| By Colin Tennant
Principal of the Cambridgeshire of Dog Behaviour & Training
Britain's leading canine & feline behaviour practitioner
The Dogs of Lebanon
A Travel Documentary
Colin Tennant is the first Animal Behaviour Practitioner
to visit Lebanon in the Middle East since the end of the
recent civil war. He also visited Tyre, Sidon and Beirut
during the more recent resurgence of fighting between Israel
and Hisbollah.
One of my reasons for visiting Lebanon was that I had received
an invitation from a Lebanese friend whom I had previously
helped with his animals. Whilst there I was able to take
the opportunity to look at the pet cat situation and to
assess the plight of the animals and especially the dogs
of Lebanon in the aftermath of war.
The Veterinarians
In Part One I reported on what I had found out about the
mountain dogs of Lebanon and now I am going to tell you
what sort of town dogs I found and particularly what kind
of professional canine services are available in Lebanon.
I visited Dr Kassab, the senior partner in a veterinarian
practice located in the suburbs or Beirut and we sat outside
the kennel area drinking tea in the warm sun discussing
the difficulties faced by the veterinarians there. Dr Kassab
has an assistant called Dr Hadge who is fluent in English,
Russian and French. We discussed what they and some of their
colleagues were trying to do in order to establish a veterinary
and pet animal authority which could be run on similar lines
to the British and French systems. It seems that the war
has made it impossible to get any system in operation with
the result that chaos ensued throughout Lebanon. Apparently
it is possible to buy drugs from a chemist as if it were
cough medicine and anyone can then proceed to advertise
their services to the public. Animal care is not on the
Government's list of priorities as they are trying first
of all and understandably so, to rebuild the infrastructure
of their country.
I had seen the effect of this situation when my friend
Adeeb needed a vet for one of his German Shepherds. The
housekeeper had arranged for Dr Hadge to attend the house
but when I arrived, in the middle of a heavy snowstorm,
he had not turned up and the dog was obviously very ill.
As I was concerned about the dog's condition I enlisted
the help of my Lebanese driver, Joe, and we drove around
to try to find help. We travelled through several mountain
towns in the snow and seeing some signs outside nice looking
pet shop type premises enquired about veterinary assistance
which was duly promised. It never occurred to me that somebody
advertising as a doctor of animal medicine might not be
qualified at all. The so called vet never did show up but
Dr Hadge did and treated the German Shepherd successfully.
Dr Hadge is a true professional with immense skill and I
have seen nothing in Britain better. Let us hope, for everyone's
sake, that he and his colleagues manage to bring about the
changes they desire in the not too distant future.
The Lebanese Kennel Club
Another of Dr Kassab's ideas is to start some kind of a
Kennel Club that will provide a similar service to dog owners
as the British one but on a more pragmatic and simple scale.
I could not answer all their questions but I managed to
explain how dog shows, agility, obedience and field trials
were held in Britain and how they were organised. Dr Kassam
appeared equally impressed with the regulation and the work
involved and was equally determined to start such an organisation
in Lebanon.
- 2 -
Beirut City
Downtown Beirut has a varied population ranging from a
few very rich to mostly poor and very poor. In spite of
this you will see very few miserable faces; most are busy
and smiling and show great resilience. The pedigree dogs
like Boxers, Pekingese and german Shepherds are kept inlavish
style by their correspondingly well off owners, who live
in sumptuous apartments or large beautiful houses with gardens.
There are a few mongrels and a some crosses of the sheepdog
variety from the mountains.
During my journeys along the busy streets, typical of many
Arab countries, I found the time to study my surroundings.
The city has some very plush districts and one massive area
which reminds one of the Square Mile in London. In contrast
though, there is no building left standing in this area.
But there is a new city rising from the ruins, making opportunities
for many cultural and business developments. The busy part
of Beirut is predominantly Muslim but there are also Christian
and Armenian areas. The latter being noted for their business
acumen. They dealt in gold, silver and electronic goods.
there was also the occasional sight of a dog as it appeared
from behind a house or disappeared down a narrow lane between
the war damaged buildings.
Canine Behaviour
Animal behaviour Practitioners are unknown in Lebanon and
any problems encountered in dog behaviour had to be dealt
with by Dr Kassab and Dr Hadge. It used to be like that
here in Britain before dog trainers took over that sort
of work. I explained that in Britain Animal Behaviour Practitioners
or Counsellors were still relatively new but their work
was developing successfully on the whole; their presence
was proving beneficial not only to the general public but
also to the veterinary surgeons.
Whilst with Dr Hadge at the surgery, I consulted in canine
behaviour with a man who was buying a German Shepherd puppy
for his sixteen year old son, Ali. He had bought the puppy
to encourage his son to go out and to become more confident
in meeting people. A good example of dogs helping humans
to socialise, I suppose. I did point out all the ramifications
of dog ownership, the life expectancy of dogs and the commitment
needed. As he had already purchased the puppy my consultation
also covered house training, teething and puppy stages,
what behaviour to expect and how to deal with it over the
next twelve months. As a long time fan and breeder of German
Shepherds I thoroughly enjoyed offering my advice and sharing
my personal experiences.
