I have never, during my travels, seen so many dogs as I did in Bhutan. And definitely never dogs that well kept. They were everywhere, and they were all quite lovely. Our guide, Rinzen, told us that a dog chooses a door – a house – to which it will return and wait for food every day. And they are fed. With joy.
Here are some of all those that I met, and something of their tasks…named by me…
In Thimpu, we had a hotel with a view – of dogs. There was a construction site outside our window, and some dogs had made it their home. Here is, in short, their story with us.
There is rabies in the country, but mostly on the border to India in the southern part of Bhutan. Thousands of dogs have been vaccinated, and there are many sterilized as well. The government is dealing with it in a constructive and loving way.
Bhutan had many special dogs…but a couple of them more special than the others.
We had lunch at a farmstead one day – an interesting experience and very good food. Then, when we were about to leave, I saw a beautiful dog standing in the garden, looking at me. I lifted my camera slowly while talking to him. But no, he shied away and tried to hide around the corner. I kept talking in a soft voice.
Finally – when I had given up on a photo – he came out on the road to our car, went straight up to me and let me pat him on the head and on the back – touching his thick, shining coat. Surely you can understand from his gentle eyes how sweet he was.
Then he slowly turned around and walked away.
Leya 
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Delightful post. Trust the Bhutanese to be mindful of all sentinent beings!
Yes – and that creates an atmosphere of complete harmony.
❤ Much love for the beasties. I'm glad that they are taken care of. A lovely collection. I know that I'd be much occupied with them.
They all look so content. I wonder what their diet is? How much meat they get? Their diet, whatever it is, suits them. How lovely to have such a special time with the last dog in your photos.
Leftovers could be anything. When we had lunch in a tent after hiking, the waiting dogs got all the leftovers- red rice, chicken and vegetables. They even ate chili – which is food here, not spices.
Yes, the last dog was a farmer’s dog, so he was in excellent shape. Gentle, like all Bhutanese people we met.
En väldigt fint gjord dokumentation om hundlivet i Bhutan. Känns lite gripande med alla dessa vildhundar men de verkar ändå ha det bra, tack vare att människorna där accepterar dem, ger dem mat och kanske även omvårdnad. Bilderna är helt fantastiska, den övre hur bra som helst och den på den blyga så söt. Intressant att få en inblick i traditioner och vardag från en helt annan kultur än den den vi lever i.
Tack- jag kände det väldigt bra med hundarna där. Som gatuhund kan man inte ha det bättre.
Ein interessanter Bericht. Wir sahen 1965 in Kathmandu selten einen Hund auf der Strasse. Strassenkinder gab es jedoch einige, die wir einen Monat lang betreuten.
Interesting. I do not remember much about the dogs in Kathmandu, but I know I saw some.
I love that first one most. 🙂
janet
A surprising view! He was standing there for several minutes, looking at the strange people passing by.
I love this post Leya, it demonstrates the beauty of the culture when they treat their animals so well
It really does. I felt like walking on clouds every day – Utopia come true.
And not a leash in sight.
No, not a leash in sight. I was very surprised to see two pups in Thimpu on a read leash. According to the guide this could only have happened in Thimpu…
what a beauty he is
The last one? Yes, he is really special.
yes!
Thank you for sharing these beautiful images Ann-Christine, it is so heart-warming to see these dogs. They look well fed, well cared for and completely at ease with the world around them :o) xxx
Thank you – they were. I am not exaggerating if I say we saw several hundreds of dogs – and only two of them looked thin and in not so good condition.
Only one incident happened during a mountain hike – a male tourist threw a stick at a dog and I went furious and told him off. A Bhutanese would never have tried to hurt a dog. I guess this person came from a country with not so good traditions, or he might even be afraid of passing the dog who quietly lay on the path.
It is sad when that happens, we saw a lot of that behaviour in the Lake District, usually by people who came from countries with a high incidence of rabies.
You are right there. Frightened people do stupid things even if they do not have to. It is not easy to learn the differences in other countries.