It just hit me today, when I was upstairs I heard an ambulance go by my house on the canal. For some reason a memory from my youth back home in Centralia, Washington, popped into my mind. Everytime the fire trucks, police cars or ambulance turned on their sirens, the dogs, I mean all the dogs, would howl at them.
In Saigon, there are dogs everywhere, at least one per house. My old dog, Lucky, used to bark at them throughout the night on the terrace. Yet not a single dog howls at the sirens, and there are many here.
Has anybody ever noticed that?
I am just guessing but:
That might indicate how far local breeds have evolved from their wolf ancestors. The breeds that appear much like wolves, like German Shepherds, Huskies, Malamutes and Samoyeds, howl, often enthusiastically.
In the US, it seems that many of the breeds howl. Many western dogs here as well, they are quiet. I am really curious about this.
A very interesting observation, I hadn’t noticed it before. However isn’t it just as likely to be a difference in the sirenes as a difference in the dogs?
@Anne: Maybe it is the siren. When I move to Japan, I will listen to this as well.
the dogs in my neighbourhoodare howling madly when the ice-man with his distinct melody is cruising the streets with his pushbike. you know the tune? but that’s the only thing that get’s them going.
@riina: I will keep an eye out for the ice-man 🙂
Come to think of it, I’ve barely heard any dog make a sound in this city, for any reason. I do live in an apartment that doesn’t allow dogs, but I spend a lot of time in Districts 5, 10 and 1.
You have just reminded me why I might want to stay living where I am. If everyone owns a dog I don’t want to be woken up by one or kept awake at night. It’s bad enough dealing with early AM construction activities whenever I choose to stay in town.
Sometimes at night I can hear the dogs bark on the rooftops but lately that has not happened much either…
after 1.5 years I just witnessed my dog howl for the first time to the sound of… no, not the ice-man but a siren of an ambulance. he was surprised by the sounds leaving his mouth as well… hilarious!
🙂