myanmar mutts 2

More about dogs in Myanmar. As mentioned previously the dogs life here is much different to a dog's life at home. having said that of course there are dogs that are pampered pets. They are mostly small white fluffy dogs for some reason. Well I suppose they are small because people live in small spaces. Also they don't need as much exercise as a large dog. People walking dogs on a leash with a bag for their droppings is not a common sight here, at least not in this part of the city. Perhaps around the lake or more "fashionable" areas. I'm not sure why the dogs are white and fluffy though. Just to really emphasise the difference between them and a street dog. These two different species very rarely meet. For the pet this is no great loss. They run the risk of disease or worse being torn to shreds. I don't think the street dogs would envy the pet dogs their position. I would like to think the street dogs prize their liberty, their capacity to strut their stuff around town and have sex !
Which leads

sight that is unusual for western visitors is the dog with full teats or the pregnant dog. As you can see from this photo this dog has obviously had a litter of pups. Where these dogs go to have their pups is unknown. But there are plenty of  unoccupied blocks of land, buildings being renovated large temple grounds etc which would make good birthing spots. There are surprisingly few pups as such wandering about which would suggest they are kept out of harms way for a  while or there is a high mortality rate. Most pups that you see are older and bigger. They only come out when it's safe. And when they do they stay well clear of the big males. These dogs do have a way of disappearing. I am reliably informed (by someone who was here) that during the water festival dogs completely vanished. The water festival is held during the hot months and goes for about  a week. Once again I'm relying on an eye witness account. It basically involves people dousing each other in water. Buckets,hoses (some high pressure) water pistols basically anything that can hold water is used. The dogs aren't stupid they know what's in their best interests so they skedaddle.....they don't want to be targets! Australian readers will know about the dingo. Of course the Azaria Chamberlain case gave the dingo some notoriety outside of Australia as well.As you can see from the photo there is some similarity between these dogs and the dingo. For Australians the dingo is an important cultural icon from the aforementioned Azaria Chamberlain case to such alliterative gems as to be as "dry as a dead dingo's donger." (trans. To be in great need of a beverage. Very thirsty esp for beer. Actually this saying should only be used when referring to beer. You wouldn't use it if you wanted an iced frappe latte for example!")

The dingo was introduced from Asia thousands of years ago so there is no surprise that these dogs would be similar. The dingo was the first real introduced "pest" in Australia. They are considered to be responsible for the demise of the thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger) on the mainland so they had a similar effect on native wildlife as the fox and cat have now. But enough of the dingo back to Myanmar. Here is another type of dog. The temple dog. Throughout Myanmar there are literally thousands of Pagodas and there are usually a couple (or more) dogs that sort of live or just hang around them. I don't think the dogs are particularly devout just that pagodas are nice quiet places to be and they may also get a scrap or two of food! Perhaps they are reincarnated souls who have to complete their earthly penance before they  can attain true nirvana.

They may also act as a deterrent to vermin like rats and mice. Cats are also quite common in temples.

There are a lot of cats here as well. The amount of dogs means that the cats tend to be scarce most of the time. You are more likely to see cats around temples where they would be encouraged.

Recently I have read stories of places like Karachi and Havana where the authorities have been rounding up strays and destroying them. I completely understand the rationale for this. Disease and dog bites are a very real danger. (I have seen stupid tourists trying to befriend these dogs by trying to handfeed them. An excellent way to get bitten and YOU DO NOT WANT TO GET BITTEN!) As Myanmar modernises I know the days of the street dog are numbered. Of course it is an important public health and safety issue but I can't help but think that a little bit Myanmar's charm will go when the street dogs go.

So much for Myanmar mutts!!!!