On the banks of the Brahmaputra...

Jayanta Chaudhuri recorded his encounter with this pack of beautiful INDogs in Assam. Cautious, alert, non-confrontational but wary - this is how the first dogs must have lived thousands of years ago, side by side with human society. The full sequence of photos is posted in the album of the INDog Club on Facebook. For those who aren't on Facebook, here they are along with Jayanta's captions: the "Dhekura Kukurs" of Assam.



"This is at Dibrugarh, North East Assam, near Arunachal Pradesh, on the banks of the Brahmaputra. I was visiting from NY. I was strolling along the banks of the river a few miles from the town, thinking about the mega dams in China and what it will do to this beautiful river, when suddenly among the sand dunes I met her - she was warily watching me approach.

"I looked around and I saw a pack.

"So here is a story of INDog river dogs, from the banks of the Brahmaputra...We Assamese call them DHEKURA KUKUR."



"Another member keeps an eye on me..."



"This lady is not amused...tells me to keep my distance...I was wondering why??"



"I looked around and got my answer...there were these beautiful pups - one looking at me and the other looking at his mother for orders. Alert, curious and very cute."



"Puppy is not too sure about me...and the other already went into his burrow...but she still does not want to go inside."



"One member of the pack patrols the river shore."



"While another patrols the grassy knoll."



"Someone is relaxing..."



"Someone else is a little more alert."



"Someone sneaks up behind me to pick up my scent."



"Someone else warily circles me..."



"A few others keep watching the action from afar..."



"Enjoying the sand dunes and the evening sun of a breezy winter day."



"There was one individual with a black coat who suddenly appeared from nowhere."



"Finally they decided that I was an unwelcome intruder."



"Before I left, the black dog and the yellow ones lined up to bid me adieu."



"Footnote: 300 miles away at Guwahati, Tuffy, my parents' INDog looks very similar. She sneaked from the streets through our gate as a 3-4 week puppy on a rainy night...and the rest is history."

Photos and captions: Jayanta Chaudhuri
Near Dibrugarh, Assam