You Say Po-TAY-to. I Say Po-TAH-to.

Let's talk dogs.

In Java, we pointed out to Jaeson that all of the dogs in places like this look pretty similar: that centuries of inbreeding that takes them all back to about 40 pounds with erect ears and curled tails. Mostly beige.

In Sulawesi, we didn't see as many dogs. Sadly our inquiries resulted in being informed that many people there still eat dogs and were cautioned not to venture out to visit the biggest local markets unless we were prepared to see evidence of the same.

Now in Sri Lanka, there are dogs EVERYWHERE. Litter-aly, EVERYWHERE. 

At home in Anguilla, we call them bush dogs.

Here they are street dogs. 

They are protected in as much as it is against the law to willfully kill one (though death by car does not count).

However, no one really helps them much, either.

There are apparently some attempts at catching and releasing them with rabies vaccination and/or spaying (just the females I gather), but that is really More to benefit the human population. The dogs all have mange and though I haven't googled it, I would suspect fleas and ticks and intestinal parasites and heartworm and tick fever. But they seem happy enough in spite of their plight. Perfectly calm. Not skittish. Generally very quiet.

Here is my montage:

STREET DOGS AT THE GATE

STREET DOG AT THE RUINS IN POLLONARUWA

STREET DOG IN THE ACTUAL STREET

STREET DOG AT THE TRAIN STATION

AND EVEN A STREET DOG TAKING IN THE VIEW FROM 1,200 STEPS UP ON TOP OF SIGIRYA

How totally insane is that? What in the world would make him walk to edge and look off?

This morning, we went for a stroll outside the hotel in search of the street peacocks, and I called out to the first street dog at the gate., "Hey, Street Dog, how ya doin'?"  And he proceeded to bark at me. And bark at me. And follow us down the road barking at me.

Apparently he wasn't keen on the name at all.

Perhaps, you can call him Po-tay-to or Po-tah-to or Ray or Johnson. But ya doesn't have to call him Street Dog.