Thursday, July 27, 2006

Where are the dogs?

While hunting for a Sushi place close to my hotel, I passed a huge mansion where I could hear some dogs barking. Somehow it sounded out of place, till I realized why – I hadn’t seen any dog in Costa Rica till now. And then it struck me – I haven’t heard/seen any street dogs in any of the countries I have visited (excluding Pakistan)! Let me say that again - across nine countries in five continents, I have never, ever seen a stray dog. Lots of pampered and well pruned pet dogs (though not necessarily well mannered), especially in US & Europe, but not a single stray dog.

Weird, given that you practically live with street dogs back home. I am usually greeted with at least five street dogs in my house lane, and the number multiplies after 11 pm. Several of my friends have repeatedly petitioned the government about the menace of these night creatures close to their homes – one of them carries a stick with him if he is returning home after 10. As a kid, I remember the sense of adventure in visiting my aunt’s house, because it was haunted by a street dog that would bite any non-family member who visited the house. Oh, the fun in sneaking through the back door, always on the look out for a sudden appearance of the deadly animal, and the thrill of horror when my favorite uncle had to take 16 stitches when he dared to enter the house in the dog’s presence.

Whoever said it’s a dog’s world was probably born in the sub-continent.

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