Nuffnang

Monday, November 16, 2009

It's a dog's life in Delhi

I had started off my blog this year with a post on "It's a dog's life". There are 2 schools of thought as to the meaning of this phrase. The older definition which dates back to the 16th century- "a miserable, unhappy existence" refers to the terrible life of working dogs during this era. The second meaning, which seems to have evolved over time is in direct contrast to the first -"A life of indolence where the individual may do as he or she pleases, just like a pampered dog."

Well, mum is in India at the moment, her first trip to this country and she says that for the strays in Delhi, the first definition seems to apply. During her 5-hour car journey to Agra to visit the majestic Taj Mahal, she had her first encounter with one aspect of Indian rural life. Her heart broke when she saw the strays rummaging through rubbish, some with limps from being hit by a vehicle. It's not just the dogs that have a 16th century dog's life. The cows and horses do too. Admittedly, the humans themselves are poor, some of them living on the sidewalks. Of course, when she saw the strays, she can't help thinking about one very lucky Indian dog - Oorvi. It only takes one human to make a difference to a dog's life!

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Yes, those poor animals in developing countries - it always breaks my human's heart to see them and hear about their suffering - but as you say, the humans are having a hard enough time themselves that you can see why animal welfare wouldn't be very high on the list of priorities - although she still thinks that Gandhi's quote is very true: "You can judge the moral stature of a nation by the way it treats its animals."

Slobbers,
Honey the Great Dane

NAK and The Residents of The Khottage Now With KhattleDog! said...

Tank woo fur sharing all that!

Yes, Oorvi makes a difFURence!

Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra

Lorenza said...

Hi, Kess!
We see that here everyday!
We agree with Honey. There are lots of problems and issues that animals are not a priority!
Take care
Kisses and hugs
Lorenza

Cinnamon and Mint said...

I must say that that is a sad fact of life. We can't blame those people who themselves are suffering, and I think we should be aware of the fact that we are just lucky. Also, I am glad that our dogs were not born to live such a life.

Mango the Maltese kiddo said...

Thanks for the touching post.
Yes, it only takes one human to make a difference to a dog's life!
In some countries, dogs and cats are the food source as chicken or pork or beef!
Hug you, my dear!

KEY WEST COLLIES said...

It is often one human that can make a difference in so many things.

Essex & Deacon

i said...

This is sad. It's true that one human can make a lot of difference.

Thanks for signing my guest book.