The Baladi dogs are a common dog breed in Egypt. Not many of them are domesticated, however. Instead, most Baladi dogs live on the streets. In Egypt, as in many other countries across the globe, the populations of street dogs are not managed as well as in the U.S. or in Western Europe. This leads to such “street breeds” to be viewed as “second-rate dogs”. Many people in Egypt and in other countries with large street dog populations, prefer buying expensive pure-bred pooches instead of adopting street dogs because the former are “more prestigious”. These Egyptian street dogs are getting a new image, however.
Thanks to the initiative of a lot of dog lovers in Egypt, as well as to a short commentary produced by Sara Abou Bakr for the BBC, the Baladi dogs are getting more and more recognized as great pets. A lot of Egyptians that own Baladi dogs are praising their many great qualities.
Baladi dogs turn out to be a highly intelligent breed, capable of quickly learning a lot of verbal commands, tricks and tasks.
They love to solve puzzles, as well as do chores around the house. Moreover, Baladi dogs are very social and people-friendly – as you would expect from a street breed – which makes them great family pets for households of all types and sizes. They are gentle and loving, while also playful and energetic.
They are even quite beautiful in their physique and stature, once you wash the streets’ dirt off of them!
In short, these Egyptian street dogs are getting a new image and they definitely deserve it. If more and more Egyptians realize the many amazing qualities of the Baladi dogs and pick up the initiative of rebranding them, maybe the future of this breed can be much brighter.
