We delight in bringing “new” breeds to you, but the Bakharwal Dog, one of the oldest livestock guardian breeds, is hardly “new” to Central Asia where it’s been considered among the most resilient species of dog in India’s Himalayas. These dogs – described as having the strength, courage and ferocity of a Jaguar – were most commonly seen tending to large flocks of sheep and goats in remote areas of the higher altitudes of the Jammu and Kashmir state of India. Fascinating to us is that these dogs are vegetarians that avoid eating flesh. Raised in a nomadic community, the dogs lived on milk, milk products, and bread made of maize in the belief that it helps keep the dogs from attacking the flock. It’s said that Bakharwals prefer hunger over showing any predatory instinct or aggression toward the animals in their care.
Sadly, in what is becoming an all too common comment on these pages, this is another breed on the brink of extinction. This loss would chip away at the legacy of the Muslim nomadic Gujjar tribes because when we lose a dog breed, we lose the legacy of a culture that developed or worked with the breed for generations.
Sarah’s Dogs reports that an Indian Tribal Research and Cultural foundation survey on this indigenous dog of Kashmir and Jammu found that only a few hundreds of the dogs are in existence. Uprisings in higher regions of India have caused hundreds of these dogs to be killed, and remaining dogs live in extreme conditions. Most certainly, this breed will be lost forever if nothing is done to preserve it. Please understand: Preserving purebred dog breeds is no different than preserving other at-risk animals such as the Panda Bear or rhinoceros. Because the animal we want to protect is “just a dog,” little attention is given it until it’s too late. Please be an advocate for all our breeds.
We conclude with a fabulous sixteen minute video on this breed (click on “Watch on Facebook):
Image found on Pinterest and happily credited upon receipt on information
you have got to be kidding me. This breed of dog is not and never was a vegetarian. This breed is a Livestock guardian dog breed. LGDs guard livestock and do not kill their livestock, but that does not mean they will not eat them if the livestock happens to die….or if someone offers them meat. They were traditionally fed a poor diet (by today’s standards) but that’s because the herdsman didn’t want to butcher livestock to feed them. It was NOT the dog’s choice. Please do a lot more research before publishing such ridiculous information.
Don’t hold back, Cindy, how do you really feel? We glean our information from a variety of sources, and while you make a valid point as to the reasoning for such a diet (we’ve noted that some sighthounds are also on a similar diet in their countries of origin), neither do we fabricate the information.
Vegetarian breed? That implies that the dog instinctively only eats fruits/vegetables/grasses/grains.
First of all, this dog isn’t choosing its diet. Second, milk and milk products aren’t vegetarian. Third, IF the dog is actually refusing to eat meat it’s through training, not instinct. For example, when dogs are raised on a kibble diet they might not eat raw meat when first exposed to it. However, once they’re used to it they prefer it to kibble or other things.
A simple look at the dogs’ teeth, jaws, and intestinal tract will show that they’re carnivores. The title of this article is misleading.
Perhaps, Lynn, but if it gets people to read about a breed they might not otherwise have known about?
Teeth shape designation are an arbitrary HUMAN made-up invention, just because teeth are shaped a certain way doesn’t mean a whole lot.
We can’t agree. As carnivores, dogs have teeth that reflect a meat-eating animal. Each canine tooth has a function, and that function is aided by the shape of the tooth. The canines are shaped like points and tear and grasp food, one reason their roots sink so deeply into the bone. Incisors are used to “cut,”scoop, and picking up food and objects, and while premolars break food into small pieces, molars grind the food into small pieces. Form follows function.
Actually the region is also known for it’s people being vegetarian as well so it is no surprise. As the dog also eats milk, cheese, eggs and milk products it still gets its protein requirements. Wondering what their temperament is towards their people.
They are devoted family pets, but like most working breeds of dog still kept the same way (and for the same reason) for centuries, perhaps a millennium, they are suspicious of strangers.
I have never seen this breed kept by a city-dweller and I imagine anyone who does will do well to record their experience. Hopefully that will be me, if can find a puppy next time I am in Jammu & Kashmir again.
I have a heard first person account of another Himalayan working dog breed called the Bhutia, kept by the Bhutia community, another Himalayan people of Tibetan descent found in the Indian state of Sikkim in large numbers. A puppy of that breed definitely needs to be socialised carefully when kept in a crowded neighbourhood or it stays hostile to strangers, but very tolerant even solicitous of the family’s children.
As an Indian who has spent many years in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, I can testiy to the fact that the keepers of the Bakarwal breed do avoid giving the breed meat. The Gujjars are Muslims but still close to their pre-Islamic diet which emphasises milk and its derivatives as opposed to meat. Beef was banned in the state by its ruling dynasty the Dogras for centuries, who being Hindus, consider beef sacrilege. The breeds of dogs worldwide show a very intimate link to their traditional owners who often comprise a culturally homoegenous group and this is true for the Gujjars and the Bakerwals (the latter give the breed its name) who are the guardians of the breed in India.
Excellent article, well-researched. Thank you for helping create awareness about India’s ancient dog breeds, most of which are in dire straits today. Most affluent Indians prefer to keep foreign breeds due to snobbish attitudes and the fact that communities keeping the ancient breeds going are mostly impoverished. I remember my mother felt very insulted when she was asked if our family dog was a Bhutia (another ancient dog breed named after an ethnic Himalayan racial group), she was proudly declared he was a Pomeranian, a German breed.
Many thanks for the insights, Avs, and for the kind remark. There is no information as good as what comes from someone who is culturally intimate with customs of a people, so your insights are much appreciated!
No dog breed is vegan. All dogs are decendent from Wolves and are carnivores. Can meat-eating animals survive on plants and berries,yes,for a little bit…not very long. The only animals that can be ” vegetarian” or “vegan” are herbivores like goats,rabbits or cows. Humans are omnivores and can do well without needing to eat meat.It’s important not to force qnother living being into a diet they are not equipped to handle.What you propose here is against science and nature: Carnivors cannot survive without meat, and will suffer great illness and die if they do not get the protein and amino acids that come from meat.
– It’s not just a life style choice,it’s a scientific fact. Ask any vet about that and they will tell you the same thing. Just like its unnatural for cows to eat meat,it’s unnatural for digs and cats to eat a plant based diet. Their bodies simply cannot handle plant-based protein as their only food source.