A leisure trip turned sour in South Pattaya when a couple returned from squid fishing to find their vehicle allegedly wrecked by stray dogs at a private parking lot near Bali Hai Pier.
The incident, which occurred on Thursday, October 2, went viral after 37 year old Apisit Pienkasikum shared his ordeal on Facebook, warning others of the potential hazard.
Apisit said he parked his red Ford Raptor pickup truck at the lot around 5pm, paying 100 baht for non-overnight parking before heading out on a boat trip. When he returned at about 11pm, he discovered roughly 10 stray dogs surrounding the vehicle, with several hiding beneath it.
At first, he brushed off the situation and tried to scare the animals away. But when he started the engine, the dashboard lit up with multiple system failure warnings, including steering, gearbox, brakes, hill-start assist, charging system, and several sensors. The truck’s electric gear system also locked, preventing it from shifting into neutral.
Stranded, Apisit was forced to call for a tow truck. His vehicle was hauled to a service centre at 3am yesterday, October 3, where mechanics found extensive damage, allegedly caused by the dogs. The main wiring harnesses near the gearbox were severed, ground and steering wires damaged, and fender liners and wheel well insulation torn. The cost of repairs was estimated at nearly 100,000 baht, but fortunately, his first-class insurance covered the damage.
“If I didn’t have insurance, I would have been left to pay for everything myself, with no one taking responsibility.”
Apisit posted a video of a dog climbing another parked car, claiming it showed the animals’ destructive behaviour. He called on Pattaya police to take urgent action to manage stray dogs, particularly in tourist areas, reported The Pattaya News.
When journalists visited the parking lot, no dogs were present. The caretaker said the animals, usually seen around Buddha Hill, tend to appear in the morning and evening when locals feed them. This was reportedly the first incident of its kind, with previous complaints limited to rats damaging car wiring. Staff have since pledged to monitor vehicles more closely.
The story Stray dogs blamed for 100k baht damage to pickup in Pattaya as seen on Thaiger News.
