Is it consistent with the previous ones in the series? Were the previous titles written in title case, or was it sentence case? Hmm… then I decided to let it go. This is one place where I do not need to obsess about being right unless I am totally wrong.

So, this post was supposed to a chronicle of a dog walker. I have a story… it has little to do with dogs, but it happened when we were out for a walk.

There is this little swamp in the neighborhood. It shouldn’t be there, smack in the middle of a concrete jungle, but it is. A long time ago, this place used to a large waterbody – an extension of the erstwhile Salt Lake lagoon. It used to be owned by the local “raj” family (loosely translates to small kingdom… but in terms of kingdom, it really was tiny).

When hard times began to befall their family, they stopped the upkeep of their properties. Slowly, silt and rubbish started clogging the waterbody, and before long, most of it had vanished.

As times got tougher, they started selling part by part of this natural landfill to different owners. Some fifty years later this community is a far cry from what it used to be. It is now a crowded concrete jungle.

This little swamp remains the last evidence of what used to be – the water body. My father recalls it as a large lake with a marble pathway leading to a small marble arch in the centre. That was of course a long time ago. All I have seen during my lifetime is a dirty swamp being gradually covered by rubbish and water hyacinth until it became safe for people to encroach on it.

Recently, some of the community old timers got together to restore the “lake”. They collected money and started restoring the lake to its erstwhile grandeur. It was exciting to watch the swamp slowly taking a lovely, well-kempt shape.

Then, as we were halfway through, work stopped. Local politicos and musclemen had interfered in the restoration work leading to squabbling, and ultimately to the suspension of work.

The swamp remains half done. It is connected to the river Hooghly (I think) because it always sees a rise in its water level when it’s high tide in the river. It was on one of those days that I was walking the dogs along the swamp.

There was a little more water in it than usual, but I wasn’t sure how long we would be able to see the water. Garbage is fast filling up the space, and the water is dark and dirty.

I didn’t really notice anything until the dogs stopped. They are not very big in size but are unbelievably strong. So when they decided not to budge, I had to look. They were all staring intently at the water.

I strained my eyes to see what was wrong. There was something in the water. Struggling, fluttering – it was a pigeon. It had somehow fallen in the water and was now stuck in the algae floating around. As hard as it tried to reach the embankment, it made little progress.

We stood and watched for a good 15 minutes. The little bird was tenacious. It had managed to inch quite close to dry land. Just a little more effort would do. We left the bird at that and walked away.

A little while later, on our second round through the same route, I noticed with alarm a little girl standing next to the swamp and pelting stones into the water. She had an audience too – an elderly gentleman who looked at her disapprovingly but did not say anything.

As I rushed towards the girl, I was afraid that the damage was already done. I was right. She had managed to scare the little bird back into the middle of the swamp and it was completely sapped out of energy.

I had to be stern with her. She was still pelting stones. So I asked her not to. She didn’t listen. I asked her again – this time rudely. She stopped and then frowned at me. I didn’t mind. I am anyway quite unpopular in the neighborhood for speaking against what I thought was wrong.

We had to get help now. We caught hold of a passerby and requested him to get some one from the nearby sweeet shop. They kept pigeons. It was possibly one of theirs.

As the boy left, the bird made a last ditch effort to fly. With all the energy it had left, it fluttered – one wing – swam a circle and was gone forever. Help came a little late and when they fished the bird from under the water, the stone pelting girl was still standing there wondering why we were expending so much effort to rescue “just a pigeon”!

It was sad to leave the place. We could have saved the bird. The dogs go unbelievably quiet when they witness a death. They were quiet that day as well… And behind the tragedy of a lost life, I could not help but shudder at how indifferent man will soon grow to the plight of others.

I know she will pelt stones again, and she is just 9.

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We Must Start the Fire

© Don Gato (LoFi Photography)

A few days ago, Rajashree Khalap of the Indian Pariah Dog Fan Club made a post about the brutal killings of Indian dogs in Meerut.

This is a worrying phenomenon that has  been raising its ugly head in India in recent times. A few years ago, the administration in Bangalore, under pressure from its electorate, went on a rampage – ordering the massacre of thousands of street dogs in the state. Disturbing videos of the incident still do the rounds of the Internet, and if you have the stomach for it, look out for the Bangalore dog killings on Youtube.

You will not just find the revolting video on the site, you will also find insults made to the country in general by the Youtube netizens that you would like to protest, but will be unable to because they are completely justified.

This incident was repeated a year later in Mumbai, and now it has happened in Meerut. In the interim, there has been similar incidents in other parts of the country as well – most notably in Kolkata where certain sickos took advantage of power cuts and kept beating up dogs and leaving them for dead in dumpsters. This continued until the city’s leading newspaper, The Telegraph reported the incident.

