Puppies and the Life of a Dog in Kathmandu

The vet that examined Lilly is an idiot. Hormonal my ass! Seriously, after seeing her like this how could you not know that she was pregnant? Lilly is one of the school's dogs at Rato Bungala, and she was clearly preggers. Dogs definitely fill some kind of special role in Nepali society; during Tihar the mutts are even worshiped for one day, known as Kukur Tihar. Most people would agree Kathmandu has a dog problem though; they're literally everywhere. Most houses have at least one dog, not to mention that thousands of other kurkurs don't have owners or homes. There is a whole spectrum of issues that goes along with having so many stray dogs, some more serious than others. For one thing, you really have to be careful about where you walk, but rabies and inbreeding among street dogs definitely top the list of more serious issues.

There have been many concerted efforts* to aid this growing problem over the years, but if the dogs are breeding faster than they are getting off the streets, the problems will continue to grow. I'm not an expert in this field, so I don't have a solution. But I think something large scale -- ideally managed by the government -- would have to be instigated in order to see some real improvement in the lives of our average Kathmandu canine. I love dogs; I wish everyone would just adopt one to help! But the reality is that only people who have the space, time and money can adopt, which is unfortunately only a small portion of the Kathmandu population. As for Lilly's pups, they'll each be sold to individuals and households who understand the responsibilities, costs and benefits to owning a dog. We'll probably keep one or two around here as well, rumor has it ;) Not every dog is so lucky though. Similar to people in Kathmandu, dogs come from all walks of life as well.

Ama Ghar kukurs playing and getting to know each other.

Kunda uncle and one of Lilly's new pups. Two came out white!

It's a lazy dog's life. She looks like she may be expecting.

Lilly loves to hop in the pond when it's warm. She likes to get everyone else wet as well...

Balu is a great guard dog. Lounging 90% of the time is in the job description as well.

Street dogs are cute too, all the more reason to adopt one!

Balu on the prowl at naya Ama Ghar.

haha, priceless.

*See: Nepali Times Issue # 199, DOGMANDU and Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre

A plethora of other Canine related photos are available for viewing and downloading on flickr.