Mr. Ramon Carver partially tells the truth (See December blog post, “Say No to Bhutan”). There are an awful lot of dogs in Bhutan and, like dogs all over the world, they bark—they bark a lot. They party down in Thimphu town. But if you love dogs—like I do—they present no problem whatsoever. Granted, I brought 48 pairs of earplugs with me to Bhutan(!) so I’m not personally affected by nocturnal barking. A woman I know remarked that she would like to hire children to poke sleeping dogs during the day so that they might sleep at night.
Bhutan has tried a variety of approaches. Apparently, in the 1970’s, an attempt was made to round up dogs and (humanely) deliver them to their next incarnation. However, once the school kids got wind of what was happening, dogs were mysteriously disappeared;
hidden wherever the kids could find doggie sanctuary. At another point in time, the Bumthang Dzongkhag (district) collected truckloads of dogs and moved them to the Mongar Dzongkhag, kind of like Alberta likes to transport its petty criminals. Much inter- Dzongkhag animosity ensued. Today, attempts are made to spay and neuter dogs, but resources are scarce. We saw plenty of dogs on the hike to Tiger’s Nest Monastery today, and I believe it will be decades before the folk who neuter dogs can get their surgical equipment up the mountain.
Meantime, I enjoy having the doggies about and I hope I’ll develop some good canine friendships in Chumey.
Mr. Ramon Carver partially tells the truth (See December blog post, “Say No to Bhutan”). There are an awful lot of dogs in Bhutan and, like dogs all over the world, they bark—they bark a lot. They party down in Thimphu town. But if you love dogs—like I do—they present no problem whatsoever. Granted, I brought 48 pairs of earplugs with me to Bhutan(!) so I’m not personally affected by nocturnal barking. A woman I know remarked that she would like to hire children to poke sleeping dogs during the day so that they might sleep at night. 
Bhutan has tried a variety of approaches. Apparently, in the 1970’s, an attempt was made to round up dogs and (humanely) deliver them to their next incarnation. However, once the school kids got wind of what was happening, dogs were mysteriously disappeared; 
hidden wherever the kids could find doggie sanctuary. At another point in time, the Bumthang Dzongkhag (district) collected truckloads of dogs and moved them to the Mongar Dzongkhag, kind of like Alberta likes to transport its petty criminals. Much inter- Dzongkhag animosity ensued. Today, attempts are made to spay and neuter dogs, but resources are scarce. We saw plenty of dogs on the hike to Tiger’s Nest Monastery today, and I believe it will be decades before the folk who neuter dogs can get their surgical equipment up the mountain. 
Meantime, I enjoy having the doggies about and I hope I’ll develop some good canine friendships in Chumey.
We are not amused by the comparison of Albertan petty criminals to the Bhutan dogs. The four-legged rule.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, wishing you well.
It's so nice to see that dogs with such great spirits live all over the world. I hope you do have a doggy companion when you are in Bumthang. There is no love like it.
ReplyDeleteThey're beautiful dogs. Hell, Pompeii is completely overrun with dogs and no one says a thing.
ReplyDeleteThe neutering and spaying is the best bet, of course, but there's something poetic about masterless canines wandering in their own symbiotic community.
I love the doggie photos. I must say they are way more humanely treated than what I saw (and thank God didn't see) in South Korea. Maybe you can adopt one and bring him home to Canada with you! Although, we have thousands of dogs needing adoption here. Love, Margaret
ReplyDelete