The dogs here are crazy

@eptowing welcome to the Philippines my friend... Traveling with your dog is a bad idea... you will be pestered by the millions of street dogs everywhere you go... spay and neutered is completely foreign in this country... in my mind it is an epidemic... They are like flies... not to mention a serious danger when riding the scooter... I see diseased dogs literally every day, some i think will be dead because of gow sick and diseased and malnourished they are.... makes me very sad... and yes... the People still view them as "valuable" security to their homes... no way in hell I would travel with my dog here... anyways...good luck!!

So this is my first trip to the Philippines.  First thing I must remind you is I'm traveling with my 75 pound chocolate lab. These people think my dog is a man eating Animal. When we go for walk or at the outside markets and when they first notice him they will scream and go running like he attacking them. When he never even looks at them or even cares if there even there. He just walks with me and minds his own business. There street dogs are 10 times meaner then my dog and there running around everywhere. They try to attack my dog all the time. My dog don't even look at them but when I have to kick there dogs or throw rocks at them because there are 4 or 5 of the Surrounding us they get mad at me. If you dumb ass people would keep your dogs from try to attack my dog then we won't have a problem. My dog is worth more then most of these peoples houses. It's crazy. Last night I had six dog come one one shop in town and one almost go ahold of my dog. I put a Boot to his ass and sent him flying. The people from the shop yelling and screaming at me like I did something wrong. My dog is on a leash. They didn't say shit when there dogs where trying to attack us but when you have to fight off 6 dogs they get mad.

- @eptowing

I believe my only reply to you before you left was to warn you about the dogs. I brought my dog from the US and I won't let her anywhere near those unholy, wretched, hairless, mangy, feral creatures. None have their shots or have ever seen a vet. You're in the 3rd world and the most polluting nation on the planet. 36% of the plastic in the ocean comes from the Philippines. The number 1 polluting river is in the Philippines and 7 out of 10 of the most polluting rivers (talking about plastic) are in the Philippines. There is animal pollution, noise pollution and human overpopulation like almost no other country. Other than that, it's a great place!

Other than that, it's a great place!

- @Moon Dog

@eptowing what in the world made you think it's a good idea to bring your dog to a place like the Philippines? They don't eat dogs here, but you might have considered that possibility. Do chocolate labs taste anything like chocolate? The ants here love chocolate. If I saw a silly assed westerner with a big brown dog I would have to take a picture.

@Michaelm54  "they don't eat dogs here"? Who told you that? All of my brother in laws have eaten dog. My wife once raised dogs to sell for meat and she tells me about the time a dog was hit on the road and there was a mad dash to claim the carcass. I wish they would eat more of them.

eptowing's <snip> So this is my first trip to the Philippines. First thing I must remind you is I'm traveling with my 75 pound chocolate lab. These people think my dog is a man eating Animal. When we go for walk or at the outside markets and when they first notice him they will scream and go running like he attacking them.

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This was the last posting from eptowing on May 27th, after joining the forum two months prior.

What happened to eptowing?

Was he dinner for a 75lb lab named Cujo?

Lucky Cujo!

While we're on the Philippine dog issue, I find the stray dogs in the province an irritant, and perhaps a safety issue.

The Philippines has one of the highest rates of mammalian rabies in Southeast Asia, which is a fatal disease and most cases are contracted through dog or cat bites.

https://tropmedhealth.biomedcentral.com … 21-00351-x

On Bantayan Island we have a breeding pair of Belgian Malinois, and every year get a batch of puppies. Before selling them off (for half of what they sell for in Cebu), we get them dewormed and vaccinated. This income pays for the dog biscuits, vaccinations and such.. Also, we have a mischievous Lakeland Terrier-cross in Scotland who is family. So, we're qualified dog lovers.

Since 2001 we've visited Philippines once or twice per year (except covid lockdown), and one of our joys was to all jump on a low cc motorbike, cruise around the beach tracks. Pinoy-style (like my profile picture), initially there was 4 of us on the bike. Now we're all bigger, so I can only take one at a time. It's an early morning ritual, before it gets too hot. First we go to the fish market for the fresh catch, and then get pandesal and hot chocolate in town - carrying the produce swinging in a plastic bag on the handlebars.

It's a recent thing, but riding along the tracks, it seems everyone now has a pet dog, that prefers to sleep and sh*t on the barangay road. Honestly there's dozens of them, no matter how picturesque the early morning sunrise is, dodging pooches and dog turds detracts from the experience.

Most of these dogs seem healthy enough, eat leftover fish and rice, but there are some mangy and emaciated ones too, whose suffering doesn't seem to bother anyone. The obstacle course is getting worse each year, and the dogs won't move off the road except for the odd passing truck.

