BANGKOK, Nov 1 — An argument reportedly sparked by a barking dog ended with a Buddhist monk and a temple undertaker both in hospital after a fistfight in Nonthaburi, Thai news portal The Thaiger reported.

Police were called to a temple in Sai Noi district at around 7.30pm on October 29 after reports of a fight between 65-year-old monk Chet and 53-year-old undertaker Somchat.

Both men suffered injuries to their faces and heads, and municipal rescue workers gave first aid before taking them to hospital.

Chet told police the trouble began when Somchat shouted at a barking temple dog and chased it away.

The monk said he had merely cleared his throat, which apparently irritated the undertaker.

Chet claimed Somchat appeared to be drunk, struck him with a wooden stick and threw stones at him, injuring his ear and head.

Somchat gave a very different version, saying the pair had argued over funeral arrangements after Chet told him there was no money.

He also insisted the dog had been barking on its own and that the monk had not provoked it.

The undertaker, who appeared heavily intoxicated, acknowledged that he regularly drinks alcohol.

With an injury to his mouth, he accused Chet of grabbing his head and banging it against the ground.

The temple’s abbot, however, backed the barking-dog story, saying the monk had tried to quieten the animal but it kept barking.

He said Somchat threw objects during the dispute, and that police had already visited the temple earlier that evening over an argument between the two men.

The confrontation resumed later, with both men grappling on the ground, the abbot said.

By his account, the monk slapped the undertaker while the undertaker struck the monk with a wooden stick.

The abbot added that Somchat lives at the temple and regularly gets into arguments when drunk.

Police detained Somchat after the incident, while both men received treatment for their injuries.

There was no word on the dog’s version of events.