Breed Basket

Even when it comes to dogs, we still haven't got over the colonial hangover. We import breeds and give them English names. RAJAT GHAI speaks to S THEODORE BASKARAN, whose recent book explores little-known indigenous breeds.

What are the differences in the breeding of Western and Indian dogs—philosophical, conceptual and training?

In the West, the dog has been a companion animal. Though some breeds were used for hunting and guarding, most were developed as companion breeds and were trained to be so. They were given the run of the house and were treated as part of the family. In India, however, the dog has been used as a work animal, like the horse, mainly for hunting. The people who raised dogs were hunters, trappers, pastoralists and farmhands. So dogs were not cared for by the upper castes. It was considered a pollutant, as many literary references show.

The Government of India has banned the import of foreign breeds for breeding purposes. Do you think it will make any difference, given that there is a surfeit of foreign genes already present in India?

The description “surfeit of foreign genes already present in India” is problematic. Are you talking about breeds? There is no surfeit. In fact, there is a lot of inbreeding of foreign breeds in India. You can see the difference between a German Shepherd in Europe and the one in India. This is a result of inbreeding.

The ban on foreign breeds will not make any difference to indigenous breeds. The ban will prevent new strains coming in. This rule is regressive. It is likely that foreign breeds in India will further deteriorate. Puppy mills will grow active. Soon you will have an Indian pug! What we need are top-class sires if we want to develop work dogs like Seeing Eye dogs or guide dogs (to lead the blind, for instance), therapy dogs or companion dogs. We cannot have Seeing Eye dogs or companion dogs (for the disabled) in India because of the omnipresence of stray dogs.

Do you think indigenous breeds in India were the collateral damage for the ban on hunting and wildlife conservation?