Dogs Tied Up Outside

The worst creature one could be in the Philippines is a dog.  

They do not care for any domestic animal—dog, cat, horse, or cow. They only care, and too much so, for the fighting cocks.

http://www.philippinehistory.net/views/1720sanagustin.htm 

That statement is as true today as it was when it was first written 300 years ago.  Dogs are not taken care of at all in the Philippines.  

Oh, there may be a few owners who say they love their dogs and do take good care of them. But the vast majority of dog owners in this country couldn't care less about their dogs. Enclosing them in tiny cages. Letting them roam about all day.  Feeding them insufficient food like rice and scraps so that they  have to seek their nutrients from soiled diapers which they dig out of the trash and leave strewn about in the street. 

Mmmm, soiled diapers and trash.  They're a dog's favourite treats!

But this post will focus on a rather curious thing that happens to dogs in the Philippines.

The owners tie them up outside the gate of their house in the street to act as guard dogs!

Look at this fierce dog.  He is ready to bite someone's face off.  He is tied up on a short chain to the tire of his owner's car. Why? To alert him when someone is near? To prevent anyone from approaching the gate? 

It's madness. Anyone who walks by will get the scare of their life when they see that dog attempting to break free and maul them.  It's wholly unneighbourly. And it's bad for the dog. Tied up on a short leash. Falling into a frenzy. Who wants to own a frenzied mad dog?  If the owner let the dog roam around his property the dog would be much more relaxed and less dangerous.

Now take a look at this dog. Here he is tied up at 9:00 in the morning.  A short leash that gives him just enough room to rush out into the street and bark at passers-by or perhaps to get hit by a vehicle. What purpose does it serve to have this dog out in the heat all day tied up to a tree on the street?

Here is the same dog at 4:45 in the morning. 

THEY LEFT THE DOG OUT ALL NIGHT!!

A least the first dog is taken back in the gate during the night. But this dog does not even get that courtesy.

Why do they even own this dog?  How did it come into their possession? This is a new development in the neighbourhood.  It is only this week that the dog has been tied to this tree.  It makes me sad to think that this will be his new home for a long time to come.

What a dog's life.