Bhulo, the Proudest Indian

8-month old INDog-mix Bhulo lives in Kolkata with his family. He is described by owner Prasenjit Dutta as 'the proudest Indian living', and he certainly looks it, doesn't he? What makes me even happier is Prasenjit's pride in his desi pet!

Read his story below:

'I picked him off the street at 2 months age with one leg maimed by an idiot cyclist. You can see the picture clicked at 4 months age when the leg had healed completely. 

'You would know what fine dogs they make if an Indian dog is cared for. Unfortunately people in our country do not care for anything Indian. We Indians are a pitiable lot...Little do we care for desis...

'Bhulo's leg no longer has any sign of injury and he is a happy member of the family. I had never thought that after keeping three pedigreed dogs since my boyhood days, I would suddenly have the impulse of picking up a street dog. But I have no regrets as the dog has become our third son now! Our dog is so affable and also protective of us that he has turned the household into a lively place and is now the youngest child of the family.

'Now, six months after his adoption, people ask me on the street about how much I bought him for! He likes to keep himself squeaky clean by not stepping on mud on the road. He is almost humanized and he actually talks to us through his grunts, growls, howls, the expression in his eyes and his body language.

'I think Bhulo is mixed with beagle. There are many foreign purebreds roaming the streets of my area where many new-rich people have abandoned their status symbol pets purchased at hefty price, simply because they can no longer tend to their needs. How pathetically mean and poor in mind and soul can our people be! I've seen many street dogs here that resemble beagles more significantly than Bhulo.'

Rajashree's note: This last paragraph about mongrelization made me feel really sad, in spite of this happy and heartwarming story. I grew up in Kolkata in the '60s and '70s (yes, I'm old!) In those days there wasn't much of a new-rich class, and mostly only real 'dog people' kept dogs. It was unthinkable to abandon one's pet or let it roam unsupervised and mate with street dogs. How things have changed.

Text and photos: Prasenjit Dutta

Kasba, Kolkata

Woman and INDog

A beautiful Ahmedabad street scene captured by Nicole Poyyayil. 

It's always these humbler citizens who stay close to their rural roots and retain close bonds with animals. I've seen a lot of affection for dogs around rural Gujarat, and an extraordinary amount of tolerance for wildlife too. The booming aspiring urban middle class is a different story.

Photo: Nicole Poyyayil

Ahmedabad

Gujarat

Free-ranging dogs of Bali

Presenting a dog's eye view of Bali! 

These handsome dogs were clicked by Yvonne de Kock. Yvonne was in Bali last month conducting 

a yoga workshop. I'm so grateful to her for spending time photographing dogs for me. 

Here are a few of the pictures:

Shy but alert

Superb traffic sense!

Typical Balinese dog

Hanging out together...

Napping in the sun, Ubud

Please watch the slideshow below (with captions) for the complete set of images. Brindled coat colouring seems to be quite common, unlike in INDogs. The dogs are also stockier in build than INDogs, something I noticed in Cambodia as well years ago.

This is an interesting article on genetics of Bali street dogs. The authors conclude that "a viable and diverse population of dogs existed on the island of Bali prior to its geographic isolation approximately 12,000 years ago and has been little influenced by domesticated European dogs since that time."

Here's an earlier post on Bali street dogs in this blog. 

Yvonne, thanks for this virtual dog-tour of Bali!

Photos: Yvonne de Kock

Bali

Note: There are images in this blog of indigenous dogs from several countries - Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, Cambodia, Sudan, Malaysia, Israel, South Africa. To see them check posts under the topics 'aboriginal dogs' and 'long-term pariah morphotype'.

Please do not use content or images from this blog without permission and acknowledgment.

Zoey

Black beauty Zoey belongs to Sadhwi Sondhi, founder of Red Paws Rescue, Delhi. 

The pup was found on the street and since nobody offered to foster or adopt her, Sadhwi took her in herself. 

 

Zoey is 4 months old now, and as elegant as she is cute, like all black Indies!  I find their looks the most striking of all.

Photos: Sadhwi Sondhi

Delhi

Red Paws Rescue

Untitled

This was posted by an old friend Prashant Godbole on his Facebook page recently. He's a brilliant photographer. Of course I asked if I could share it, and he generously said yes. Isn't it stunning?

More images by Prashant in the link below - dogs, birds, horses, people, trees...get ready for a visual feast.

Thanks Prashant!
Photo: Prashant Godbole
http://prashantgodbole.com/