A Beast Let Loose In Dhaka

Fearlessly stalking the unsuspecting residents of the Baridhara district of Dhaka, Bangladesh, roams of creature of such terror that passersby leap from his path as he skulks through the streets looking for his next victim. Desperate to avoid his dripping fangs of death, they will throw themselves into oncoming traffic rather than face him. Clearly, never before have they seen the likes of such a demon and the sight of him makes them quake in fear.

What manner of demon is this you might ask? A chupacabra?? A werewolf?? Worse…it’s my seven pound Yorkshire Terrier, Chumleigh.

Can I just say that Bengali’s are not dog people? You wouldn’t expect a seven pound dog to strike fear and trembling into the hearts of so many, but if our daily walks are any indication this is indeed what happens.

How can this be, you might ask? Let me explain. Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world. The added expense of taking care of a pet must seem just silly to most people. 

This being the case, there are many dogs around Dhaka, but they are mostly all strays with the occasional guard dog thrown in and the constant breeding amongst them has created sort of generic looking street dog. I know it sounds politically incorrect, but they all sort of look alike.

The dogs here roam the streets untended and can be quite feral. They are always hungry and tend to bite, so people are generally afraid of them and avoid them at all cost. That being said, you would not think that a froofy little pure bred terrier would be so intimidating and yet he apparently is.

We live in an apartment building with no yard, so it is necessary to take Chumleigh the Terrible on frequent walks so he can take care of business. I have had people literally dive to one side as we trot down the street. There’s Chumleigh looking all cute and cuddly; in fact, rather like an Ewok, yet when people see him they dart away in fear. The only thing greater than their fear of this unexplainable beast is their inherent curiosity.

The other day one swarthy soul who was clearly braver than the rest approached Chumleigh and I. He stopped and looked long and hard at the diminutive demon, then looked up and said “Madame, please. What animal is this”? I replied…”huh”? “Again he queried, “What animal is this please”? Confused, I said, “Ummm…a dog, a chowto kukur (little dog)”. His face registered shock and disbelief. “No madame, not kukur. What type of animal?”. I’m perplexed, thinking “Dude, I don’t care whether you believe me or not, it’s a dog”! I repeated my previous statement and added, “Really, he’s just a little dog”. He shook his head and wandered away muttering, “no m’am. Not kukur”. I shrugged and we continued our walk, just having a quick look down at Chumleigh for confirmation. Who knew, maybe I’d been wrong this whole time.

Chumleigh and I walk several times a day, so the sight of him is becoming more common. Our guards love him and want to pet him every time they open the gates for us to leave the building. Still, many people scurry out of his reach as we walk by, but occasionally some enlightened being sees him for the bundle of cute that he really is.

While the sight of him has become more common to our neighbors, there are some things that they will never understand. A gentleman watched me in utter shock and consternation yesterday, when after Chumleigh left a small pile of poop on the ground I scooped it up in one of the tiny purple poop bags nestled in the plastic container attached to his lead, neatly tied the bundle and walked on. I am not exaggerating when I say he stood there watching me with his mouth hanging open. He gaped for so long, I think I saw drool. I suspect he thought I was keeping it for my personal poop collection. I did not bother to correct him.

Yesterday evening Derek and I were out perambulating with demon dog when an attractive Bengali couple riding in a rickshaw ordered their driver to pull over and jumped out, moving quickly towards us. They fawned over Chumleigh for a moment and then asked us if they could have their picture taken with him. 

Derek asked the woman if she wanted to hold him. She looked scandalized and slightly terrified and quickly shook her no but asked if she might just put her hand on his lead, so Derek picked him up and stood next to her while she smiled nervously and touched his lead for the picture. The man eagerly accepted Derek’s offer to hold him, then proceeded to hold him out away from his body like one might hold a baby covered from head to toe in poop. They happily took their pictures, thanked us and climbed back into their rickshaw. Oh how I'd had my camera with me.

Chumleigh is a celebrity now. I suspect he will get a swelled head and be insufferable. Oh well, Since Derek’s a diplomat, I guess that makes Chumleigh a Diplo-dog, so it’s only to be expected.