Naked to the world, and totally lost in the moment, the strapping young lad had his prey exactly where he wanted her � on all fours, gagging for some action and slap bang in the middle of the road. I kid you not when I say that cars, bikes and nervous pedestrians had to swerve to avoid the happy couple.

Entranced in a moment of fiery passion, the likes of which Miss Manolo can only dream, the couple were totally oblivious to their surroundings � without a care in the world for what the future may hold and totally unaware of fast cars, faster motorbikes and ridiculously fast cement trucks.

And then it was all over (and probably far too soon for Miss Manolo�s tastes) and the two rampant lovers stood there for a few minutes in a post-coital moment of clarity. I witnessed this public shag-athon a few days ago, and it really has to be number three on my list of all time weird and wonderful sights. (I�ll spare you the details of numbers one and two, but it would need something extra special to break into the top spots). However, it�s not that these two were just going at it hammer and tongs, the rain pouring off their perfectly entwined bodies but they were at it, in full view of a gawping public.

And they just didn�t seem to care. The funny thing is � while I rate this particular incident rather highly on my �Oh my god, that�s clearly barmy� scale � it has to be said I�ve seen it plenty of times before. In fact, I see it almost everyday � and that�s without popping to Patong. To the carefully trained eye � and even the un-trained eye � dogs of both the two- and four-legged varieties are shagging absolutely everywhere. Now, while both two- and four-legged dogs suffer similar problems with regards to unwanted offspring, the four-legged ones tend to pop out a much higher number.

Let me share some maths with you. One un-neutered bitch (and one clearly exhausted male) can pop out 14 puppies in a year, which equates to seven puppies over two seasons (seasons meaning heat cycles of the bitch, not rainy and dry season). So, if there are 150 un-neutered and fancy-free bitches out there and a rather game male willing to do his bit � we could have 2,100 puppies in a year. Let�s assume 50% of these new born pups are female and they all get down to business � you�re looking at 14,700 brand new puppies on our streets inside of two years.

At this juncture, it�s worth pointing out that there are clearly a few more than 150 un-neutered and fancy free bitches roaming the island at this time. This is why the work of PAWS is so critical � both in terms of the welfare of the animals in question, and also for the development of business here in Phuket. A large, out of control, stray animal population does have an effect on local business. For example, beachfront hotels don�t want to see hundreds of dogs and puppies roaming the beach, picking up scraps, and tourists don�t want to be bitten by stray dogs.

The responsibility for humanely reducing and controlling the stray animal population here in Phuket lies not just with PAWS, but with the entire local community. We all have a part to play. I�m not an exhibitionist, but I don�t decry those who wish to be so � the two dogs in this particular article included. However, while I don�t wish to deny any animal their god given right to a bit of rumpy pumpy � wherever they choose to do it � it�s only fair that we look after their longer term future by removing the chance of creating unwanted offspring.

I can�t see Rover popping into 7-11 for a pack of Extra Special Ribbed or Featherlite anytime soon. So, until then, PAWS will continue to both sterilise and treat the animals to help reduce and control the stray animal population.

We�re always happy to take on volunteers on our field clinics, and if you�d like to help, feel free to get in touch (we promise not to dart you). Email us at: paws@phuket-animal-welfare.com or got to www.phuket-animal-welfare.com/