Are you a Primitive Dog fan?: September 2009

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

INDog near Pench

Not a very good picture I know...but my recent trip to Pench (yesterday) was very rushed and I didn't have time for my usual dog-watching.

This dog lives in a village called Bandra. Yes, like our Mumbai suburb Bandra. For me the name has even more significance as one of my dogs is named Bandra.

The village is near Pench Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra. Interesting fact: this is one of three award-winning villages that have been judged the best in Maharashtra. It has exemplary sanitation, waste disposal and rainwater harvesting systems. The inhabitants are mainly Gond tribals.

Many Gonds seem to like dogs, but then many other tribes like dogs too. In the days when they lived in their traditional manner, dogs were their hunting partners. Even now, though hunting is a thing of the past, you will often see dogs living as pets in Gond households. As watchdogs, livestock guardians and just as companions.

Incidentally, dogs that kill poultry are not tolerated by villagers. I've heard of dogs being poisoned when they show this behaviour. Not in Gond villages specifically, but in Nagaon and in Moharli (near Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve) and other places. Since village dogs grow up in the company of chickens and other domestic animals like goats, they are socialized with them, and however strong their prey drive might be, it is rarely if ever directed at these species. Which is why chickens walk quite confidently around dogs and sometimes appear in my INDog photos, as in this one.

For more pictures of dogs in tribal villages, click here, here and here. Please note that in the post "Village dogs of the Satpudas," some of the dogs are mix-breeds (mongrels) and not INDogs/Indian Pariahs.

Near Pench Tiger Reserve,
Maharashtra/Madhya Pradesh border

Honey needs a home

Honey was part of a litter of seven pups that Charu Shah had earlier put up for adoption. Thanks to Charu's efforts, five of them have got good homes. Only Millie and Honey were still on the street.

Millie has recently disappeared and is completely untraceable, though Charu has made several trips around the neighbourhood to look for her. A street dog at the best of times leads a risky life.

Please help find Honey a home to save her from a similar fate. She is around 6 months old now, a mix-breed and quite small in size. She's very sweet-natured and friendly, as you can see from the photos.

Contact Charu on shahcharu76@yahoo.com if you'd like to adopt Honey.

Photos: Charu Shah
Mumbai

Friday, September 11, 2009

Pups abandoned in a dump, Ahmedabad - please help find homes!

Another heartbreaking story of helpless and homeless pups. This appeal is from Priya Shastri, Ahmedabad:

A friend of mine found 9 cute puppies abandoned in the dump outside her house a week ago. The mother has not showed up making us believe that she is ether killed or someone left the puppies in the dumpster deliberately. Right now they live outside my friend's house and have very little food or protection from cars and other dogs.

They are adorable. Please help us find a home for them.

Priya Shastri
shastri.priya@gmail.com

Excavations

One of the first things Kimaya did after her adoption was to dig a largish hole in an obscure part of the garden. I almost fell into it while taking a walk that night.

Luckily it was shallow so no damage was done beyond my getting a bit of a jolt.

Digging is a dog's birthright...so sad they don't get to do this in our cement-and-concrete jungles.

Below: Goa INpuppies Raju and Deepa sniff out a site and start a very serious dig

Below: Satisfied with the fruit of their labours, both pups pause and pose

Below: Far away from Goa, another Deepa digs another impressive hole. In search of an old bone or a rodent perhaps? A journey to the centre of the earth?

Photos: Pups Raju and Deepa - Tina and Godfrey D'Souza, Aldona, Bardez, Goa
Deepa - Nicole Poyyayil, Doerflingen, Switzerland

Sticks

You never know when a stick might come in handy, so why not collect a few on one's travels. Here are some cute pictures of Deepa picking up twigs and sticks around her home in Doerflingen, Switzerland. Busy girl.

More photos of beautiful Deepa here.

Photos: Nicole Poyyayil
Doerflingen,
Switzerland

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Vicky

This is our newest member, Vicky. He belongs to Santhosh Sastry and lives in Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh.

He's a superb example of an Indian Pariah Dog/INDog. Enter "INDog" in the search box of this blog and go through the photos I've taken around the country - you'll see the resemblance.

