There can be no two different opinions about who the man’s best friend is. Whether it be in the North or South Pole, or the Orient or West, it is the dog, the first preferred domestic pet, which serves its master or madam till its last breath. An umbilical cord, invisible to ordinary eyes, connects the dog and its master.
Even as it serves its master, the dog ensures that no stranger comes anywhere near the master and also assures foolproof security to its master at times at the cost of its own life. Incidents galore about how the dogs serve the masters from all kinds of danger. There was a dog in a Chennai suburb that saved the entire community from death by warning them about a live electric line that had fallen into a waterlogged road as a result of heavy wind and rain. It started barking at those who dared to cross the pool of water. Those who ignored the dog’s barking and tried to cross over were shocked when the animal itself jumped into the pool of water and died in front of the onlookers. It was only with its own life that the animal conveyed to the people that a live electric wire was lying underneath, which would have taken away the lives of anybody daring to touch the water.
The Indian Army and para-military forces have their own kennels, from which they breed tracking and sniffing dogs that also serve as effective security guards. The State Police forces have dog squads for tracking criminals. The police team that rushes to the scenes of crime have “members” of the dog squad in attendance, and in many cases, it is the dog which makes the initial breakthrough by identifying the perpetrators of the crime. Initially, these dog squads had imported and home-grown members. Over time, the police dog squad has recruited native breeds in addition to imported breeds, such as German Shepherds, Labradors, and Dobermann Pinschers.
I remember Prime Minister Modi in his monthly radio programme Man Ki Baat speaking about the Mudhol breed, a great Indian breed hailing from Karnataka. From that day onwards, the premium on Mudhol breeds shot up by leaps and bounds. The defence and police forces across the country have started depending on native breeds, which are more trustworthy and healthier than the imported ones. The European breeds have become showpieces and status symbols in the country. The advantage of native breeds is that they need not be given dog biscuits or imported pedigree foods. These canines are more intelligent than their western counterparts. Each region in India has their own native breeds, but our pet lovers are infatuated with the “English speaking” imported ones.
The Book of Indian Dogs, authored by environmentalist and wildlife conservationist Theodore Baskaran, educated me about the native canines of the subcontinent. Though he could not publish a comprehensive volume, Baskaran’s work was an eye-opener to the readers. In a casual conversation, I recall him mentioning Malampatti, a breed found in the Sabarimala forests, where the holy shrine of Lord Ayyappa is situated. Due to our scant regard for such breeds, many native breeds, including the Malampatti, have become extinct.
Two young authors, Anusha Ramanathan and Chandrima Chatterjee, have come out with The Little Book of Indian Dogs featuring some of the rare native breeds. Rajapalayam, Chippiparai, and Kombai are the main protagonists in the book, written with young students in mind. The uniqueness of this work is that you feel like having a native breed immediately after you go through the book. Rajapalayam and Kombai are one-master dogs, which take command from only one master. These breeds are not ideal for those who live in multistory buildings because they need space to run. All these breeds are ferocious animals but easy to be groomed and trained. There are many kennels in Southern Tamil Nadu exclusively to breed these dogs. Some of the youngsters hold annual kennel shows in Madurai and Coimbatore. Only the native breeds are allowed to compete in these sporting events.
There has been a sudden hike in the number of persons, including children, getting bitten by stray dogs and falling victim to rabies. Many panchayaths and municipalities order that these dogs be killed to tackle the problem of rabies. But this is like setting ablaze one’s house to kill the rats. The more you kill the canines, their space is taken over by other dogs, which are waiting on the sidelines. Experts are of the view that the best solution to tackle the stray dogs menace is to subject them to Animal Birth Control (ABC) surgery. It has been found that sterilised dogs lose their ferocity and aggressiveness.
The author Anusha Ramanathan and the illustrator Chandrima Chatterjee have done an excellent jobs. The book is useful not just for children but for grown-up people too. It opens the windows to the world of native breeds.
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