Two years ago, on this very blog, I wrote about dogs in Rwanda. I try to write about them in every country I visit, but I’ve always found the Rwanda story harder to cope with than others. I love my dogs—I’m one of those people. So, the fact that Rwandans cringe at the thought of me sharing my life, let alone my house and my bed, with dogs always struck me as an awkward part of our relationship. You teach your dog sports?? Why do you only post dogpictures on Facebook?
Just to recap my other post, during the aftermath of the genocide, there were dogs eating from the dead bodies that lined the streets. People have such terrible memories of this, they not only euthanized all the dogs in the country, but also resist the idea of keeping them as pets. In general, the only people in the country who have kept dogs have been foreigners. We met only one Rwandan during our last visit that kept an outdoor dog—more of a watchdog than a pet. But things are changing.
Our driver, who has been the most appalled by my love of dogs (not just me, also everyone else when he visited the US a few years ago), mentioned that he does understand the affection. During the genocide, apparently there were many accounts of dogs who stood by their owners bodies until they also died. They are a symbol of loyalty. But more than this brief mention of dogs in conversation, it turns out that more and more people are keeping them again. The house we visited on the first day had a little house in the back where they kept their dog. They couldn’t let him out because the gate was open and he apparently is a maniac, but they let me go back and pet him. Surprise of all surprises, he looked like my dog only brown! Ah, mutts are the same everywhere, I suppose. He was wiggly and well cared for. A real pet kind of dog. It turns out that our host family also keeps a dog, though more for guarding purposes. And the compound where I’m staying has a dog or two that just wander around. I think they’re making a comeback. Certainly not to the extent that Americans invite our dogs into our lives, but at least beyond the status of taboo animal, evoking memories of some horrific past. I think it’s my foreignness that really enjoys this transformation. I’m not sure that it has a larger symbolic significance. Does this mean that Rwanda is closing the door on its traumatic past and moving toward forgiveness and reconciliation? Or does it just mean that human nature compels us to eventually invite Fido and Fluffy back into our lives? I tend to believe that thousands and thousands of years of co-evolution mean that a bond like that between human and dog can’t be interrupted by for so long.