Like a lot of people, I’ve owned dogs most of my life — many of them rescues. As a kid, my family traveled a lot in Asia. I still remember seeing the street dogs in India and being struck by the harsh conditions they survived… and somehow still thrived in. The cruelty they endured, their incredible resilience, and their never-ending desire to be close to people really stayed with me. I felt a deep affinity for that quiet strength.
Years later, that memory turned into action. I’ve adopted an Indian street dog, multiple Formosan (Taiwanese) street dogs, and my family has taken in several dogs abandoned on the streets of Southern California.
Street dogs straddle two worlds. They are living reminders of our past struggles to survive. They were our constant companions in that struggle and, in many ways, helped us on our journey to civilization. Street dogs coexist on the fringes of our civilized world, with one paw in our modern world and one paw still in our past. They are a unique opportunity to remember just how much dogs and people evolved and grew together.
That same ancient wariness and nervousness that kept them alive on the streets for thousands of years — the hyper-alertness, the caution, the survival instincts — are often the very things that feel difficult when we first bring them home. But those traits are also exactly why we end up bonding so deeply. Once they decide you’re safe, that hard-earned survival instinct turns into the fiercest loyalty you’ll ever know.
If you ever get the chance to adopt a street dog - and it doesn’t matter which street they came from, you are reaching back into our shared past and continuing this special relationship that has endured for over 15,000 years.
More dog musings coming your way tomorrow.
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