by B.J. on 6/16/2003 07:58:00 PM 0 comments Print this post

Comments: Post a Comment
Filipino vs. American Dogs

When I last went visited "the homeland", I noticed that I didn't have to worry about a dog chase or even any barking. I walked unharmed. I even walked the unpaved, and cracked narrow streets within 5 feet of them. The damn dogs just kept staring straight ahead, uninterested, wandering off like that melting clock painting by Salvador Dali.



It's not that the dogs were nice, just that they were asleep. . .with their eyes open, watching time tread like a banana slug. The dogs presented no problems and only moved when they had to; the way they're supposed to be.

However, over here in working/middle class, fast-paced Los Angeles, I have to know when to get off the sidewalk to avoid an annoying hassling by some stupid dog. It really messes up any runner's momentum, and the flight-fight response goes on overdrive. The dogs here seem really hellbent on protecting their massa's property be it a wonderfully trimmed Cutco type of house in West Hollywood or a 10 tenant apartment in Silver Lake. I only know of my Godad's and Godsis' as being human-friendly out of like 500 people I've ever had at least a 2 minute conversation with.

Here in the American media, dogs are portrayed as either:

1) Bulldog mean and ready to rip you like a. . .a. . .a Ripper slammer (See Sandlot)

2) Stupid, nice, obedient, and loyal (Homeward Bound)

And the media is correct about these generalizations (but it's only because we can't get into the minds of dogs). I have yet to really see any dogs in any type of Philippine media, unless someone cracks a joke about us eating them.

Labels:

 



Home Page