First and foremost for those of you who don't know my dog, Moza here is a little description of her - she doesn't bark, she is a small German Shepherd, if you approach her she rolls onto her back so you can rub her belly... I'm not exaggerating - no, she is not a perfect dog she has her issues too but as far as kindness she is all heart.
The area I live in (Hamra) is one of the best areas in Beirut for dogs because it has a high concentration of expats and Christians. That being said I feel most at ease walking around Hamra.
I have had very few instances where people have been rude to me because I am walking a dog but there are still the random instances where I am reminded I am no longer in America.
Here is a brief synopsis of my encounters:
- When my boxes came in the man who was helping me was carrying my 70lb. box over his shoulder and when I opened the door to my apartment and he saw Moza he jumped and screamed out of the doorway. This was a little comical to me because Moza was laying on her doggy bed. I am always surprised when a strong, healthy man is scared of Moza.
- I was walking on the Corniche (boardwalk along the Mediterranean) and I paused in front of the famous Pigeon rock. A tour bus pulled up to take pictures of Pigeon Rock - the tourists in this bus were from Egypt. Instead of taking pictures of Pigeon Rock they all gawked and awed over Moza and before I knew it I had snapped 30+pictures of people posing with my dog. Hmmm, I think now that perhaps I should have charged them, I could've made a decent penny.
- Today I was walking down the street and 2 people stopped me to ask if they could breed my dog. Not that unusual but they were driving and when they stopped they held up traffic for a good 5 minutes. With Lebanese driving you can imagine the loud honking that was happening.
- If not on a daily basis at least every other day I am stopped on the street by a random person hugging Moza or a small child getting up the courage to pet her - usually met by squeals of delight. What is so strange about this is that it has never happened to Adam while walking Moza. We have realized I am treated very differently because I am female. I get treated more positively and Adam sees the more negative side of dogs in Lebanon.
- I often take Moza for walks on the Corniche (boardwalk along the water). A 2km stroll might take me 30 minutes because I am constantly stopped by kids and families. They are so curious about this large, friendly dog. I always take the opportunity to let them pet her and give her kisses - I feel I am doing my own little part in helping Beirut become dog friendly.
I was curious why so many people from the Middle East are anti-dogs - here are a few statements I found on the internet. Now as you read these please understand these are not facts they are people's opinions - some people are positive and others are blatantly naive.
"Because dogs are American, and they hate our freedoms. They're evildoers, and hate everything good, including little Barney."
The Koran says, Dogs may be kept in the house for;
a) Personal Protection
b) Hunting
c) (something else which i forgot)
They may not be kept as pets as farishteh (angels) will not visit a house which has dogs among many many other things.
On the stance of cleanliness, anything out of a dog's mouth is deemed unclean, ultimately dogs are known to lick themselves and as a result you can never be sure. The advice given is, you are allowed to touch a dog, stroke it or whatever as long as you clean up afterwards because you are considered unclean and unfit for namaaz if you don't.
Now, the fear thing, it's not hate, it's fear. This isn't a muslim thing, it's a specific race, mainly southern asian. Most asians haven't grown up with dogs, neither have their relatives or friends sooooo, that's why they are scared of them, a joke i heard once titled 100 things to tell you're asian had "Your family will run a marathon if they see a dog walking calmly on the other side of the road".
a) Personal Protection
b) Hunting
c) (something else which i forgot)
They may not be kept as pets as farishteh (angels) will not visit a house which has dogs among many many other things.
On the stance of cleanliness, anything out of a dog's mouth is deemed unclean, ultimately dogs are known to lick themselves and as a result you can never be sure. The advice given is, you are allowed to touch a dog, stroke it or whatever as long as you clean up afterwards because you are considered unclean and unfit for namaaz if you don't.
Now, the fear thing, it's not hate, it's fear. This isn't a muslim thing, it's a specific race, mainly southern asian. Most asians haven't grown up with dogs, neither have their relatives or friends sooooo, that's why they are scared of them, a joke i heard once titled 100 things to tell you're asian had "Your family will run a marathon if they see a dog walking calmly on the other side of the road".
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