New Fears

I wasn't afraid of dogs before coming to Cairo.

Dogs aren't looked upon fondly in this country. People don't like them and don't keep them as pets. Foreigners, however, do like them and do keep them as pets. What happens when that foreigner moves away and can't take the family pet with them? You guessed it, the dogs are left to fend for themselves. They aren't often neutered/spayed.

There are packs of these dogs around the city, particularly where I live (in a foreigner area). One morning, I had to walk by some dogs where were lying on and around a parked car. One of them got up and barked at me, following me until I left his territory. My heart was pounding and ever since then, I avoid dogs whenever possible. These are not small dogs - probably about the size of Labradors or Golden Retrievers. And it's not just a few - I've seen as many as 8 or 9 running together.

It's not even that I'm afraid of dogs - if one attacked me, I'm fairly confident a good kick would scare it off. But what about it's 8 friends? Additionally, since I don't come from an island (like Australia), I don't have a rabies vaccination. That's the real fear. I don't want to get rabies and I don't want to be treated in a hospital here.

So I avoid the dogs.