For my last blog I decided to do a photo blog. Although all of these photos are of dogs, I met each one in a different place and they each have their own backstory. Kazakhstan has a significantly different pet culture than America, but the hardest part of this experience for me has been missing my family, including my dog back home, so these good boys made my semester.
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Good boy #1: The Herder[/caption]
This dog was a very responsible boy who we met on our excursion to the Kolsai lakes that I wrote about in a previous blog post. Although we hiked the entire trail, there was an option to ride horses from the entrance of the park all the way to the second lake, and the guides enlisted the help of their trusty canine friends. Once they made it lakeside, the dogs would take a break from keeping their equine colleagues in check and run around or play the occasional game of fetch with their owners.
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Good boy #2: The Scout[/caption]
This dog sure was a curious one. On the way to an excursion we stopped for some gas and had the chance opportunity to meet this cutie. Like I mentioned before, Kazakhstan does not have a huge pet culture, though you will see “wild” dogs roaming around city streets, not just the countryside. They are unfortunately pretty skittish, this guy was quite interested in us (probably because of my horse jerky), but rarely came close enough to actually pet. In Almaty, the dogs certainly still keep their distance, but people will leave food and the occasional blanket out, especially when the temperature starts to drop.
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Good boy #3: The Sentinel[/caption]
This dog was a fluffy “guard” dog posted up outside of a barbershop. This time, he was clearly someone’s pet, and seemed completely content lazing around, watching the people and trolleybuses run on by. Although a much more mundane experience than hiking kilometers and kilometers to take a dip in a frigid lake, barbershops in Almaty were an unexpected pleasure. Barbers here clearly take pride in the service aspect and will take their time to thoroughly wash your hair before and after the haircut.
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Good boy #4: The Enigma[/caption]
This dog was quite puzzling. We met him during one of our hikes, but to this day are not completely sure about where he came from. He was quite a loving soul and was more than happy to pose for a pic or two, seemed well-fed and people-friendly, but didn’t seem to be on the mountain with anyone in particular. When he wondered off into the shadowy underbrush, we felt that it was necessary to sit down for a while and ponder the mystery of the mountain.
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Good boy #5: The Biggun[/caption]
This dog was quite a large boy. When we stopped in a village to stock up on water and snacks, this behemoth felt absolutely comfortable coming up to us and thwacking us with his tail, in a friendly way of course. He seemed to have multiple owners from different families, and my guess is that his job is to protect the livestock that was moseying all over the surrounding hills, as well as the village roads. I didn’t have many goals or expectations before I came to Kazakhstan, but I knew that I needed to find a Central Asian Shepherd dog during my stay. I am extremely grateful that I managed to fulfill this goal, and with such a good-spirited boy.
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Good boy #6: The Sweetheart
This dog was such an adorable and loving old soul. We met him on an excursion to Shymbulak (the largest ski resort in Central Asia), back in October before it became insanely busy. There were men constructing new yurts, and this guy was one of five dogs chained up at the edge of the working area. They warned us about petting them, but I couldn’t resist. There was something innately serene sitting with this old boy in the snowy peaks overlooking the entirety of Almaty. I ended up getting sick after this excursion, but I refuse to believe that it was this guy’s fault. I guess I should’ve worn a hat.
Program: Advanced Russian Language and Area Studies Program, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Term: Fall 2019