I'm thinking about writing to the new mayor, suggesting an idea for a money making venture (politicians like those I expect). It's the enactment of a simple law, that all stray dogs are shot with sedative dart gun, like African safari documentaries (joke). But caught nonetheless, and kept for a month in the pound before being put down. If the owner manifests, he/she pays a fine and costs of impoundment. If no one shows, the offending dog goes back into the food chain as fertilizer. ( I would say neuter them, but that's an expense the municipal government does have).

Speaking of food chain, I have a theory why there's so many dogs now. Without being judgemental, Filipinos used to eat dogs, much like they still do in Thailand and China. A local even described the preparation technique. When dogs are carnivorous they taste "baho", or bad smelling. So, for the month prior to slaughter, menu-dogs are fed nothing but rice and vegetable oil. This makes them fatter and more palatable. They are cooked like lechon. Since Filipinos now prefer hot dogs to real ones, the dog population is increasing.

...and then, there's the new cosmopolitan Filipino who loves ornamental dogs (as pets). We saw quite a few in July when we visited. These are the the small, fluffy dog varieties that sit on the front of the motorbike like a trophies, with ultra-groomed fur blowing in the wind. These are expensive, and trendy right now.

@Moon Dog "36% of the plastic in the ocean comes from the Philippines." Not being an expert on the subject, I do know that the Philippines has previously agreed to accept landfill from at least ond first world, environmentally virtuous country...Canada. So how that plastic gets into the ocean is anybody's guess but I suspect it does not originate with people who cannot generally afford fast food restaurants. You must have chosen the worst parts of the country to live on judging by your unflattering comments about our host country.

`

Life can be tough in the Philippines, especially for kids, but also for canines.

Free lugaw (rice porridge) during a community outreach program in Navotas ..

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They are cooked like lechon. Since Filipinos now prefer hot dogs to real ones, the dog population is increasing.

-@gsturdee

Not to worry....apparently there is a good demand for dog lechon primarily centered in the city of Baguio, in the northern Luzon Island province of Benguet & maybe others too

locally known as 'Asocena'....

@manwonder

There's fewer stray dogs in Baguio, I expect

In China etc canine meat is viewed as a legitimate source of protein, since they like their exotic cuisine. I've tried a few unusual foods over the years, knowingly and unknowingly, although ideally like to think it's from a humane, uncontaminated source.

A project I once thought about was a tilapia farm. These fish are hardy and eat literally anything, but have heard them compared to "swimming rodents". Farmed in clean water, with quality food, they're a safe source of protein. 

I personally would not want to venture into these so called exotic food and drink area but they do exist in many other impoverished parts of the world.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.indepe … html%3famp

Slightly off topic:

When my Daughter attended the University of Pittsburgh, she was a volunteer lab assistant for an Indian Professor who was doing a study.

The study involved sterile Pigeons which cost $600 each 30 years ago.

When the study was over the Professor ate the Pigeons.

@Enzyte Bob

Waste not want not. Begs the question...what did he do with the lab rats?

Medical supplies (and I guess lab animals too) are extortionately priced, presumably due to some elaborate quality control measures.

As part of another role, I used to order the medical supplies for a hospital - "consumables" and "non consumables". A small packet of cotton wool balls was 0.39p in the supermarket and £3.30 from the medical supplier. "Peripherals", like the disposable pads that go on an ECG monitor, (we had no alternative to purchase company manufactured version if we wanted to use the machines under warranty), were even more ridiculously priced.

So...to get back on topic..I wonder how much a Philippine lab dog would cost?

gsturdee mentioned . . . . Waste not want not. Begs the question...what did he do with the lab rats?
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You remind me of an Youtube video I saw some time ago. To refresh my mind I did a Google search on "Eating rats in the Philippines".

It seems eating Rats is not common but they are consumed in southeast Asia. I read an article called Rats of Pampanga (Dagang Bukid) or field rats, these are rats that live in rice fields and eat the rice.

So in Pampanga be cautious of eating street food, it may look good, taste good but it's not Prime Rib.

@pnwcyclist

I  think Ph is a "De-Developing" Country.

When one looks at pictures from over 100 years ago. It seems to have been a much more civilised Country in those days.

gsturdee mentioned . . . . Waste not want not. Begs the question...what did he do with the lab rats?
*******************************************************You remind me of an Youtube video I saw some time ago. To refresh my mind I did a Google search on "Eating rats in the Philippines".

It seems eating Rats is not common but they are consumed in southeast Asia. I read an article called Rats of Pampanga (Dagang Bukid) or field rats, these are rats that live in rice fields and eat the rice.

So in Pampanga be cautious of eating street food, it may look good, taste good but it's not Prime Rib.
-@Enzyte Bob

And yet Pampanga is renowned as the foodie mecca of the Philippines. Until you've tried their Sisig you've never lived!

Just a thought ; if all the rats are being eaten what are the snakes gonna live on?

