GOING TO THE DOGS

I am a dog person. But I'm not an all kinds of dog person. I don't like small dogs because they can be insecure, or think they are bigger than a Great Dane and sometimes super aggressive. Cocker spaniels are adorable but have a bad temper. Beagles too. I'm not a fan of the Indian pye dog, who is the poster canine for animal activists who insist on feeding them in colonies and roads, making it risky for passersby and other dogs. This is my personal opinion and last time I looked, this is a free country, unless I'm bashing khaki coloured desi kuttas. I fully expect our animal activists to pummel me for this post but frankly I don't give a damn. Unless there is a new law that says criticising pye dogs is anti-national and sedition, I'm ok with getting a bunch of doggone enthusiasts yelling at me.

This doesn't mean that I don't like Indian dogs. Our pye dogs have a proud heritage, having been around since 4500 years (recorded) barking and chasing kids in Mohenjo-Daro. There are even dog memes in cave paintings. But there are many other desi breeds our pye dog lovers can champion, adopt and train such as the gorgeous Chippiparais, the elegant Rampur hounds, the courageous Mudhol hounds, the aggressive Leopard dogs and Himalayan sheep dogs, and the Kombis. Of late, I don't agree with most things our beloved prime minister says because I suspect he has no clue about science, economy and foreign policy. But I do support his endorsement of Indian dog breeds enthusiastically. My grandfather who was a military officer in the 1930s had a Rajapalayam which would accompany him on long marches and stay beside him in his tent without eating when he would fall ill. Later, my Retriever would do the same.

Living in Landour, I have come to love the Himalayan sheep dogs, or butias as the locals call them. They are afraid of nothing and nobody. They are beautifully black with little markings of tan and white. I recently found myself being owned by a four month old butia I have named Hyder after Tipu Sultan's warrior dad.

He has taken a liking to my bed though for strange reason he finds chewing my beard amusing. I don't share his enthusiasm in this matter.

He is being crate trained and has found some comfortable positions to recline which I am rather jealous of.

Don’t be taken in by his innocent looks

He has taken to going on long walks with his friend Django, a seven year old GSD I adopted. An 8 km walk is remarkable for a pup but then sheepdogs have kilometers in their genes! As a reward, I sometimes feed them ice cream from Bake House in Sisters Bazar.

In fact Django has become very protective of Hyder.

So has Shampa who has put this as her DP. Its Hyder magic.

#dogs #doggies #butia #sheepdog