One of my very close friends (she lives in the bay area, west coast USA) posted a catching status update on facebook ! Goes like this ..
'Why are Indians in the US scared of pet dogs while they comfortably walk amongst stray dogs in India ? When walking my dog, if I encounter someone of Indian origin, 9 out of 10 times, they either freeze with horrified look on their faces or swiftly move away. Bear in mind I own a toy poodle …"
It was actually thought provoking as this is a behaviour I ve noticed many times earlier myself, but never thought so prominently about it to bring it out for a discussion. May be because I do not own a dog - I did not take these reactions around me personally. So, it was latent observation but not actionable one !!
I started sorting the "Indian" behavior towards dogs in many buckets (This does not include the people who are comfortably oblivious to any dog - pet or otherwise) .. it may be true for other cultures too, but I ve no right to comment on that ..
First - Those who are afraid of all dogs - Pet or stray ! A minority.
Second - Dog lovers …. Mostly like / love pet dogs and sympathize stray ones - again minority
Third - the kind my friend observed. Those who comfortably walk the streets filled with stray dogs of various breeds and temperament and zero vaccination but make cautious space around other's pet dogs !! Majority by any observation standard for sure.
While chasing this psychology down to the root of it, I had many sets of reasoning and counter reasoning until I stumble up on a root level dis-trust we human beings have towards fellow human beings (not animals).
Stray dogs are free. Out there fighting for their survival every moment. Staying away from motor tyres, protecting their territory, scavenging food from garbage, forming street wise associations, battling the weather etc. Strays are not trained / brain washed by any human being ! Strays are themselves - always ! And with a full agenda related to survival.
While a pet is not so much fighting survival. Does not have a full daily calendar of musts. It gets the food, the walking, the grooming, the petting - has idle time in which it is trained by the human owner of the pet.
So when the majority of the people in the third category show the apprehension towards to pet dogs, they actually sow their dis-trust on the human training given to the pets in their otherwise fulfilled life.
An apprehension towards a fellow human being, the pet owner. Now the potent human thoughts of isolating other human beings, not trusting other human beings, scared of strangers etc. reflect in the dog that has enough idle time.
That makes the pet dog more scary to many people than the stray dogs.
'Why are Indians in the US scared of pet dogs while they comfortably walk amongst stray dogs in India ? When walking my dog, if I encounter someone of Indian origin, 9 out of 10 times, they either freeze with horrified look on their faces or swiftly move away. Bear in mind I own a toy poodle …"
It was actually thought provoking as this is a behaviour I ve noticed many times earlier myself, but never thought so prominently about it to bring it out for a discussion. May be because I do not own a dog - I did not take these reactions around me personally. So, it was latent observation but not actionable one !!
I started sorting the "Indian" behavior towards dogs in many buckets (This does not include the people who are comfortably oblivious to any dog - pet or otherwise) .. it may be true for other cultures too, but I ve no right to comment on that ..
First - Those who are afraid of all dogs - Pet or stray ! A minority.
Second - Dog lovers …. Mostly like / love pet dogs and sympathize stray ones - again minority
Third - the kind my friend observed. Those who comfortably walk the streets filled with stray dogs of various breeds and temperament and zero vaccination but make cautious space around other's pet dogs !! Majority by any observation standard for sure.
While chasing this psychology down to the root of it, I had many sets of reasoning and counter reasoning until I stumble up on a root level dis-trust we human beings have towards fellow human beings (not animals).
Stray dogs are free. Out there fighting for their survival every moment. Staying away from motor tyres, protecting their territory, scavenging food from garbage, forming street wise associations, battling the weather etc. Strays are not trained / brain washed by any human being ! Strays are themselves - always ! And with a full agenda related to survival.
While a pet is not so much fighting survival. Does not have a full daily calendar of musts. It gets the food, the walking, the grooming, the petting - has idle time in which it is trained by the human owner of the pet.
So when the majority of the people in the third category show the apprehension towards to pet dogs, they actually sow their dis-trust on the human training given to the pets in their otherwise fulfilled life.
An apprehension towards a fellow human being, the pet owner. Now the potent human thoughts of isolating other human beings, not trusting other human beings, scared of strangers etc. reflect in the dog that has enough idle time.
That makes the pet dog more scary to many people than the stray dogs.
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