cambodia to help support strays and promote adoption and canine care in the local community.
For more information and ways in which you can help, please visit PPAWS, Siem Reap Pagoda Cats and CAPA.