By Kim Valenta
I’d wanted a dog for a long time, but travelling so frequently for work meant I waited years until the time was right. When my travel slowed down and I moved in with someone with the same love of dogs (and a less frequent travel schedule) we decided to adopt. We looked around at the adoption sites in Canada, and talked to lots of different organizations about possibilities, but in my heart I knew I wanted to adopt a Malagasy dog. I’d worked in Madagascar before, and had brought a dog back to Canada with me, who was adopted by a friend of mine, and who continues to enjoy his fancy dog bed and toys, and his other animal siblings (four rabbits, a cat and a turtle) in Toronto. The process, thanks to SOS, was remarkably easy, and the total cost, including the flight for the dog, was similar to adoption and spay/neuter costs of local shelters. When an opportunity to return to Madagascar arose, we knew we’d be returning with a dog!
I contacted Jandre at SOS to let him know I was interested, and he responded quickly, offering to send me pics and brief bios of the dogs they have at their amazing shelter facility in Antananarivo (Tana). I’d visited SOS before, and was absolutely amazed at the quality of life and care the admitted dogs experienced. Unlike many shelters in North America, the dogs at SOS roam in large enclosures, forming natural packs, and spend lots of time with dedicated staff and volunteers, who play with the dogs, leash train them, and even teach them some tricks! Even the most reticent, people-averse dogs end up as friendly, highly trained animals in this incredible facility!
But why adopt a dog from Madagascar when there is need here at local shelters?
I’m asked this question a lot, and it’s a fair question. And one that I have considered extensively. There are two reasons.
1) As badly as animals in North America need homes (and I have adopted and fostered many of them), this need pales in comparison to what street dogs in Madagascar face. Madagascar is consistently listed as one of the poorest countries on earth. The chicken bones and other leftovers I’d seen street dogs in other developing countries sustaining themselves with just aren’t available in Madagascar – food is never thrown away. In fact, I’ve wondered constantly just precisely how street dogs in Madagascar survive at all, and still have no idea. Like street dogs most places they are emaciated, they are sick, and they are facing nearly impossible odds. And they are everywhere that you look. Cruelty, neglect, and abandonment face companion animals everywhere in the world, but nowhere have I seen greater evidence of it.
2) Malagasy dogs, despite all of this, have managed to persist! They are not considered to be a breed, but instead a “landrace” called africanus. A landrace is defined as a species that has been bred by humans, but then allowed to go feral, so after domestication they are subject to natural selection. So africanus dogs, descended of the same stock that all domestic dogs came from, were then left to their own devices, and the result of thousands of years of natural selection on these animals, especially in places where they live in close proximity to humans who often hate and fear them, is a perfect dog! They are highly intelligent. They are always reading your face and body language and responding to your mood. They are extremely loyal, but quick to make new friends with everyone they meet (especially after they get to countries where passersby would rather pet them than kick them!) They are incredibly healthy – they are not susceptible to disease, and if they get sick, they get over it immediately (good news for anyone who is aware of the extremely high cost of vet care!) They get along well with all other pets (the first dog I brought back lets rabbits ride him, and my dog is currently grooming my cat!) They lack the aggression and prey drive that can make owning a dog in a busy city a nightmare. They are always up for exercise and will happily run beside their people for days, but when left to their own devices are equally happy to spend the day sleeping. And what’s more, the dogs coming out of SOS are already trained.
When we finally arrived at SOS, Jandre was there to welcome us warmly. We spent the day roaming around and meeting all 50 of the dogs they had at the time. But immediately, one of them – Gemma – took an interest in us. Wherever we went around the facility she was by our side gazing up at us. Jandre gave us leave to walk whichever dogs we thought were a good fit outside of the compound, and offered to have staff join us. By the end of our walk, we knew Gemma had chosen us. And we chose Gemma. That same day, Jandre and the vets started her paperwork, microchipped her, and re-vaccinated her. They had a close look at our return flight itinerary and took over all of the details that would be required. They even offered to drive her to our hotel! In the end, we picked her up on our way out of the capital as we found a way to spend a week with her in-country. She was freshly washed and groomed, had a brand new collar, and all of her paperwork was ready to go. The look on her face when she saw us come to pick her up is something I will never forget.
Thanks to the work of SOS, who have facilitated the export of hundreds of adopted animals to countries and families all around the world, the process was easy, cheap, and stress-free. Gemma arrived to Canada a week before Christmas, and despite facing three airports, -40 degrees C weather, snow, ice, moving into an apartment, and a new feline brother (ALL IN ONE DAY), she adapted as if she’d always been a North American city dog. My partner cannot believe our luck in having found this remarkable animal. The secret is, it’s not luck! It is the magic of the Malagasy street dog - animals that have survived starvation, deprivation, and abuse for generations, finally being given a chance to come home.
