Travels with Dog and Bruiser

"If I can't travel there with my dogs, the place isn't worth exploring."

Writer/photographer Lorraine Chittock is a true nomad, and so are her two canine companions Dog and Bruiser. Both dogs are from Kenya.

The pack of three have travelled extensively across South America and Africa. Read about their life and journeys in Lorraine's website.

Here are some images of Dog and Bruiser from their many road trips - and a couple of other dogs met on the way.

Thanks for the wonderful and evocative pictures Lorraine!















Above: Death Valley, Mojave Desert (California)











Above: In Tulum (Mexico)



Above: In the salt flats of Bolivia





Above: Bruiser



Above, below: Sailing





Some of Lorraine's books: Los Mutts, On a Mission from Dog, Cairo Cats, Dogs without Borders - Tales and Tips from the Road.

The pack of three are now living in Chile, in a cabin overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Another canine nomad featured in this blog - Princess Vagabond, who was born in Goa but has been a world citizen for the past decade!

Photos: Lorraine Chittock
http://lorrainechittock.com

Pup for adoption, Mumbai

An appeal from Purti Simon:

This little munchkin needs a home. He is about a month old and is lots of fun to be with. Currently he is being fostered by me and my flatmates in Bandra.

He was found in a pile of sewage on a very rainy day in Bombay. We found him an owner, but he was returned within 24 hours hours, as the owner's 4 year old was scared of him.

Mischief is independent and can be a good building dog too. Just that he is so small and deprived of his mother's milk, so will need someone monitor his food. He eats thrice a day. Once he's a little bigger he'll manage but he needs someone to give him his daily nutrition as of now.

Please do spread the word.

We've named him Mischief and you'll see why :)

Contact for adoption:

9819956824

purtisimon@gmail.com

Mumbai

Modelling is so boring

Being pretty is such a bore.





Okay, just one nice pose then.



Oops...



Well it is my siesta time, what did you expect?



Note: Kimaya is wearing a beaded necklace made by the Mir tribe. The Mirs are a nomadic community in the Little Rann of Kutch. I put this necklace on her only when I'm at home. Just in case she tries to tear it off and eat the beads!

Brother Wolf

A surprise encounter with the Indian Grey Wolf, Canis lupus pallipes, last friday!

This was my first wolf sighting, and it came when I was least expecting it. My friends and I were sitting beside a field, watching Coursers and other birds pecking in the soil. There was a goatherd with three goats some distance away. A shaggy black dog trotted past us and disappeared...And then about five minutes later, a wolf ran by on the far side of the field.

At first I wondered what kind of dog it was and peered at it through my binoculars - but we realized immediately that that was no dog! Then the second wolf followed, glancing at us as it went. My camera was in the car, because it had been drizzling some time back, but luckily Sangeeta always has hers, and she's a really good photographer. She managed some shots before the wolves vanished.

I've spent hours waiting to see wolves in three sanctuaries: Nannaj, the Little Rann and Velavadar, but this mysterious animal has always eluded me. Very disappointing for a canid-obsessed person like me. And then, just when I was least expecting to see them, not one but two ran by!

Although this region (the Little Rann of Kutch) is wolf habitat, we weren't really expecting to see them as this was not in a park or protected area, but in fields and pasture land. But then wolves here prey almost exclusively on livestock, since their natural wild prey have disappeared long ago. In fact our driver told us there used to be many more wolves earlier, but that they are regularly killed by the rabadis (shepherds).

I don't know the latest theories on dog evolution, but the Indian Grey Wolf has been considered a possible ancestor of the domestic dog Canis familiaris. Some scientists believe that dogs are probably not descended from wolves, but that both had a common ancestor, some canid that is now extinct. However, whether descendent or "cousin," dogs are undoubtedly very closely related to this magnificent and much-maligned animal.

Photos: Dr Sangeeta Dhanuka
Little Rann of Kutch

Rupee's first vacation

Rupee is five months now and just had his first vacation. Enjoy the video!

Follow this pup's story in this blog: Rupee, Rupee's first snow, Confused INpuppy.

Video: Rina Pita Peach
Canada

Little girl and Pintu

Last Friday in the Little Rann of Kutch:

My friends and I were on a three-day birding trip, and one evening we sat by this lake under trees filled with chattering parakeets. Cattle and their herders were hurrying home because it looked about to rain, and peacocks were calling loudly from across the water.

This little girl was standing on the grassy slope near us, telling us about owls she had seen in the neighbourhood. Her handsome red dog was sitting on the grass. His name was Pintu, and she told me she had two more dogs, Moti and Siddhu. Typically, I forgot to ask the child's name though I had a long chat with her!

She called Pintu to come home, but he wanted to play! Their interaction was so amusing I couldn't decide which pictures to post, so I've posted them all as a slideshow.

Most of the dogs in this region are some shade of brown, though some have patches. A few are brindled. Most are not very INDog-looking; they are taller, with longer legs and a more tucked-up "greyhound" build than INDogs. Many have dropped ears. That's a look quite common in grassland areas. Pintu looked more INDog than most.

Little Rann of Kutch
Gujarat

Sunbathing in Vung Tau

Ahmedabad Indies soaking up the sun in Vung Tau, Vietnam.



Button...



Penelope!

The two are siblings. They do this every day on the balcony, but the third Indy in the family, Shakers, doesn't sunbathe.

Earlier posts about Lisa's Indies: Gujarati desert dogs play in the South China Sea, Indies in watercolour.

