The idea exists that no matter your skin color, hometown, religion, education, beer preference or favorite Yogurtland topping (blueberries, coconut, and oreos) – humanity is humanity, and there are certain universals that link us all together.
I’ve kept this idea in the back of my mind while living in SE Asia, trying to figure out what those universals are…and I can say with a certain amount of confidence that I’ve figured out the #1 thing....
PEOPLE LOVE DOGS
The one thing that seems universal is that people love dogs – more than just man’s best friend: mankind’s best friend.
I was surprised to see so many dogs in Hong Kong, for two reasons that I must now admit. I’d given into stereotype beliefs that a) Asian people are afraid of dogs (it doesn’t help that my dogs terrorize our Asian neighbors all the time) and b) Chinese people eat dogs and consider this a delicacy. Like all stereotypes, I can now debunk these as being only minimally true – some Asian people are afraid of dogs and others aren’t (just like I’m afraid of snakes but other Americans love them) and the practice of eating dog has been widely eradicated and only continues infrequently in rural and impoverished regions of China where meat is meat, no matter what animal it comes from.
Hong Kong is full of dogs and dog owners, and there are some unbelievably cool looking breeds here that I’ve never seen before, especially big dog breeds that seem more horse-like or bear-like than they do family-pet. In a city that is so cramped, I love that dogs take up so much space in it...laying in shady patches on the sidewalk, hanging out in shops, walking on leashes with their owners, pulling little kids in wagons, carrying bundles and baskets of groceries…one time I saw a dog delicately carrying a large sesame bun in its mouth, not eating it, but just softly carrying it for his owner - who many want to brush his teeth after eating it. My dogs would never have the sort of self-control required to carry groceries while not eating them.
In Hong Kong, many dogs are more than just pets; they contribute to the family business and work for their masters. They’re real city dogs, unlike those pampered sissy dogs from the suburbs, sorry Benson and Daphne. Walking to and from work everyday, I started to notice something a little odd, and it took me a while to finally figure out what was happening. Around Oil Street and Electric Road, there’s a wonderfully scraggly-looking dog that hangs out on the sidewalk all day, every day. Once the dog becomes aware that I’ve noticed it, he will start walking slowly ahead of me, checking to see if I’m following. As I continue down the sidewalk behind the dog, I watch it turn in toward its master’s shop and, with a bark and a wag, invite me to enter as well. Once I pass by the shop without going inside, the dog returns to the sidewalk, apparently waiting to get the attention of another passerby. Out of curiosity and a fondness for my doggy friend, I went into the store about 2 weeks ago. The shopkeeper explained to me that his dog drums up more business and brings more people through his store than advertising ever did. On days when business has been good, the shopkeeper will buy a half of a roast goose for dinner, and give the skin (the juiciest, tastiest part) to his dog as a reward.
The dogs here are also pretty amazing in terms of their temperament. Homeless dogs don’t beg for food, and many won’t take food out of your hand, but will only eat it after you’ve left it a safe distance on the ground and walked a safe distance away. (I guess this observation also makes it apparent just how many times I’ve tried to feed dogs on the street…) Shockingly well-behaved dogs walk calmly through the wet markets here, ignoring the hanging slabs of raw beef and the nose-level buckets of live fish and seafood. And in a city where so many people just squat on the sidewalk to eat their meals, you’d think that dogs would come sweeping by, knocking over bowls and people in a frenzy for a free snack. Not the case in Hong Kong.
I can only imagine the level of destruction that my dogs, Benson and Daphne, would leave in their wake in just one day here. I can see Daphne shoving the entire upper-half of her body in buckets of fish, leaping from water tank to water tank, and then prancing around with the empty bucket on her head. I can see Benson stealing snacks from old ladies, moseying up to men and slyly trying to lap the soup out of their bowls, and leaping in the air trying to grab hold of a large cow leg.
Seeing dogs here brings me such immense joy – so much so that I tend to creep out their owners by smiling incessantly and acting like a googly-eyed-10-year-old (note: same way I react to celebrities in LA) and it also makes me really miss my dogs, and my mom, who is probably already thinking up the children’s book she can write about Benson and Daphne’s Adventures in Hong Kong.
How cool is it that something as special as the bond between man and dog might also be the commonality between us all. This also leads to another, slightly more entertaining universal…the coat pockets of people all over the world must be filled with stashes of little blue plastic doggy-poo baggies.
Let’s adopt dogs, not war. The world will be a better place.
I’ve kept this idea in the back of my mind while living in SE Asia, trying to figure out what those universals are…and I can say with a certain amount of confidence that I’ve figured out the #1 thing....