We too had blogged about it on Paws Awhile. Incidents like these make me wonder whether the Indian race is in a state of reverse evolution. They have started to hunt in packs, and unfortunately their most easy prey has been man’s best friend.

I know a lady, who, having lost the very last member of her family at a relatively young age, started taking care of the dogs in her locality. That was her solace, but such is the nature of man that every time a dog barked at someone in the locality they would turn up at her place warning her of dire consequences. This continued until one day a large mob from the locality broke into her home and beat her up badly along with the dogs.

Fortunately, some of the city NGO’s stepped in on her behalf and filed a case against the prominent members of that mob in the city court. The lady won the case. The court ordered the authorities to make provisions for her to care for the dogs without being threatened or harmed. The mob has backed off, albeit dicontentedly. But for how long?

I myself have had people come up to my home and warn me of not feeding or arranging treatment for dogs in my locality. They are trying to build a general consensus against my family, they say. It’s not uncommon – such threats, but what is worrying is that they get bolder every time.

So what can be done about it? At one time there was a boom in the number of people campaigning for, adopting, supporting and raising their voices in favor of Indian street dogs. Blogs like Indian Pariah Dog, Paws Awhile, Dog Spot are all results of this boom.

Then came the bust. People started losing interest. Take this blog for example. Statistics say we have around 150 to 200 regular subscribers. Analytics say that almost all of our subscribers follow our posts quite regularly. However, 90% of them don’t even care to leave a comment.

If we were to organise a walk and a rally to raise awareness about INDogs, how many of you, our readers, would respond?

This, my dear friends, is what is left behind – Apathy. And it is now purely up to you to decide whether you want a ring-side view of the steady persecution of the Indian dog, or whether you want to descend in the arena and be one of the gladiators in the battle to save them.

The choice is yours, and I am looking at all of you… still hopeful.

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At present I walk 3 of them – each one very dissimilar from the other. The questions that I face, right from which breed (commonest), to their age, or if they are neutered, to how they live together under one roof, are quite astounding.

One query still tickles me… We came across this lady who owns a long-haired female INDog. She asked me if Tommy and gang get regular haircuts (all 3 are short coated-Chinky’s being the shortest).

Another common query is where I got or bought them from… and when I reply that my dogs are from the street, they usually go speechless.

In fact, one uncle kept on arguing that he thought I was joking, and when I wouldn’t concede, said that at least the black one cannot be a roadside dog!

I will have to admit, I don’t walk my dogs. It’s usually them walking me. Especially Tommy being the alpha male always gets to decide where to go for walk.

There are many more stories I have to share, but I will keep them for later. Here’s just one final word:

Tommy and Blacky just love long walks. We walk for 50 mins and approximately 6 kms in the morning. It keeps both them and me fit. What I hate is the sniffing part… especially Blacky.

He keeps sniffing stuff as if he is a sniffer dog. I hate standing doing nothing while they sniff intently!

This write-up was mailed in by Dr. Manik Godbole in response to the first issue of our series “Chronicles of a Dog Walker”. Dr. Godbole is a prominent INDogs rights activist from Mumbai and a steady supporter of Paws Awhile.

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So I see three teenage boys approching us. They seem to be arguing amongst themselves. When they draw closes I can hear ” Na na… ami bolchhi eta neri noi!” (No no, I am telling you this is not a baldie street dog), I hear one of the boys insist to his friends.

Another one chimes in: “Han, o theek bolechhe. Eta biliti kukur. Amaar didir barite ei kukur achee.” (Yes, he is right. This is a foreign dog. My sister owns one just like this”.

As they draw closer, the first boy decides to resolve the fight once and for all. He asks me: “Achchha didi, boloto eta ki neri?” (Tell me didi, is this dog a baldie?)

I felt a little sorry for him. Oh the disappointment of discovering that the exotic looking dog on leash is indeed a neri.

So I looked at Aru and took a deep breath, then turned towards the boys, smiled, and said “NO”.

The young boy had a proud smile on his face, but his friend still had his doubts.

He asked me: “Tobe eta ki kukur?” (Then what kind of a dog is he?)

I thought for a second. People have been known to believe that Aru resembles a fox more than he does a dog.  Sample this:

Aryaman or Aru for short

So I told him: “Arre, dekhchho na kemon sheyaler moton dekhte? O to ekta Fox Hound!” (Don’t you see the resemblance between him and a fox? He is of course, a fox hound!)

Voila! I had made a believer out of the skeptic. Although he did not believe what I would have wanted him to (that INDogs are just as acceptable as pets as any imported breed), it still was nice to see him have his peace of mind back.

His friends were happier. One said: “Dekhli? Ami bolechhilam!” (Saw? I told you!)

