Who let the dogs out?!

I participated today in a rally against dog culling.  What is dog culling, you might ask?  Naturally, I was interviewed by the press on the subject and my opinions, so I'm clearly now qualified as an expert.

In Dhaka, for fear of rabies and general nuisance, dogs are often rounded up and killed (according to the city corporation, when someone files a complaint, they then go to that neighborhood to "take care of it").  The rally today, organized by the American School and a group called "hands and paws' (awwww), was to raise awareness and to advocate for more humane solutions, such as vaccination, spaying, and neutering.   Things that don't result in a family losing Fido because he wasn't wearing a collar today.  There are other solutions to pet peeves!  Also in the works are surveys on citizens' thoughts on dog culling and the demography of dogs in the city.  I'll keep you posted as these results become publicly available.

Since there were lots of people taking photos, I used the opportunity to take photos FROM the rally of everyone else (felt less weird to whip out my camera when everyone's doing it).  A few for your enjoyment below.

Signs created by the second graders at the American School! 

We begin with a photo shoot in front of the Press Court. 

And then march along the streets to Dhaka City Corporation headquarters chanting something in Bangla (I assume it was "don't kill dogs", but it really could have been anything for all I know)

My favorite sign--"Never everer (sic) use tongs".  You can't see the picture of the tongs crossed out, but it's pretty priceless.  Dhaka City Corporation was tong-tied in astonishment at our numbers.

I don't think that they realized that at least half the people there were just watching.

I take the opportunity to clandestinely capture the rickshaw drivers in their lungis.  We have a love-hate relationship when I'm trying to get around by foot. 

 So that's it, just a typical Saturday afternoon here in Dhaka.  Cambridge better watch out: 02138 might be the most opinionated zip code for the time being, but 1212 is up and coming!