Who let the dogs out?

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So, one of the most noticeable things here in Thimphu are the dogs. Dogs are EVERYWHERE. If they are not owned by a family, they live in packs and have there own territories. Many choose to live near the garbage dumps in order to get food. There are about 10-15 puppies and dogs that live up the road from us. I have been very intimidated by them all since I got here but I have slowly started to realize that they are more afraid of me than I am of them. People here can be quite cruel to the dogs by kicking them or throwing things at them. When I hear them barking viciously they are barking at each other. Maybe a dog walked into their territory or a dog is taking some food from them. It is all about survival and it seems very hard to survive here unless you have a human family taking care of you. Many dogs are really quite thin. Many have mange, this skin disease that makes them lose hair, and have puss and blood filled sores all over their bodies. They are really hard to look at and no matter how much compassion I would think I would have for them I cannot bring myself to go near them. Many dogs get cancer, many are hit by the speeding cars. I have seen a mixture of compassion and cruelty towards the dogs. I love this little old woman who shuffles up the street every day to feed leftover bread to the dogs. She speaks a little English, so we have spoken, and she has the kindest smile I maybe have ever seen. Buddhism prevents euthanizing the really sick dogs but it seems so cruel to let them live the way they do. There have been a few programs to spade and neuter the dogs but they can’t get all of them. They even neglected to properly stitch them up afterwards and some have their insides hanging out. A woman from France has lived here for around ten years and she has become a sort of Saint for the really sick dogs. She drives around Thimphu looking for the really sick and hurt dogs and takes them back to her house for surgery or whatever. We went over there and she must have been caring for around 50 dogs at the time. There were puppies inside that slept the whole time we were there, there were some that didn’t have limbs and scooted themselves around, while others bounded around about ready to be sent back to the streets. She even cares for neglected or abused monkeys that she is slowly adjusting to living in groups and will eventually put back into the jungle. I honestly was overwhelmed by the sights, sounds, and smells. A week later we decided to get one of the dogs. We decided on an 8 month old that was born at her place. Her mom was found near death from starvation. She was cared for and began to show life after a few weeks. Another week went by and much to the surprise of everyone she gave birth to one puppy and that was Schoolie. We had Schoolie for three days before he ran away. He was very frightened to be away from the home he grew up in. I blame only myself because I decided to try to walk him without a leash (very few dogs are ever seen on a leash). I feel awful because he is not used to the streets and I fear the street dogs have gotten to him. I continue to hope he will make it all the way back to his original home. I think our next attempt will be with puppies because they will be easier to train.

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