The other boy’s response was however priceless: “Arre amaar didio to ei kukuri pushechhe!” (This is exactly the breed of dog that my sister owns!)

With that I will end this story, but obviously, there are more to come.

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For those not aware of what happened, here is the link: (WARNING: PLEASE DO NOT CLICK UNLESS YOU HAVE AN EXCEPTIONALLY STRONG HEART)

http://meerut-incident.synthasite.com/

Please do your bit and write to all the addresses provided in the blog. We cannot undo what has already taken place, but maybe… just maybe… we can try to keep it from happening again.

This was a day of shame for all Indians.

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Aryaman or Aru for short

Pariah – It is an Indian term used to designate people of the lower caste in the state of Tamil Nadu.

Pariah Dog – An often misused word referring to dogs of a typical physiological and genetic classification. They are found in different regions around the world. Experts believe them to be at a transitional stage of evolution between the ancient wolf and the modern pure breed dogs. In short, they are probably the purest form of dog, and its most ancient breed still roaming the face of this earth.

A typical Pariah dog anywhere in the world is of medium size, with erect ears, a wedge shaped head with a pointed nose, and a long curved tail that is usually kept curled over its back in a shape similar to a sickle. They come in various shades of tan, black, white, and piebald.

INDogs – Short for Indian Native Dogs. The term refers to most of the dogs you see roaming around the streets in your locality. The INDogs, or the common INDog morphotype have all the features of typical pariah dogs.

Mutts or Mongrels – Dogs of mix breeds that show some pariah characteristics. Almost all mix breed dogs in India have some pariah/INDog genes in them.

Pure Breed Dog: A term referring to most dogs from the western world. Ironically, all pure breed dogs are in reality mixed breeds created by humans for a specific purpose.

For example, the Leonberger is a pure breed dog created by mixing the Pyrennes Mountain Dog and the Saint Bernard. The ever popular Labrador Retriever is said to be a mix of St. John’s Water Dog (also a parent breed of the Newfoundland dog) and St. Hubert’s Hound of France.

Some Recognized / Popular Pariah Dog Breeds of the World:

• The Israeli Canaan Dog
• The Carolina Dog
• The Dingo
• The Basenji
• The New Guinea Singing Dog
• The Rhodesian Ridgeback
• The Thai Ridgeback
• The Akita

We hope that this little collection of definitions and examples will help dispel some of the commonly held misconceptions some of you may have about INDogs or Pariah dogs. The next time you decide to bring a dog to your home, do give the neighborhood dog a thought.

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One thorough look at the dog made me realize that he was a young male of pale yellow complexion. He was actually quite remarkable to look at because although he had all the common traits of an INDog – the erect batwing ears, the sickle like tail, he also possessed some of the traits one would find in a Rajapalayam dog. Yes, he had a pink nose and golden eyes.

He was also very friendly. Aru’s barking did not deter him one bit. He was still wagging his tail gleefully at Aru. When I approached him, he let me pet him and once I did, he absolutely melted. Obviously he had run away from someone’s home because he had a collar on him, but no tag. He stayed on around my home for a couple of weeks and then he was gone.

What happened here is not new. I see strange dogs in the neighborhood twice every year, and at about the same time some of the more familiar doggy faces of the area go missing… sometimes, I never see them again.

In India, hundreds of thousands of dogs live on the streets. They are neither neutered nor spayed. So twice every year, the young males in the packs are driven out by hardened adults who try to protect their females from mating with other dogs… even their own pups.

These young males then have to venture out on their own to find themselves new female companion(s) and to build themselves a new pack. To do this, they obviously have to go into territories of other dogs, subdue them in battle and take control of their packs.

Some times these lone castaways meet and bond to form powerful alliances that can overpower any small-sized pack.

A second scenario happens when they find a lone female, bond with her and together they begin  packs of their own. Of course, there is no guarantee that come mating season, the male will get to mate with his companion. He may be driven out of his teritorry by the other males out to test their luck for themselves.

It is quite a fascinating thing to observe, this changing of the pack dynamics. The migration pattern of the dogs, and how nature takes its own course to prevent inbreeding amongst the dogs in this way.

As humans of course the other marvellous thing is to come across a familiar dog in a strange place far away from home who would welcome you with a wagging tail and a sparkle in his eyes.

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Read Awhile

Paws Awhile presents the Read Awhile Bonanza.

Get your hands on a set of four popular ebooks that is bound to make your pet’s and your lives a whole lot easier.

So what’s included in the Bonanza?

We have bundled up four popular ebooks for you:

1. The Perfect Handbook For Imperfect Dog Owners

2. Pamper Your Dog: 130 Recipes for your doggy friend

3. Pamper Your Cat: 100 Recipes for your furry feline

4. The Big Book of Puppy Names

The minimum combined value of all four ebooks is $40. But only at Paws Awhile will you get all four books together at a total price of $5.

