Dog Lovers

An acquaintance of mine loves dogs. She shows this by regularly feeding 'all those in need' and so her place has become a popular hangout for all the neighborhood strays - sometimes even for visiting canines from surrounding areas. On one occasion, no kidding, she had 23 of them. I wouldn't be mentioning this if she invited them all in to stay - afterall what people do in their homes is their own business - but the problem is that her guests like to lodge out - in neighboring gardens, namely my own, where they dig out comfortable beds and mark out convenient toilet areas. They also like to have wild, rowdy parties until the wee hours that keep the uninvited awake too. Then there is the problem of their hygiene or rather the lack of it. Half of them have contagious skin problems and all of them are infested with lice, mites, and other parasitic beings. But perhaps the most bothersome aspect is the aggressive tendency of some of these animals. You have to really watch out while you're passing them - one in particular, a large male that the kids nicknamed 'Baldy', had the tendency to creep up on you from behind - he did that to me once and got whacked hard with my hand bag just in time. He left me alone after that, aside from growls and glares, but didn't let up frightening the neighborhood children if they ventured anywhere near 'his' area. Thankfully Baldy has moved on to greener pastures now and has shown no inclination to return.

The others remain and multiply. We've had five litters and there's a new one upcoming any day soon. None of these dogs, of course, have been vaccinated for anything. The lady in question has no more intention of getting them vaccinated or cleaned or trained than she has of keeping the pack confined in her tiny yard.

What can I do, she said, when I complained about the state of my garden - expensive plants uprooted, poop everywhere - and the state of my own four dogs - can't take them on walks without these intruders coming over either to flirt or pick fights. I love dogs and I even like some of these strays, but the patience wears thin sometimes when health issues and Vet bills assume towering proportions. Stop feeding them, I told her, that's why they converge here, because you feed them. But she won't do that. She can't stop being 'kind'. And it's no use complaining to the Municipal Authorities - they have neither the man-power nor the legal permission to deal with stray dogs - unless the dogs contract rabies and bite someone.

So it's live and regarden. And wait to see what the next litter is like. Somebody suggested why don't you get the dogs neutered and spayed? Great idea. I asked him how he was going to catch them all and nurse them post-operation, and he explained he was a very busy person - he had only made a valid suggestion that I was supposed to follow. And, of course, pay for.

Amidst all this another neighbor is thinking of getting a dog. No, he's not going to open up his home and heart to one of the lovely puppies we have wandering around. He doesn't care for the 'lousy locals'. Baldy tried to bite him and the others keep him awake. Other than that they just don't have any 'drive'. Look at your own, he said, waving at my three 'locals'.

"They've enough drive to be intelligent and well-behaved," I said, bristling.

"Give me an aggressive dog any day!"

"You should have adopted Baldy when you had the chance!"

"And I wouldn't want a small breed like that either," he continued, ignoring me and referring to my new Lhasa Apso puppy. "What's the point in getting such a small dog? I mean what's it going to do?"

"Why does everything have to do something?" I snapped. "Why can't something just exist?"

I was addressing the wrong philosopher. "Well," he said, considering. "I guess it's your wallet."

He is going to splurge his on a LARGE pedigree. Another requirement is a 'fierce' dog - an Alpha dog, he said, knowledgeably from watching Animal Planet. A dog that 'really goes for' people. I can't understand why someone, not under attack or in the protection business, would want a dog like that, but to each their own ego, I guess. What if it doesn't come back, I asked, but that sort of reality hasn't dawned on him yet. Those fierce dogs on Animal Planet always come back. It's all to do with the pedigree, he informed me, these dogs have it bred into them to obey commands. You still have to first teach them, I informed him. So, he said, I'll send it to a dog training class. Then, I said, it will listen to the trainer and not you. That won't happen, he said. That's the way it does happen, I insisted, unless you participate in the training yourself. I don't require any training, he said, offended.

I really hope he reconsiders. Because otherwise I'm imagining a very bad scenario - the lousy locals (Baldy's offspring who will no doubt have it bred into them) keep him off the street and the Alpha pedigree out of his own house and there appears to be just nowhere he can peacefully watch Animal Planet and spout his peace-disturbing opinions - except next-doors at MY place!