Philipines - The Ever-Present Boat Dog
The Philippines has thousands of islands and many thousands of boats, from a small outrigger carrying a handful of snorkelers or a larger liveaboard heading out on their next expedition. One thread that weaves all these tourist boats together is the presence of a cute resident dog.
Why is this?
And why is it, too, that this dog is almost always a puppy - soft, clumsy, and impossible not to smile at? Why is there a lack of puppies on land, where their landed kin are older, thinner, and more wary of human touch? What invisible system decides that the sea is for youth, while the shore is left for the forgotten?
Why do crews so readily adore these animals, scratching their ears in quiet moments, teaching them tricks to pass the time, letting tourists laugh at their antics - yet just as easily push them away with a shove or kick when they wander into the wrong place?
Why is it that I never see a bag of proper dog food aboard, no clean bowl, no hint of medicine or vaccination records - only leftovers from crew meals tossed casually? What happens when sickness comes, or an injury from a heavy rope or a sharp nail?
And what becomes of these dogs when the boat sails on to another island, when tourists move on, when the puppy grows too big to be cradled, too demanding to be indulged?
Perhaps the better question is this: are these dogs truly man’s best friend, our companions of the sea, beloved members of the crew, or are they passengers too - temporary, disposable, and abandoned once the journey no longer has room for them?