Remember, the proceeds from your purchase will go towards the care of the Paws Awhile dogs.

We are not asking for donations. Instead, we have put together a package that will give you value for money, and some very adorable dogs, a lifeline.

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7. The Caravan Hound – This dog is so curiously named because they were known to travel along with gypsy caravans from place to place. They owe their ancestry to the Afghan and Saluki hounds that arrived in India through the Khyber pass several hundred years back. Over the years, the breed has had its naturalization in India and have developed characteristics distinct to themselves. They are found mainly in the Deccan valley states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

The Caravan is a sight hound that can have a height range of 68 – 72 cms for males, and 64 – 68 cms for females. You can read more about Caravan hounds, and see a few pictures over here…

6. The Mudhol Hound – The Mudhols origins are shrouded in mystery, but it has been speculated that their origins can be traced to the Salukis and the Sloughis that were domiciled in the Mudhol region of Bijapur, Karnataka. There are several mentions of this breed throughout Indian history, including one where a Mudhol was said to have fought and killed a tiger that attacked its owner, King Shauji Maharaj.

Mudhols are ideal for racing and hunting, but they also make great companions. A female Mudhol’s height can range from 57 to 62 cms, while a male is usually 65 to 70 cms tall.

5. The Pashmi – If you are wondering why the name sounds so similar to Pashmina, then your instincts are correct. The name “Pashmi” means woolen (literally), or “soft as wool”. Pashmis are found in South and South West Indian states of Karnataka and are owned by the farmers in the region. They are used for hunting small games like rabbits, rodents etc. Physically, the Pashmi’s are very similar to the elegant Salukis. In fact, it is the only Saluki variant of Indian descent that is feathered. Thus the name.

This dog was pushed to near extinction not so long ago, but it has managed to bounce back with the support of the Kennel Club of India. Even then, specimens of this breed are hard to come by.

4. Combai – The Combai is a bear hound that is native to South India. It is a pure hunting breed, and have been known to appear in historical artifacts dating back to the 9th Century. The dog is usually dark red or brown, and have a black mask. They also have a black line along their back that is very similar to the ridgeback dogs from Thailand and Rhodesia. It is not very tall, but very strongly built. Their stockiness gives them the appearance of a large dog.

3. Kanni – The word “Kanni” means “maiden” in South India. You guessed right. That is where this dog breed originates from. In fact, you can find this dog breed only in this region of India because an ancient tradition ensures that the breed remains pure and stays close to home. The people in these region consider the Kannis as valuable treasures. They stay with individual families, and are brought up on a vegetarian diet of milk and porridge. Families have been known to give their Kannis away as a dowry for a daughter’s marriage.

That is the only way you can obtain a dog of this breed, apart from getting it as a gift from someone from the community. Kannis are hardly ever sold. Physically, they resemble the Doberman Pinscher, and are usually black and tan in color. However, a cream colored variety of Kanni is also available, which is known as Palakanni.

2. The Rajapalayam – This dog, named after the city of Rajapalayam, is the ancestor of the modern Dalmatians and in all possibilities, of the harlequin Great Dane as well. In fact, the Rajapalayam bears a striking physical resemblance to a Great Dane. However, it does not possess the height of a Great Dane. The original purpose of breeding Rajapalayams was to hunt boars, however, with the passing of time, they became prized possessions of the elite because of their appearance.

A pure Rajapalayam is milky white in color with a pink nose and golden eyes. However, other colors, like spotted blacks, and fawn are also known to occur. Their coat is short and smooth and they are formidable guard dogs. Rajapalayams had almost become extinct due to negligence but have recently been revived as a breed through a number of breeding programs.

1. The Rampuri – The Rampuri, or the Rampur hound is a large, slender and graceful sight hound hailing from Northern India. The dog was bred by the Royal family of Rampur who wanted create a strong Indian hunting dog of royal gait. Records identify the fierce Afghan tribal dog, Tazi, and the mild mannered English Greyhound to be the parent breeds of the Rampuri.

The breed has inherited the Tazi’s massive size and the Greyhound’s mild manners. It is a wonderful companion dog, but true to its hunting genes, the Rampur hound is also a magnificent hunter. Would you like to own a royal dog like this? As you read, Dr. Suresh Bhimsingh, the owner of the DogsIndia website is offering two magnificent Rampuri for sale. If you’re interested, you can check the dogs out here.

Do you think this article contained insightful content? If so, please help spread the word about these wonderful dog breeds and save them from extinction.

Next week, I will write about seven more lesser known Indian dog breeds. Till then, keep commenting.

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