The Foreign Dog Saga

Once upon a time there was a land far far away. The animals of this land lived peacefully but then the foreign dog breeds came in with the foreign people and replaced the native breeds pretty quickly. Now these new dogs have got accustomed to the weather of this far away land where the temperature goes up to 47 degrees in some regions and -20 degrees in some. So how did these dogs end up in a faraway land that isn’t even suitable for them? Let us go behind this mysterious phenomenon, shall we?

If some of you tell me that India has just had stray dogs as native breeds, let me tell you guys how wrong you are by providing you with some names. We have a lot of amazing breeds that are apt for this climate and look extremely majestic! Breeds like Chippiparai, Mudhol (Caravan Hound), Rampur Hound, Bully Kutta (Indian Matiff), Rajapalayam, /kombai, Gaddi, Kanni, Kaikadi, Kumaon Mastiff and Bakarwal Dog are some of the indigenous breeds of India. Now these dogs were pretty popular in the regional areas but due to the arrival of the foreign dogs, things have changed for them as well. 

How it All Began

So let’s begin with the origins of Firang breeds in India.

The Labrador Retriever

The Labrador Retriever originated from Newfoundland and where used to retrieve the fish and other gear that had fallen overboard as these dogs had an oily coat that made their water resistant. They are one of the most popular foreign dog breeds in India. This breed had short-hair water-proof coats. They were really good swimmers and had soft mouth that wouldn’t badger the fish and the equipment. They belonged to Labrador hence the name. The British found out about these dogs and wanted them for their retrieving skills. So they reached England and became popular and then landed up in India. Raja Maharajas in that era had these dogs as they were fond of hunting as well.

The Golden Retriever

The Golden Retriever also has a similar story. Some say they are a cross between the native dog Nous and Spaniel by Lord Tweedmouth for retrieving the hunted animals. They had a long coat and were extremely good at retrieving things as they had a soft mouth as well. Indira Gandhi had them as her pets and that somewhat helped in making the breed popular. Like the Labrador retrievers, goldens have also enjoyed a lavish life as the pets of Indian princely families.

The Chinese Pug

The pugs are an indigenous breed from China and were bred as companion dogs to the imperial families in China. This trend caught on and they were imported to Europe as the new Imperial pets. People loved them for their size and cute button-like eyes by many. A lot of aristocratic and imperial families had them but the most popular one was that of Queen Victoria. A lot of Tibetan monks raised these dogs. So basically, the pug came to India from England as well as China. 

Every time someone invaded India, we saw the arrival of a new breed of dog. These foreign dogs were bred in such a way that they adapted to the arid climate well and went through a couple of changes as well. But do you sometimes feel like our own indigenous breed got a little side-lined because of this phenomenon? This could be one of the reasons that they are nearly extinct even though they are more equipped to surviving in this region. 

Now that you know these breeds came to India, would you still go for them or would you try adopting a native breed? If you still decide to go for such popular foreign breeds then go through blog that talks about them in detail. Let us know in the comment section and stay tuned for more such interesting observations by MyPetApproves.