I guess there's no right or wrong food, and human populations survived by eating what was available at the time. This includes airline food.

In Philippine,s I've tried the sisig you mentioned, which was good with some calamansi (lime juice). Also I tried "baloot" (fertilised duck egg), and "oten baka subao" (beef penis soup). In fairness, I didn't know what it was until it was consumed. Personally, I'd draw the line at primate or canine, but guess I've never been hungry enough.

In Scotland our food is considered too bland to many, and haggis (stuffed sheep's stomach) is not for everyone's taste.

but guess I've never been hungry enough.
-@gsturdee

Agreed....neither have I....thank god for that.

Glad I don't eat meat or eggs, eliminates a lot of guessing while in the Philippines.

gsturdee said . . . I tried "baloot" (fertilised duck egg), and "oten baka subao" (beef penis soup). In fairness, I didn't know what it was until it was consumed. Personally, I'd draw the line at primate or canine, but guess I've never been hungry enough.

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Were you sober or just brave?

Of course many cultures eat chicken feet, my wife does.

Maybe you should try Chicken Wattle Soup.

While living in Las Vegas one of my friends was a bartender in the MGM High Rollers Lounge. In the lounge there are many comps (complimentary) things for the players.

Bird Nest Soup (Google it) regularly cost $200, was comped to the wrong person who consumed it. Asked how it was and he just shrugged his shoulders.

Yes I too had the luxury of slurping lots of bird nest soups during the many Chinese New Year lunch/dinner events & wedding ceremonies that I was invited to back in the day.

It's a great tasting soup with lots of health benefits from what I was told...but I personally never bought any on my own (way too expensive) ....but for the rich Chinese back home it has always been a staple in their elaborate chop stick/spoon scoop dinners which I enjoyed very much.

As per Google ....The soup btw is made from edible bird nests which are called the “Caviar of the East”. Bird's Nest Soup is extremely rare and valuable. The main ingredient is the nest of the swiftlet bird which is usually found in Southeast Asia. Edible bird's nests are among the most expensive animal products consumed by humans

I bet a lot of people in various countries would think the British are crazy eating Black Pudding, Haggis and jellied eels, never had the eels and I do not intend to try them.

I also think that you eat what you are used to, what you can afford, what is widely available and cheap and what you like the taste of. The later I imagine would not really apply to a lot of the poor. You eat what you can get and what you are given, simple.

Okay

Yes okay

@Enzyte Bob

"Were you sober or just brave?"

Very insightful! With the baloot I was socialising with some locals and we were well-through a bottle of Fundador (brandy) when they offered it to me, and so that fits the category of "not entirely sober", and "seemed like a good idea at the time". Even though I won't rush to try again, I have the T-shirt.

I can't recall the magazine, but once I read an interesting  article describing how travellers take risks they never would in their home countries. Generally they wear seatbelts, avoid the dodgy areas of town and steer clear or dangerous activities, however when on vacation these same people ride motorbikes without helmets, travel with complete strangers, try high-risk sports (like bungee jumping), sample drugs and even have unprotected sex with questionable partners. I guess this list includes eating baloot.

Re. Scottish haggis, it's basically offal and oats with seasoning. It can be served for breakfast, but specially on Robbie Burns night (an indecipherable poet who is celebrated once a year), and served with copious amounts of whisky. That's the secret to getting it down.

@Cherryann01

Yes...and I could never bring myself try the jellied eels. Strange how tastes go.

My Filipina wife works part time in a cafe. She chops fresh veggies and makes soup of the day etc without any spice or condiments, and can't believe how bland it is, but gets that is their customer preference. She can't understand how they would waste a perfectly good fish head.

@gsturdee

I must admit that while I have been visiting the Philippines, I have not really seen many condiments used when cooking unless you count the ever present soy sauce. Whilst staying in the condo last time, my 2 year old daughter tried to feed me mango dipped in soy sauce. Not exactly a winning combination.

Regarding fish, I think here in the UK we are a bit fussy even down to the types of fish we can or will eat. I tried carp and Pike/Perch, better know as Zander in Hungary, fresh out of lake Balaton. Both lovely but they are not generally on sale in the UK.

@Cherryann01

True regarding Filipino food having limited condiments. Philippines apparently is the largest exporter or foreign labour to the world, but wherever you go can find "Indian", and "Italian" restaurants, but seldom "Filipino" restaurants . Jollibee is now a big hit in Edinburgh and Glasgow, but not marketed per se as Filipino food, and it seems American-styled in presentation.

Yes, it's really only Cod or Haddock in UK fish. I once did a taste test at a reputable chippy at Seahouses, north of Newcastle, and tried both types of fish side-by-side. I decided I'm definitely a haddock guy.

I want to say something about crazy dogs to keep us on topic. Do they eat only Filipino fish?