Santhosh was cycling home from college with a friend when he first saw Vicky, then a tiny pup, playing in sand beside a busy road. He'd always wanted a dog and particularly loved Pariah dogs. So encouraged by his friend, he decided to adopt the little creature then and there.

Vicky is now two years old and living with Santhosh's family. There's only one thing missing in his happy life: his Favourite Human currently lives in Pondicherry, where he is studying. And of course, Santhosh misses Vicky terribly (we can all empathize with that). On his visits home, Vicky is ecstatic and the two are inseparable.

Santhosh tells me Vicky is very intelligent, active and playful. He isn't very enthused by ball games but loves hide-and-seek.

In his own words, "Vicky is the nicest friend for me, given by God."

Photos: Santhosh Sastry
Vijaywada,
Andhra Pradesh

Monday, September 7, 2009

Dora

Meet our new member Dora.

This smart, cute little INDog-mix is seven years old and lives in Mumbai with owners Arati and Prashant Nadkarni, and the family cat Billoo.

Prashant tells us Dora's unusual adoption story:

"Dora was being raised by our neighbor in Chennai. The neighbor was an old lady who suddenly fell sick and was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, due to which she did not recognize the dog she was raising. Since Dora was so friendly and had been kept for at least four years by her, I did not want her to end up on the streets, so I adopted her and brought her home to my Mumbai residence."

Soon after bringing her to Mumbai, the Nadkarnis adopted Billoo. Dora is devoted to Billoo, as you can see from the photos. She is a very affectionate dog and plays with all the children in their colony.

Prashant adds: "She has the uncanny ability to sense that we are coming home, so she starts to bark when we reach our building. Also she recognizes our ring tones and starts barking as soon as she hears them."

If you've been following this blog for some time, you will have noticed I am rather a "cat person" and I absolutely adore dogs who get on well with cats! For more dog + cat pictures, enter "The Indi and the Cat" in the search box on top left.

Photos: Prashant Nadkarni
Mumbai

Friday, September 4, 2009

INDogs of Orissa

Some pictures from my recent trip to Orissa (20 to 23 August).

Below: Unimpressed by the exquisite ancient sculpture all around him, this dog settles down for a late morning nap. His bloodline, after all, is definitely more ancient than this temple. Rajarani Temple, Bhubaneswar, 11th century A.D.

Below: Another temple dog. This one lives next to the famous 13th century Sun Temple at Konark. I wonder how he lost his tail...

Below: Pregnant bitch, Sun Temple, Konark

Below: Goatherd with his livestock guardian dog, near Satkosia Tiger Reserve

For more Orissa INDog pictures, click here and here.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Friends old and new

More glimpses of the puppy formerly known as Hugo, and now known as Pete.

This was taken by his rescuer Lisa Warden in her house in Ahmedabad. Hugo/Pete with his friend Piccolo.

Lisa's video of him wrestling with her dog Penelope:

Click here for more puppy videos by Lisa!

Below are Sarah O'Neill's pictures of him wrestling with Canaan Dog Jorja, at his new home in Ottawa, Canada. Yes, this pup likes to wrestle.

And here's a really sweet one of Pete and Jorja. Sharing a bowl on their very first day together!

Photos, video: Lisa Warden, Ahmedabad, India
Sarah O'Neill, Ottawa, Canada

Hugo's incredible journey

Remember little Hugo Boss? The feisty pup in this adoption video I posted a couple of weeks ago?

Life has changed rapidly and dramatically for Hugo, and I haven't been able to keep up with posting the updates, thanks to my recent hectic trips here and there.

Hugo has travelled to another hemisphere, a new owner and a new life. He has a new name too: Pete.

He's even become quite a media darling! The Times of India, Ahmedabad, wrote about him thrice:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/ahmedabad/Ahmedabad-slum-dog-finds-home-in-Canada/articleshow/4917160.cms
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/City/Ahmedabad/Ahmedabad-bids-Hugo-tearful-goodbye/articleshow/4947129.cms
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/ahmedabad/Slum-dog-from-Ahmedabad-wins-over-Canada/articleshow/4966312.cms

And here's his story covered by the Ottawa Sun: http://www.ottawasun.com/news/ottawa/2009/08/30/10680601.html

Hugo/Pete's new owner is a photographer, so we are going to see brilliant portraits of him quite often, I hope. Here are the first ones. The beautiful adult dog in the pictures is his new "sibling" Jorja, a Canaan Dog.

