When I was a child, most dogs (even in suburbia) roamed around where they wanted. Everyone let their dog out in the morning and the dogs knew when they should be home. Our dog, a boxer, tended to bring home "gifts"…a man's work pants, a potted plant (pot intact until he tried to bring it up the steps), a stuffed toy, etc. He had a few canine pals that he sometimes ran around with and a number of human friends to visit. A good life indeed! Big downside....he was hit by a car and killed at a young age of 4.
Pat
A great life, until as you said, they get hit by cars, eat the neighbors anti-freeze or fertilizer, chew the neighbors' new garden hose, pee in the neighbors' garage, kill the neighbors' cat, bite the neighbors' child, fight the neighbors' dog, I even had a friend whose dog died after getting into a bag of bird seed someone had in their garage . . . . .
Maybe not such a great life. A lot of those dogs don't make it to 12 or 16 yrs., and a lot of their deaths are unpleasant.
I really disagree with allowing dogs to run loose, anywhere outside of native areas.
So sad to hear that he was hit by a car, but what a great dog life he lived until then. When I first moved to Sag Harbor (east end of Long Island) dogs ran loose. I had a collie/brittany mix who was a crazy, frenetic dog. She had a big yard where I lived before, but it was never enough. When she started running loose, she became a different dog. Very calm, sweet (she was always sweet) and somehow seemed happier. She got to hunt (she was more brittany than collie in behavior) and hang outside with the other dogs.She just seemed to be what she was supposed to be. It was very enlightening.
But things have changed here since then and I wouldn't be able to do things the same way with her now. Many more people are here year round now. I used to live at the end of a long dead end street with little or no traffic and water all around. Half the time she was in the water. Happy dog. But we've been "discovered" and I would never let any dog run loose now. Well, that's not completely true - I would never let any dog out the door to come home when he/she was ready. I do have a "safe" place where I occasionally let the dogs run off-leash - a dog park, of sorts. I have to say, they're never happier than when they are there - sniffing - running full speed for as long as they want, playing with the other dogs (Willie has a thing for German Shepards).
A great life, until as you said, they get hit by cars, eat the neighbors anti-freeze or fertilizer, chew the neighbors' new garden hose, pee in the neighbors' garage, kill the neighbors' cat, bite the neighbors' child, fight the neighbors' dog, I even had a friend whose dog died after getting into a bag of bird seed someone had in their garage . . . . .
Maybe not such a great life. A lot of those dogs don't make it to 12 or 16 yrs., and a lot of their deaths are unpleasant.
I really disagree with allowing dogs to run loose, anywhere outside of native areas.
Oh, I do too, JM. I prefer to keep dogs safe, than to have them live the ultimately fun dog life. I am just sayin' that we expect a lot of dogs now days, that wild dogs, and old time dogs weren't expected to do.
i didnt realize it till could possibly be a body till you said it and i looked again. i just looked at the dogs not what they were doing… kiiiinda odd what goes on in different countries... idk that you'd find anything even remotely like that anywhere in the U.S.
I say there's no doubt the limb sticking up in the air to the left of the blonde dog is the lower half of a human leg. When someone pointed it out and I took a second look…...I can't lie after the initial shock I laughed simply because the dogs are eating it so casually. I have read and seen that in India they have Creamation houses in the middle of neighborhoods and basically anywhere else you can think of. They treat the dead a lot more casually then we do, however I guess this body didn't get completley creamated.
Oops! I edited the post I made. I didn't even notice what they were eating. Was just popping around on the net googling India and dogs… Sorry about that. Just saw dogs that looked similar to basenjis that were tied to India. Looking at it again after reading this thread (I just got an email updating me that a new post was made today after having mostly forgotten about this thread altogether!) it certainly IS a charred body. Yuck.
When I went to Thailand, the dogs there looked very basenji like. It was hard to see them in the shape they were. Definitly not spoiled as dogs are here. Very thin and most had mange. They are wild there, and you dont pet them, they just kinda run around like squirrles or raccoons.
It was very hard for me to see them. I took some pictures, of the healthier ones. I will try and find them.
They tended to stay at the temples "temple dogs" because the Monks would care, somewhat, for them.
The ones running in towns and villages were much worse looking, some. I would have taken them all home.
Goes to show what how different people (not just "us/them) but all of us are different form each other.
