476/ 100 Scooter Nest Dog
Would a Rescued Dog Be Happier?
My little dog project has sparked some different feelings amongst the people I know that have seen the photographs and read my stories. Some people love the photographs of the dogs. Others enjoy the stories as a little bit of escapism. Quite a few people, though, find it all too sad and don’t like to see it popping up on their computer or phone each day.
I think our immediate thought here in the West when we see a dog that isn’t, in our eyes, well looked after, is to somehow ‘rescue’ it. After spending several weeks watching and photographing the street dogs in India I wonder whether they would actually be happiest left where they are?
In their current situation they are completely free to move wherever they like. They form a small pack and live within its hierarchy which must offer them some stability in return. They are largely untroubled by people and, in fact, probably live alongside us in a similar manner to the way they might have done when they first became domesticated many thousands of years ago. They have a plentiful supply of food in the towns and cities, even if it isn’t a veterinary-approved kibble with extra vitamins.
There are certainly some dogs whose lives are not ideal. Sickness might spell the end for them whereas here we would take them to the vet for a likely cure. But the other side of that story is that many of our dogs here are very old – perhaps too old – and the last years of their lives might be a bit of a struggle. There are also plenty of dogs that are kept here as pets that are badly mistreated.
I really enjoyed seeing the dogs interacting with each other every day as I imagine they would in the wild. They can live by their natural instincts and do what works for them. If we fell deeply in love with a particular dog’s deep brown eyes, took it to the vet and packaged it off on a long trip to the UK for, what we might perceive to be, a better life, would the dog be happier? It would be living in isolation from the other dogs it grew up with. It’s whole life would be unimaginably different. There would be no pack and no structure to it’s life.
Would it be apparently content, curled up next to us on a warm sofa whilst we watched TV, or would it be dreaming of returning to its wild life on the streets of India, sleeping on a scooter?
Incidentally – do any dog psychologists reading this actually know why so many dogs absolutely love to sleep on scooters? My guess is that its either because the scooters are off the ground and provides safety from other scooters or cow’s feet, or possibly because there is some warmth left in it after it has been ridden. I would genuinely love to hear your views.