Photos: Sarah O'Neill
Ottawa
Canada

Photos by Sarah in this blog: Street dogs of Santo Domingo

This is an informal, unofficial group of INDog enthusiasts, linked to my awareness campaign the INDog Project. "INDog" is what we call the Indian native dog, (earlier known as the Indian Pariah Dog). The INDog belongs to a group of dogs known as aboriginal and primitive dogs, or indigenous village dogs. See also padsociety.org

Indian dogs, including INDogs, were sampled a few years ago for a genetic study by Cornell University. Read about their distinct genetic profile in this early post, and in the published paper 'Genetic structure in village dogs reveals a Central Asian domestication origin.'

Click here for our record of unmixed INDog populations around the country.

This is not a welfare or animal rights blog, though health and welfare are discussed sometimes. It is not about any organization. It is not about the "stray dog issue." There are many other sites dealing with such topics. Moreover, primitive and stray are NOT the same thing (see the glossary below, and also the INDog website).

This blog celebrates the INDog as an aboriginal race of domestic dog - its origins, characteristics, appearance, temperament, behaviour, and the sheer fun of keeping it as a pet. If, like many of us, you are captivated by our indigenous village dog, read on.

Click here for some articles on INDogs, one written by me and the others about the INDog Project.

Quoting from this blog or the INDog site: I have noticed that while most people follow the normal etiquette and credit my blog or site if they use content, there are a few who have copied text and pictures or quoted copiously without any acknowledgment. Please do not use any content from here or from the INDog site without permission and acknowledgment.

Dogs featured in this blog: I only feature INDogs adopted as house-pets. I also feature INDog-mixes who are house pets. In fact, if you live in an Indian city, your dog is possibly of mixed lineage and not a 100% indigenous native dog. I call these dogs INDog-mix or Indies. This is a point of difference but NOT a point of superiority or inferiority. INDogs, INDog-mixes, and in fact all dogs are equally wonderful as pets!

If you'd like me to post your dog's story in this blog, please write to me at rajashree DOT khalap AT gmail DOT com, along with photographs.

I also have a page on Facebook called The INDog Club. Please join if you find this topic interesting.

Why I created the INDog Project and INDog Club: I had the idea of setting up this forum after adopting my own dog, Lalee. I was disturbed by the general confusion and misconceptions about our native dogs. My pet project is to get this ancient race the respect and recognition that is its due.

The Indian public is not particularly dog-literate, and the common third world mindset affects perceptions about dogs. As in many countries of Asia and Africa, pets are still selected according to an outdated colonial-era ranking order which perceives anything foreign as superior to anything native. The growing middle class also seeks to display its spending power by purchasing expensive European breeds.

If you believe that artificially developed modern breeds are superior to landrace indigenous ones, read no further. This blog is not for you.

In a slide presentation on stray dogs I created for a Mumbai NGO in 1994, and in their website, I pointed out that the INDog is NOT a mongrel but a primitive breed in its own right, evolved by natural selection over many centuries. This is based on the theories of canine biologists and experts worldwide. True primitive dog populations have suffered minimal or no genetic admixture with modern breeds. To read more about this, click here .

Major W V Soman pointed out the difference between 'pariah dogs' and mongrels way back in 1963, in his book 'The Indian Dog'. (You can download the book from our blog!) Even earlier, the famous naturalist, environmentalist and Tamil scholar M. Krishnan wrote in praise of these dogs in his essay "The Pariah" (read about his essay here).

The INDog is a beautiful early version of our best friend Canis lupus familiaris. It’s probably what Nature intended dogs to be.

Why I created this blog: This is the informal side of my project. It's a place for us besotted INDog and INDog-mix owners to show off our beloved pets.

INDog owners, please use this space to share your experiences, dog photos and videos, useful information for other dog-owners. Owners of mix-breeds (Indies) are also welcome, as long as the dog is at least part INDog. Mail your dog stories and dog images to me at rajashree DOT khalap AT gmail DOT com. They will be moderated but everything relevant to this topic will appear here.