Later that day I was an observer during the surgery with
the usual number of vaccinations, worming sessions and anti
biotic prescriptions. A Cocker Spaniel puppy was being medically
examined; the little yelp he gave meant that he ahd encountered
Dr Hadge's vaccination programme! Lebanon was a French colony
until recently and this puppy had been imported from France
like many pedigree dogs of its kind. It was good enough
to be in Crufts dog show.
Unfortunately the larger breeds are becoming more popular
in Lebanon because it adds to the middle eastern man's macho
image. I hope that by leaving behind written advice and
introducing the first "behaviours", which are
now working in Lebanon, I have redirected some people to
more suitable breeds and some trainers will use my guidelines
for dog welfare.
- 3 -
Downtown
The dogs of Beirut are very lucky. If they use Dr Kassab's
veterinary practice they will have the equipment and facilities
equivalent to many West End practices in London.
Dr Hadge would occasionally pick up a huge veterinary medical
book in Russian for refernce and then translate it into
Arabic. A lady and her little Yorkie Terrier and I were
duly impressed when he then translated it into English for
my benefit.
When I travelled down to Tyre and Sidon I was in the area
near the Israeli border where more than one hundred and
fifty people were killed recently by Israeli artillery and
war planes. These towns are mainly Muslim. I only saw a
few dogs in the town but they were more noticeable again,
though mainly of the sheep dog type, as I approached the
farming countryside. When we reached the famous sea fortress
at Sidon I went to the pay booth to gain entry with Bassam,
my guide and iterpreter and suddenly our way was blocked
by a white mongrel bitch laden with milk but without her
puppies. She growled fiercely at Bassam who fled with the
little mogrel bitch yapping behind him. He cried out "Stop
it, dog" in his best English but I pointed out that
if the dog understood any language it would be his own.
Fear, it seems, prevents rational thought. I knelt down
and within a few minutes the bitch begrudgingly agreed to
let us pass. Bearing in mind that we had paid it was indeed
very kind of her, especially as the man in the booth did
not seem to care one way or the other. The ancient fortress,
predating the Crusades, was certainly well worth our visit.
Bassam and I travelled next to Northern Lebanon to the
major town of Tripoli, which was his home. This town has
a deep rooted history and th Ottoman Empire's domination
of this area for such a long period can be seen in the local
architecture. Near the souk, the local market place, one
very large German Shepherd look alike, in fine condition,
fully erect and with the colour and physique of a Dingo
barked at me. This was to show me that he was in charge
of this territory. I had no qualms about showing deference
but fortunately he was attached to a long rope in a front
garden.
Our next stop was in the north of Beirut at the famous
Grotto, set in the mountains, where we saw some of the largest
caves in the world containing enormous stalagmites and stalactites.
The caves are nearly a mile long and are truly one of the
wonders of the world well worth a visit for any traveller.
We then drove south again and came upon a huge Bedouin camp
or shanty type town. The dwellings are primitive huts and
the waterproof material which is thrown over the top is
held down by an abundance ot tyres.
The Bedouin seemed to have a darker skin colour and most
local people do not care too much for them as they consider
them to be rogues. I would like to have stayed to chat but
I was not welcomed. Whenever I got too near the dogs would
bark to warn me off. They were everywhere, tied to various
boxes and barrels for shelter. They were a real mixture
of animals but I could discern a general look of cream coloured,
short coat, long legs and pricked up ears, which is common
among desert dogs.
A little girl ran up to me smiling and I asked her in my
broken Arabic if I could take a few pictures of her dog.
She nodded consent and started to ask me lots of questions.
At this point Bassam was safely ensconced two hundred metres
behind me in his car. He thought I was mad to approach so
many dogs in such a large encampment. I must admit I had
a few misgivings so when my progress was barred by a group
of large dogs with teeth glistening indicating a no-go area,
I quickly decided to rejoin Bassam. Dog man I may be but
not the courageous type. We then reluctantly returned to
the mountain retreat. However we returned to a good hearty
Lebanese meal which the French would die for.
My trip was coming to an end and I thanked all the Lebanese
who had made my stay so fascinating. Without reservation
I would recommend this beautiful country but most of all
its people who are warm and welcoming. One day I will return
to Lebanon but for now I hope the pedigree and cross breeds
of that country have a good future. If any person reading
this article thinks they can help in establishing breed
clubs and other structures in Lebanon then please write
to me and I will forward the information to Drs Kassab and
Hadge.
Interesting web sites:
www.colintennant.co.uk
www.petsonfilm.co.uk
www.cfba.co.uk
www.cidbt.org.uk
www.godt.org.uk
www.rossmcarthy.co.uk
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