Althouse posted an interesting story today about the way dogs are treated in India. And it got me to thinking some about the hierarchy of canines here in the Philippines.

At the top of the totem pole are those lucky animals that live in the relative comfort and safety of their owner’s home. They are fed and watered, get their shots and other needed treatments from the vet, and are generally loved and cared for. I won’t even try to ascribe an overall percentage of the dog population that lives this way. In my neighborhood which is comparatively upscale, I’d guess 80% or higher own dogs. An added benefit is that when you have shit you want to keep that others covet, a watchdog is a good theft deterrent. I’d guess the percentage is quite a bit lower in working class households.

The next tier are those dogs who have a home, get fed periodically, and exist in a universe that extends no further than the length of a three foot chain to which they are tethered.

It’s none of my business I suppose, but I honestly detest seeing an animal treated this way. I can’t say whether they are ever permitted off the chain or at least taken for a walk. But for the dog pictured above and several others I regularly see, they are ALWAYS chained in the same position as I pass by. Disgusting.

And then there are the dogs that I assume have owners but apparently have no home. They are always out on the street without leash or collars, but appear to be neighborhood pets. From my observations their diet consists of whatever scraps that may remain from a human’s meal. Many of them have mange or other skin disorders that go untreated. And of course these dogs do what dogs do, mate with each other. I frequently see them “stuck together” in the road and I just shake my head, knowing that in a few months there will be more dogs on the street. Sad.

Finally, there are the dogs who have nothing and no one. I see them all over on my walks. Literally skin and bones. Foraging in the trash for any morsel of nourishment they can find. Most of them are well on the way to being bald from skin disease. There are a couple I see almost daily and each day they look a little bit worse off. I dread knowing that one morning when I walk by I’m likely to view a corpse. Pathetic and heart breaking.

There are no rescue shelters or dog pounds here that I’m aware of. The locals don’t seem to notice or care. On a certain level I guess I can understand that. When so much of the human population is struggling to put food on the table, dogs are not going to be a priority. Unless it is as a meal.

Dogs running loose and wild is also a hassle for human folk too. They sometimes knock over my trash cans and scatter garbage around the yard. I can’t take Buddy and Lucky on walks outside the neighborhood for fear of being attacked. A few months back there was a pack of dogs on Baloy Beach that were very aggressive. Even came at me once, but I managed to scare them off. I guess they went after some tourists as well, because the hotel owners complained to the Barangay (city hall). Now, they don’t have dog catchers here (remember there are no pounds or shelters). They do send out a crew though. And they just kill the dogs and take away the carcass. They even put up signs warning folks that loose dogs will be terminated. Heh, just like they do with the drug dealers!

Alright, rant over. It is what it is and it is one of the things I do not admire about this culture. I’m the outsider and my complaints would fall on deaf ears anyway. I saved two and that’s all I can do for now. Well, I leave a bowl of food out on the front porch for Lucky’s girlfriend (she’s one of those neighborhood dogs who hangs around). And no, I won’t let Buddy fuck her no matter how much he whines about being horny (he really does that!) We don’t need anymore stray puppies running around.

I will say there was one Filipina who told me out of the blue while we were out walking: “If I ever win the lottery I am going to build a shelter for all these stray dogs”. Here’s hoping she hits the jackpot!