Common myths about dogs in Sri Lanka

I tire of this country for many reasons. Perhaps the thing that irritates me most is some of the ridiculous notions that Sri Lankan people have about dogs. Being an animal that has been domesticated for so many years, you would think that by now we'd have figured some of this stuff out, but no. I take my dogs everywhere, and whenever I do, my husband and I become the village circus with people astounded at the fact that my dogs don't jump through the windscreen or eat them. So I am going list some common myths about dogs, particular to this country in the hopes of dispelling them for good!

Silly Dog Myth Number 1: A fierce dog is a good dog

How many times have you heard the phrase "Balla hondai, hari sarai?" (The dog is good he is very fierce). Well that is complete rubbish. Your sole objective behind raising a dog should not be to get protection out of it. And furthermore, what you are going to end up with is a dog that is unpredictable and aggressive. What happens if your dog bites a child? Can you assume responsibility for that? Can you blame the dog? No of course not, the dog has not been taught to be friendly. It is in a dog's nature to protect, you needn't hone this instinct to such a degree that the dog becomes uncontrollable. Your dog will know when you need protection.

Silly Dog Myth Number 2: Dogs need milk

All animals drink milk when they are younger. Their mother dogs milk that is. When a dog is a puppy it is sometimes alright to give them milk in the mornings, but adult dogs do not need milk. Remember, human grade milk is different to milk that is produced by a nursing bitch. There are some schools of thought that allude to the fact that milk may cause worms in an adult dogs, but the primary reason for not giving your dog milk is that human grade milk has a very high lactose content, and in order to digest this the dog must have a specific lactose splitting enzyme. Not all dogs do. Best to be on the safe side. Dogs can also be allergic to the protein in milk and can be lactose intolerant as well.

Silly Dog Myth Number 3: Dogs can eat anything

No your dog definitely cannot eat anything. Some big time no no's are sugar which can cause dental problems, obesity and diabetes along with raw eggs (quite commonly given here I have noted) which in addition to the usual threat of food poisoning, also interferes with the absorption of vitamin B in a dog. You must absolutely NOT give your dog chocolate. It is extremely poisonous to dogs and can even cause death. Salt is really bad too.



Silly Dog Myth Number 4: Dogs can be tied up all day long

I can't really imagine the thinking that goes into this one. But unfortunately it happens all the time. Dogs are chained and kept continuously, without any exercise. Dogs need exercise just like humans do. Some people rationalise it by saying that if the dog isn't tied then it will run away. Well, wouldn't you want to escape if you were always tied up?






Silly Dog Myth Number 5: Dogs become fierce if they eat raw meat

No, your dog will absolutely not, never ever, become fierce if you give it raw meat. If you were raising a tiger on the other hand, I'd advise against it. There is an ongoing debate about giving dogs raw meat, the arguments against are mainly due to the fact that some meat may be contaminated. But dogs are descendant from wolves and we all know what wolves eat. A dogs system is designed to deal with the bacteria that is found in raw meat so I personally think that as long as the meat is good quality, it is ok to give it to your dog. Meat cleans their teeth pretty well too.