Must-know stuff

Primitive/aboriginal dog: A type of domestic village dog which evolved a distinct appearance and character without human intervention. This appearance was earlier called the "long-term pariah morphotype" by some scientists - click here to see photos of the type. The modern and preferred term is 'primitive type' or 'dingo type.'

Primitive-type dogs across continents have the same basic physical characteristics. These naturally evolved dogs are not only extremely hardy, they are also very alert and have the high-order intelligence required for a free-roaming life under circumstances that are often difficult and hostile. In biological terms, the aboriginal dogs of Asia and Africa are of the highest value for the study of genetics, behaviour and the origin of the dog.

Dogs were never studied in India till recently, and in the early days there were no Indian experts in this area, so terms coined by western scholars tended to stick. I believe the term "Indian Pariah Dog" is very generic (apart from having negative social connotations) and that our aboriginal dogs should have a name of their own, like the Canaan Dog of Israel and other landraces. The name INDog, coined by Col. Gautam Das, is perfect for this native landrace. I have been using and promoting it since 2007.

Aboriginal dogs in some parts of the world have now been officially recognised by canine registries, including the UKC, which has a 'Pariah and Sighthound' group. The FCI (Federation Cynologique Internationale) refers to this category as "Primitive Types." In some countries such dogs are being selectively bred. The best-known are the Canaan Dog of Israel and the African Basenji.

It is now accepted that many of the free-roaming dogs in Indian cities and towns are actually mix-breeds, though some certainly look more "mixed" than others. Pure INDogs are more common in remote rural areas where there are no Eurobreeds or other types of dog to interbreed with, and minimal or no admixture has occurred.

INDog: An aboriginal dog which perfectly conforms to the true primitive-type and is not mixed with any other breed. This is the name we use for the 'Indian Pariah Dog.'

How would you identify an INDog? By both type and location. Read the criteria in this post.

Indy, INDog-mix: A mix-breed dog descended from INDogs. I prefer these terms to 'mongrel', for our urban street dogs and other mix-breeds with INDog ancestry (see 'Mongrel', below). Since our mix-breeds are almost descended from INDogs, they are different from mixes of only Eurobreed dogs.

Mongrel: (called mutt in the US) Defined as a dog of mixed but indeterminate breed, whose lineage is not known. Primitive dogs were once considered to be mongrels, but for the last few decades it has been recognised that they are unmixed, natural types of dog in their own right. In India almost all mongrels have INDog mixed in their lineage. I prefer to call such mix-breeds 'Indies' or INDog-mix.

Mongrels exist thanks to irresponsible dog-owners who let their pets mate with street dogs. This practice not only exposes the pet to serious health risks (including venereal disease), it also increases the already huge street dog population, and lessens the number of indigenous dogs.

(Let me clarify that I love mongrels - in fact, I think they are adorable, and I have adopted four over the years - but the reason for their existence is poor pet ownership, which is regrettable to say the least. It would be a pity to lose the unique character of our ancient aboriginal race because substandard dog owners let their pets roam and breed on the street.)

Pi-dog, pye-dog: A term used by the British. It also means street dog.

Stray: There is a lot of confusion about this word and it is frequently used incorrectly. “Stray” does NOT refer to breed but to the legal status of the dog. In India it seems to mean an ownerless, unlicensed free-roaming dog. Since most "strays" in India happen to be INDogs or mix-breeds, all these terms are often used interchangeably. This is wrong. Purebreeds abandoned by their owners become strays. INDogs and mix-breeds adopted into homes are no longer strays but pets.

I find this word very vague and don't use it much. I prefer the terms "free-roaming" or "free-ranging" dog.

Purebreed: A dog of only one breed, born of selected parents. Most of the commercially recognised 'pure' breeds have only been created in the last two centuries, as strict breeding norms were not followed earlier. In actual fact, almost all modern 'pure' breeds have been created by mixing two or more breeds.

We use the word 'pure' to describe landraces as well. In this case it means a dog of only one landrace/type.

Pedigree: A recorded line of descent.

Also read the glossary in the INDog site http://www.indog.co.in

About Me

Are you a Primitive Dog fan?