The Dogs of Kabul

The mosques in Kabul don’t synchronize their 5 am call to prayer. Some begin at 4:30 (the loudest and nearest to my guesthouse, of course), others at 5:15 and conclude with an extended sermon. And when the dogs got into the act this morning, howling accompaniment, I forgot about going back to sleep and staggered out of bed, looking like Bob Marley after a long night.

One doesn’t see many dogs on the street during the day. Dogs are considered unclean, are disliked by the city dweller, and only come out at night, in packs, scavenging for garbage. So I was surprised to see the Kuchis kept dogs. Surprised and terrified. They keep huge mastiffs – ferocious and terribly intelligent. They surrounded our car whenever we approached, barking and growling a warning, but as soon as they understood their owners didn’t mind our presence they vanished.