Dog owners should buy or adopt breeds suited for Indian climate

Exotic breeds, such as Saint Bernard and Siberian Husky, are not meant for tropical climate of India. The greatest act of kindness that one can show to these breeds is not to buy them at all

It was a scorching hot afternoon. From the relative comfort of my car, I saw a St Bernard being dragged for a walk. Rather, he was standing at one end of the chain, while the other was being held carelessly by perhaps a walker, who was busy jabbering on a mobile phone and had his headphones on.

There are so many things wrong with this; I don’t know where to start.

First and foremost is the matter of the St. Bernard. Our friend here was a picture of misery. He was listless, panting heavily and was trapped under a heavy coat that suited the Swiss Alps but not the 45° Celsius heat of Gurugram or Delhi. Huskies are from the Siberian peninsula, where the temperature can be as low as -60° Celsius. Saint Bernard, with brandy barrels on its throat, has long been deployed in the snowy Swiss Alps on rescue missions to locate travellers trapped in snow storms. Obviously, both have a low tolerance for heat.

What is it that prompts the utter madness of owning (a word that I personally abhor. Dogs are friends or family. I don’t own them, if anything at all, they own me) St Bernard or Siberian Husky — breeds that are only meant for the extreme cold weather.

It might be that St Bernard pups are utterly cute (but then all pups are) fur balls and Huskies have gorgeous blue eyes (though I prefer melting brown ones). Perhaps, it is a status symbol to acquire these fancy, imported breeds. But these dogs have heavy fur. Imagine wearing a heavy overcoat right through the summer. Trapped in extreme dry heat (or hot and humid cities like Mumbai), these dogs end up with serious health problems. Someone in our colony would keep theirs out in the small balcony all day long, through the year. This is another shocking act of cruelty to dogs, which are pack animals, social beings, and love being with their people. The dog, apparently, stank. Yes, it would. Because it had developed skin ailments in the hot weather and was neglected. Some owners do provide air conditioning throughout the day. But, most owners do not provide. However, being in such an artificial environment all day long with little exercise does the dog no good.

An act of kindness is not to get such breeds at all; they are simply not suited to Indian climate. Their upkeep is expensive, and even with the best care, ill-health dogs them.

What also distressed me was the carelessness of people employed to take the St Bernard for a ‘walk’. I learnt a lesson when mine broke free from our help (who was busy chatting) to rush toward me and was crushed underneath a speeding car. He survived. It taught me a bitter lesson. Now, either we take him out ourselves, or our help must go through a drill, not unlike those employed for the White House security, before we entrust our dog to them.

Check the credentials of the walker, impress how important the dog is to you, accompany them initially, and carry out surprise checks. A friend’s dog was stolen when out for such a walk, and it shattered her to know he was probably confined to a hellhole for breeding—the reason for stealing or dog-napping. It is on the rise in Gurugram. Certain breeds like the bully, mastiff, rottweiler, doberman and pit bull are also used for dog fights in Haryana and Punjab.

If you want a dog in your home, adopt one suited to Indian climates. Ask yourself if you are prepared to take the responsibility and expense. If she or he is going to be part of the family, only then get one home.

One of the worst fallouts of getting ill-suited breeds like the St Bernard is they are routinely abandoned. Most perish, and that is something I am going to focus on in my next column.

@prernabindra

(Prerna Singh Bindra is a former member of the National Board for Wildlife. She is the author of The Vanishing: India’s Wildlife Crisis.)

First Published: Apr 09, 2019 04:22 IST