In case you didn’t already know, an endemic celebrity in Ari is a Thai dog called Biew (crooked). People know him the way we know Hachiko from Japan. Apart from being a sassy little darling, his unique trait is the broken lower jaw that makes him walk around with an open mouth and hanging tongue, so you’ll most likely recognize him from the first glance. His fame is so unstoppable that the owner of Pladib restaurant created an Instagram account just for him. He also has his portrait painted on the wall outside of Silo Ari and his short documentary.
Biew’s Nature
Biew is a male dog with big, round eyes and a friendly demeanor like your average doggo. His favorite thing to do is chilling out in front of 7-Eleven, observing the people on the street every so often. Biew is no glutton. He only eats what the locals give him at his usual dining spots, so don’t expect to feed him leftovers from your street food spree. According to Tuk, a dressmaker from Cheap & Cheap Boutique, he’s now an old chap. In his youth, he loved to dive up the ladies’ skirts, causing commotion from his startled victims and the cheering taxi-bikers at the scene.
Biew’s Background
Tuk from Cheap & Cheap Boutique, Soi Sassana, is said to be Biew’s closest human, as he belonged to her late husband. She told me that her husband was an animal lover who liked to feed strays and earned himself a handful of canine followers. He found Biew as a stray around Sam Sen railway station more than ten years ago. He fed him as usual, and Biew followed him to Soi Ari Samphan. After that, the people in Ari Samphan often saw him walking around as if he had decided to stay here.
Tuk told me that Biew came to take cover from the rain in front of the shophouse where Cheap & Cheap Boutique was (now Kimchi Hour restaurant) on one rainy afternoon early in their friendship. As the downpour worsened, she opened the door and called out to him, “Biew, wanna come in?” There was no response, but then he moved closer and closer to the door until he got inside. Tuk said that he sometimes took showers with his humans for their convenience.
What happened to his mouth?
One day, after the Biew became close with Tuk and her husband, a man stopped by on a motorbike and said: “This guy used to be my dog.” She then asked him about how the dog turned into a stray and was found as far out as Sam Sen. As it turned out, Biew used to live in a military officer’s house on Soi Phibun Watthana. He was raised with another dog his age who looked just like him; his name was “Doe.” One day, he attacked an expensive game fowl. The owner hit him and broke his jaw. He ran away and became a stray for months.
The owner found him and took him to the vet. He paid a fortune to get rid of Biew’s pain but still couldn’t fix his jaw. He left again and lived on the streets when brought home until Tuk’s husband found him and led him back to Ari.
Where can I find Biew (in Ari and nearby)?
Biew usually hangs out between Ari Soi 1 and Soi Ari Samphan 7-12. Some Ari Samphan homeowners occasionally give him food, so you’ll often see him in front of 7-Eleven along this route. Another place to look is Pladib restaurant, as the owner is best friends with Biew. In addition, you can also check out his pictures on Instagram at MisterBiew.
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