Fats, Vitamins and Minerals

A couple months ago, a metal cage was being built for the brown dog living in the apartment we often pass on our way out of the housing compound. It wasn’t really a cage but more like a metal gate for the three-walled enclave attached to the front of the house.

The past year and a half I often looked into that apartment to see the dog, tied to the side of the house, often bored, asleep, a few times barking, and once I saw him outside though still on a leash, with a human. A number of times I saw him asleep on a pile of torn up newspapers or cardboard; apparently just had a tantrum.

Then two months ago, his leashed prison became worse when they transformed that tiny corner into a cage.

A few weeks later, I saw someone painting his prison gate green.

On the way out of the housing compound, I saw him barking furiously and gnawing at the metal gate, apparently wanting to play with a smaller hairier terrier-like dog who also lived in that apartment. The smaller dog, also on a leash, just sat there looking into his cage.

When we got back an hour later, we were surprised to see that the smaller dog was placed in the cage with the brown dog. Old brownie was quiet, asleep it seemed.

I thought it was funny, how little terrier got punished for all the racket that brownie made. Of course, for little terrier, that wasn’t very funny, as was apparent with the look on his hairy face.

We pass along another apartment where I often try to look in to see a big white dog that often sat on the bamboo chair in the living room. We joked that he probably read the newspapers too. One time he was under the table when the humans in the house were playing mahjong. Looks like he wasn’t allowed to play. Same situation in another apartment that had mahjong sessions everyday - and a dark graying-brown dog with a short thick pointed tail always sat outside the door. At least he and the white dog weren’t caged or tied.

A couple of months ago, I noticed that the white dog had a new companion - another smaller white dog. I don’t see him sitting on the bamboo chair anymore, so the territories must’ve changed.

The other day on the way to the laundry, we saw old chow again, under one of the cars parked in front the apartment where he lives. He looked at me intently. It seems that he remembers that I was the one who saw him trying to play with a cat that scratched his face.

Actually, there is a black and white cat in his apartment. Then just a few days ago, I saw a little black and white kitten running in their garden.

We haven’t seen our K9 handler in several weeks now. His lovely golden retriever Coke was replaced a few months ago by a german shepherd. We thought that Coke must’ve been sacked because he was getting fat because he was always sleeping, and because he was always playing with kids at the mall. Quite sad, he was such a friendly dog, although he barked at Trevor because Trevor looked different, but I guess being friendly (and lazy) wasn’t plus points for a bomb sniffer. I hope his handler didn’t get sacked too (he was also quite friendly)! I could imagine it must’ve been quite difficult trying not to be too friendly with the public when you have a lovely friendly dog with you …

Anyway, putting dogs in cages seem to be recent fashion. By recent I mean middle class people have adopted the habit only in the past decade. There are also now more dog cage builders - just as there were many chicken coop builders and rooster shed builders for as long as I can remember.

Before that, people let their dogs free or had collar and leash. If I am not mistaken, the dog cage habit came from rich families who bred pedigree dogs for sale or for amusement, and then, as often happens, the middle and lower class folks copy the upper class habits and tastes.

My sister, who lives in my mom’s house, puts her two dogs in cages. When we were younger, my dad kept all our dogs free, at one time we had over 10 dogs at home - all free to go in and out of the house, mess up the garden, fight over food (which can be bloody sometimes), wake us up in bed. I guess my sister decided to put the two dogs in cages because there is a baby and a young child in the house, although there is one free dog, Machang, and she’s very friendly.

I guess if dogs are allowed to be free and socialize with people and other dogs then they will not be any trouble. In fact, Machang even plays with my cat George and a few times I’ve seen George biting Machang…

The free dogs here in our housing compounds are ok - they don’t do any trouble at all like chasing or biting people. They usually stay in their territory and go out occasionally to pee or poo. With the recent trend of cages, I guess it’s also because some people are more careful now with the anti-rabies law passed (just last year if I’m not mistaken).

But in my experience, once a dog has been caged for a long time it could be quite difficult trying to set them free. My sister’s old pit bull Sandy wouldn’t even jump out of her cage when Trevor opened the cage door and tried calling her out. Poor old Sandy died a few months ago, now free in the afterlife.

I’m afraid that too might be the fate of poor old brownie …

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