Photos: Lisa Warden
Vung Tau
Vietnam

Kolkata dogs Lapu and Shapu need loving homes

Please help Indrajit Chakravarty find a home for these lovely dogs:

I am from Kolkata and I had four 15-day old puppies deserted near my home late at night. Unable to bear their cries for their mother and knowing that they would surely be killed by the neighborhood stray dogs, I rescued them. I never had a pet at home since I live in a cramped house.

Two of the pups died subsequently but the other two survived. Along with my wife we have nurtured these pups for the last 7 months. They are completely home-raised.

My intention was to donate them to some caring family once they are older. I have however been unsuccessful in finding any caring soul.

I brought them up with a lot of love and care and have never punished them. I wish some kind family would adopt them as family pets. I suffer from a physical handicap and it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to keep two grown-up dogs.

Details of the dogs:

Lapu - a 7 month old female. She is very active and playful. Attached to humans and loves human company and is very inquisitive. She likes to jump and play.

Shapu - a 7 month old male. He is mature and intelligent. Has a lot of dignity and grace. He is
a quiet and very alert dog.

They are healthy and de-wormed and have never fallen sick. They eat normal boiled rice etc. They have never mixed with any street dog after I took them in. They are excellent companions and not aggressive but have a pleasant character. They are like family to me. They are both very obedient. They know the word "NO" and listen to it.

For adoption please contact me on
9831666397
ichakravarty@yahoo.com

Indrajit Chakravarty

Kolkata

Rex the spinning INpuppy - help him find a home!

I can't imagine why this puppy hasn't got a home yet. In a more perfect universe, pups like this would disappear off the shelves quicker than lightning. As if those ears weren't irresistible enough, the dog also spins like a top. The only problem is he might make you giddy!!

Please watch the video, and share this appeal from Sadhwi Sondhi of Red Paws Rescue. Rex is in Delhi.



From Red Paws:

"Rex has been in foster care for over 2 months and needs a home ASAP.

He is a 3 month old Indian-mix male puppy. Rex was rescued by us when he was found scared and alone on the streets. We believe that he was abused by someone when he was a tiny puppy.

He is an excellent pet and will give the family who adopts him a lot of love. He is a darling, very friendly, loves playing and jumping around. Rex has come a long way since the day he was rescued.

He's now ready to join his new family and we believe he deserves a great one!

To meet Rex please call RPR on 9958866067."

More pictures of Rex:







Sadhwi Sondhi
Red Paws Rescue
Delhi
www.redpawsrescue.com
#9958866067

http://www.facebook.com/redpawsrescue
http://twitter.com/redpawsrescue

Archaeological Record for the Dog in India

The Archaeological Record of the INDog site was under construction when the site was uploaded last year. It's finally complete and was uploaded yesterday.

Click here for the record.

This section was only possible because of the support of the Deccan College Archaeozoology Laboratory. I want to thank the Lab director Dr Pramod Joglekar for his unfailing patience and all the fascinating information he provided, and also for allowing me to spend entire days in the College library.

Note: We don't know whether all the dog remains found are of INDogs, as no ancient DNA has been analyzed yet. Only the Mohenjo-Daro skull has been described in detail (Sewell and Guha 1931). Many rock art dog drawings also seem to show dingo-pariah type dogs. However since there has been no mass extermination of native dogs in most of India, since the reach of modern breeds has been limited, and since the pariah-type is known to be the original domestic dog type, it seems logical to assume that most of these ancient dogs were INDogs, and that the INDogs of today are descended from them.

Hindustan Times article on the INDog Project

An article on the INDog Project in Hindustan Times (htcafe) today. Click on the image to enlarge and zoom in to read. I hope that will do it but I'm not really very net-savvy even after several years of blogging!

This is the link to today's HT. If you want to read the article there, go to the sidebar, click on Supplements > htcafe > City

Thanks Lina Choudhury-Mahajan and HT for covering this topic!

Pup Shaanti for adoption, Pune

This appeal was forwarded to me recently. The rescuer is Shonita Joshi.

"My friend (Akshay) and I were going along Baner Road when we found a three month old female pup hit by a car twice while crossing the street. She was unable to walk and we took her to Blue Cross Pune the same night. She had a small fracture and a few minor injuries but nothing life-threatening.

We named her "Shaanti" (not the best I know) not only because she's like Deepika of her clan but she was the most co-operative, loving and caring pup ever. While taking her to Blue Cross, though she was in immense pain, she didn't once yelp, try to attack or do anything that made things difficult but instead nestled her head in my lap and kept licking my hand.

At Blue Cross once an injured animal has recovered and is good to go, the animal is put back into the area where he/she was found. Shaanti's stay at the shelter comes to an end in 4 days and we absolutely do not want her on the streets.

If you know of anyone who would like to keep her please do let us know. I know for a fact that she would make a great pet.

We will also provide for her first dose of vaccination, deworming and ensure that she is spayed so that there are no worries as to her being a female.

Kindly contact me on- 7893217707 or Akshay at -9921610883 and please feel free to forward the email.

Appreciate your help sincerely!

Regards,

Shonita

PS: Just want to thank Jitesh for being immensely cooperative and calling Blue Cross at midnight and helping us with it all :) Thank you so much!"

Pune

Sadhu baba and INDog

Sara Casapulla sent these lovely pictures taken in Rishikesh last month. "This baba really seemed to love his dog," she writes.

We can see that from the pictures too. The dog seems completely at ease and well looked after.

Thanks Sara!

Photos: Sara Casapulla
Rishikesh