Pariah dogs of the Middle East No, not
these two jokers, but the
real thing:
Canaan dogs. Like the more refined
Saluki,
Sloughi,
Azawakh,
Afghan Hound and "barkless"
Basenji (among
many others), Canaan dogs have been known for thousands of years. They guard herds for
modern Bedouins like they did for ancient Israelites. During the 1930s, when traditional "war dogs" were having trouble adapting to Palestine, Zionists carefully
redomesticated the semi-wild animals, turning them into
seeing eye dogs and guards for
isolated settlements. Canaan dogs became one of the first breeds trained to detect mines effectively, although their use for bomb-sniffing remains a
touchy subject [LAT, reg'n]. You also might enjoy pondering the provocative question raised by this detailed essay: Why have all three major monotheistic religions considered dogs
"a threat to the authority of the clergy"?
posted by mediareport
on Jul 15, 2002 -
8 comments
