Comments on A World Apart: The Street Dogs of India

What an adventure Doc! You really have the gift of writting. :)

I have to comment again since I consider my country, one of the ones from the third world especially a the present time. But the situation in there it is not as Margaret describe Cuzco's dogs. You see the dogs that live in the streets with not owners at all, maybe some people will let their dogs go out and then they come back home. Those dogs do not expend all day out.
Also Dr. Falconer there are a lot of dog lovers in my country. A lot of dogs live a life similar to the dogs here. I came from a family of animals lovers, and have some extended family that brought several dogs from the street to be adopted as their pet treating them as children until they passed away. A lot of dogs and cats there do not co-exist with man's world they live with their people.

Street dogs of Cuzco, Peru...I observed a similar circumstance in Cuzco, Peru a few years ago, while on vacation with my husband. There were lots of dogs in the street, lots!, but no-one bothered with them or gave them any attention. They had a routine and an order to their roamings. Early one morning, I noticed one little dog waiting on a street corner, waiting for what??? For his friends to join him, and they did, coming to him from different directions, he waited until they had all gathered around him and then, they all crossed the road together and headed off to the street market to check out what goodies might be thrown their way by the vendors getting their food stuffs ready for the day. These dogs traversed the very crazy and unpredictable traffic of Cuzco, with the greatest of ease and confidence. Never did I see a dog get hit by a car! To me, this was amazing, my dogs are not car savy at all. I finally realized, by rising very early one morning that a lot of these dogs actually had humans that they lived with, but were let out early in the morning to go about the day on their own and then return at night to guard the homes of their humans. It all worked so well, the dogs were healthy and they did not beg or bother people in the street and; of course, they knew where to go back to each evening. ( I've always had a hard time understanding how a dog can get lost in it's own neighborhood, as happens so often here). Dogs, left to their own devices figure out a system of survival and maneuvering and read cues from each other. I never saw a single dog fight in Peru. I think we, in modern, western society have forgotten how to live along side our canine companions; opting instead, for complete control of them. After seeing how dogs live in South America and Mexico, I'm not convinced that our way is better.

Wow!! indeed. You really captivate your readers with your writing! It is fascinating to read the story. Being from South America I have come across domestic animal living in packs in the streets. They eat from garbage cans and scraps they get from people. But I have been away for such a long time, that I cannot comment specifics at the present time. Also, they do not get vaccinated like the ones in India. Thank you for sharing your trip with all of us.

Amazing story to hear from your travels. Thanks for sharing your observations through the written word. The picture you attached to this story of the street dogs of India was striking as the dog in the for front looked very similar to my dog, Lady. She too, was rescued from the street life but here in the US. We rescued her along with her 7 pups finding homes for her pups but ultimately keeping her because she chose us. She is different than our other dogs of the past. She is a loving dog but affection must be her idea. She has never lost her independence and still treasures some form of freedom. When we take daily walks on the leash, towards the end of our walk, I can tell she longs to run free off leash. When safely close to home, I unleash her. She runs for home as if to say to me that I cannot keep up with her. She turns her head to check that I am running along behind. She always wins and seems contented by her accomplishing that feat of reaching the door first. Aww, still has the heart of a street dog. Love reading your stories and sharing life's path.

Absolutely fascinating! I felt as if I were on the trip with you. The dog species always intrigues me and I must say more so now. These dogs that are street bound did you ever see anyone interact with them, how do they get fed???

Wow! That was fascinating!!!
You are an excellent writer, and reading from the viewpoint of a Veterinary doctor made for a unique perspective you can't find anywhere else! Thank you!!