The guide and I had a wonderful time comparing and contrasting our cultures. I let her know how I treat my dog, and although she said it was nice and she liked dogs, I knew she thought I was crazy.
I think the problem is that we hold all dogs to higher and higher standards of what is 'acceptable' in the western world. We treat them like little humans, and expect them to behave like polite little children. When our parents grew up…dogs bit people who bothered them, and no one sued anybody..the kids were taught 'leave dogs you don't know alone!'. Dogs ran wild in the neighborhood, dogs got into garbage, and chased cats, etc. Now dogs are often surrogate kids, and are treated as such. And people expect all dogs to behave as well as their perfect 'baby'. And in particular, or society is ready to sue somebody at the drop of a hat.
I definitely think dogs would be happier if they were allowed to be dogs more often, but they certainly wouldn't be as safe...but I don't know if that is likely to happen in our society.
Funny but We met this lady that just came from China. We were sitting outside at a park and a guy walks by with a Golden Retriever, with a really big fancy bandana on, groomed perfect.
The ladies eyes grew large in shock. She said she does not understand the way people treat dogs like people in America. She said in China they are treated as animals, not like humans. She could not believe that people actually have dogs living inside there houses or sharing their beds. She said that was one of the biggest shocks she has seen in our country.
Funny but We met this lady that just came from China. We were sitting outside at a park and a guy walks by with a Golden Retriever, with a really big fancy bandana on, groomed perfect.
The ladies eyes grew large in shock. She said she does not understand the way people treat dogs like people in America. She said in China they are treated as animals, not like humans. She could not believe that people actually have dogs living inside there houses or sharing their beds. She said that was one of the biggest shocks she has seen in our country.
Well, they eat dog in China, so I suppose they have a whole different way of looking at them. The large breeds anyway, as I know they do tend to pamper the smaller breeds.
I had a Chinese friend who went to China and bought a fur coat made out of dog fur.:eek:
I just read in the paper today that India is planning to exterminate over 100,000 stray dogs.
I had a Chinese friend who went to China and bought a fur coat made out of dog fur.:eek:
I just read in the paper today that India is planning to exterminate over 100,000 stray dogs.
:eek: is right. Ew. Wonder how THAT smells if you wear it in the rain, LOL.
It's sad that the dogs have to be exterminated, but what else are these countries to do? All those loose dogs, no health care so they just perpetuate disease, running loose not to mention the risk to people/children.
I see it as a very sad, necessary evil. 
My son had a school friend from India and he was most amazed when he saw me picking up dog poop on my walk.
He said they don't even pickup human waste in India yet alone animal.
:eek: is right. Ew. Wonder how THAT smells if you wear it in the rain, LOL.
hahahhahahahahhaha.:D
thats really sad though.. thousands of dogs that did nothing wrong
When I went to Thailand, the dogs there looked very basenji like. It was hard to see them in the shape they were. Definitly not spoiled as dogs are here. Very thin and most had mange. They are wild there, and you dont pet them, they just kinda run around like squirrles or raccoons.
It was very hard for me to see them. I took some pictures, of the healthier ones. I will try and find them.
They tended to stay at the temples "temple dogs" because the Monks would care, somewhat, for them.
The ones running in towns and villages were much worse looking, some. I would have taken them all home.
Goes to show what how different people (not just "us/them) but all of us are different form each other.
The guide and I had a wonderful time comparing and contrasting our cultures. I let her know how I treat my dog, and although she said it was nice and she liked dogs, I knew she thought I was crazy.
I know what you mean. I was in there a couple of summers ago. Some of the dogs at the temple had mange so bad that they were missing a good portion of their fur not mention the number of dogs wondering around with limps and crooked limbs from being hit by bikes and cars.
Funny story…before I went with UT the students from the University there came and two of them stayed with my parents. I brought them over to my apartment to hang out one evening and they went wild for Manning. I mean they took picture after picture and didn't want to put him down. Poor Rascal, my mutt, was sitting there like "hey what about me?" Finally, they explained how the King in Thailand has basenjis and has made them very popular. They were even wearing polo shirts with little stitched pictures of the King's dog on them. Here is a link about the King's dog Tongdaeng, a basenji mix. There is a great book called The Story of Tongdaeng. Inside the book are pictures of the king surrounded by Tongdaeng and his other basenjis. Here is a link that tells some of the story.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/60yrsthrone/litterary/index.html
I have to say…the Thai monarchy has gained my respect!:D
