Page 8
8/30/23
This guy in the picture above is the undisputed top dog (pun intended) of the park where I walk. I think he belongs to one of the park's groundskeepers, but I can't be certain. I do know he roams around the lake unattended and at his own free will. He also occasionally asserts himself by attacking other male dogs that walk by him. These fights last only a moment and every dog I've seen will back down from this one. I might add that I don't think the vast majority of Vietnamese spay or castrate their dogs. Every male dog I have ever seen anywhere in Hanoi is packing his original equipment.
Notice in the picture above there are two blue, 5 gallon water bottles in the background, above the dog. There is also a sign to the left of the bench. The gist of what the sign says is: “Drink the water, but don't use it to wash your hands”.
I have noticed this throughout Vietnam. If you know where to look, there is always free, clean, bottled water available either from the big blue bottles or in the form of 12 oz bottles. One must be careful and use common sense, however. Be sure to consider the source, as I've seen some people refilling a blue bottle from city water, which is not safe to drink. A good clue will be if the spare bottle, sitting next to the open one, still has the shrink wrap on the spigot.
Final observation. This dog is quite intelligent. He knows that this stone bench sitting in the shade is cooler than the ambient temperature.
p. 3, p. 4, p.5, p.6, p.7, p.9