PEOPLE LOVE DOGS
The one thing that seems universal is that people love dogs – more than just man’s best friend: mankind’s best friend.
I was surprised to see so many dogs in Hong Kong, for two reasons that I must now admit. I’d given into stereotype beliefs that a) Asian people are afraid of dogs (it doesn’t help that my dogs terrorize our Asian neighbors all the time) and b) Chinese people eat dogs and consider this a delicacy. Like all stereotypes, I can now debunk these as being only minimally true – some Asian people are afraid of dogs and others aren’t (just like I’m afraid of snakes but other Americans love them) and the practice of eating dog has been widely eradicated and only continues infrequently in rural and impoverished regions of China where meat is meat, no matter what animal it comes from.
Hong Kong is full of dogs and dog owners, and there are some unbelievably cool looking breeds here that I’ve never seen before, especially big dog breeds that seem more horse-like or bear-like than they do family-pet. In a city that is so cramped, I love that dogs take up so much space in it...laying in shady patches on the sidewalk, hanging out in shops, walking on leashes with their owners, pulling little kids in wagons, carrying bundles and baskets of groceries…one time I saw a dog delicately carrying a large sesame bun in its mouth, not eating it, but just softly carrying it for his owner - who many want to brush his teeth after eating it. My dogs would never have the sort of self-control required to carry groceries while not eating them.
In Hong Kong, many dogs are more than just pets; they contribute to the family business and work for their masters. They’re real city dogs, unlike those pampered sissy dogs from the suburbs, sorry Benson and Daphne. Walking to and from work everyday, I started to notice something a little odd, and it took me a while to finally figure out what was happening. Around Oil Street and Electric Road, there’s a wonderfully scraggly-looking dog that hangs out on the sidewalk all day, every day. Once the dog becomes aware that I’ve noticed it, he will start walking slowly ahead of me, checking to see if I’m following. As I continue down the sidewalk behind the dog, I watch it turn in toward its master’s shop and, with a bark and a wag, invite me to enter as well. Once I pass by the shop without going inside, the dog returns to the sidewalk, apparently waiting to get the attention of another passerby. Out of curiosity and a fondness for my doggy friend, I went into the store about 2 weeks ago. The shopkeeper explained to me that his dog drums up more business and brings more people through his store than advertising ever did. On days when business has been good, the shopkeeper will buy a half of a roast goose for dinner, and give the skin (the juiciest, tastiest part) to his dog as a reward.
The dogs here are also pretty amazing in terms of their temperament. Homeless dogs don’t beg for food, and many won’t take food out of your hand, but will only eat it after you’ve left it a safe distance on the ground and walked a safe distance away. (I guess this observation also makes it apparent just how many times I’ve tried to feed dogs on the street…) Shockingly well-behaved dogs walk calmly through the wet markets here, ignoring the hanging slabs of raw beef and the nose-level buckets of live fish and seafood. And in a city where so many people just squat on the sidewalk to eat their meals, you’d think that dogs would come sweeping by, knocking over bowls and people in a frenzy for a free snack. Not the case in Hong Kong.
I can only imagine the level of destruction that my dogs, Benson and Daphne, would leave in their wake in just one day here. I can see Daphne shoving the entire upper-half of her body in buckets of fish, leaping from water tank to water tank, and then prancing around with the empty bucket on her head. I can see Benson stealing snacks from old ladies, moseying up to men and slyly trying to lap the soup out of their bowls, and leaping in the air trying to grab hold of a large cow leg.
Seeing dogs here brings me such immense joy – so much so that I tend to creep out their owners by smiling incessantly and acting like a googly-eyed-10-year-old (note: same way I react to celebrities in LA) and it also makes me really miss my dogs, and my mom, who is probably already thinking up the children’s book she can write about Benson and Daphne’s Adventures in Hong Kong.
How cool is it that something as special as the bond between man and dog might also be the commonality between us all. This also leads to another, slightly more entertaining universal…the coat pockets of people all over the world must be filled with stashes of little blue plastic doggy-poo baggies.
Let’s adopt dogs, not war. The world will be a better place.
Pics of My Dogs:
Benson - The Scrappy Goofball
Daphne - The Dumb Blonde
Awwww puppiesssss! It has to be said: despite the fact that after 20 years of dog-only ownership I now consider myself a cat person, there will always be a special place in my heart for doggies... and I, too, act like a 10 year old in their presence. (Awww puppy, can I pet it!? Whenever I get a "no" I feel bad for the dog and wonder what the hell this human is trying to do to the poor thing by restricting affection.)
ReplyDelete