The Kiskadee is a bird native to Guyana and often referred to in Edgar Mittelholzer's brilliant novel, The Life and Death of Sylvia (1953). The bird is so named because its cry seemed by French colonists to be enquiring: "Qu’ est ce qu’il dit?". So what did he say? This blog is about two key topics: EDGAR MITTELHOLZER (his life and his works) and ME (my encounter with Mittelholzer and tales of life in Guyana).

Saturday, 23 August 2014

Pomeroon Chips: Guyanese Dogs

So Captain Blue has been telling me all sorts of stories about Guyanese dogs. He knows they fascinate me. There is nowhere else in the world (that I know of) where dogs wantonly sleep on the side, no even in the middle, of streets with complete disregard for traffic. In the Pomeroon they are even more extraordinary (or so I thought): "Gyurl some of dem does luv to cyatch fish". "Duh udder day I seen one nyaming on crab". So I ask Brown Man if Captain Blue is pulling my leg. "No" he says, "Buh dey is a diffrent type uh dog: duh furst one is call a Wata dog an' duh second, Crab dog". Well that clears that up then. Clear as Akawini mud, until today.

Chips and Delia (both great swimmers) have not mastered the art of fishing or crab-catching because [drumroll] it turns out that they are only bog standard dogs. Wata dog and Crab dog (thank you internet) are respectively and through my 'farrin' eyes, the lovely Mr Otter and Mr Racoon.

I can now stop worrying about my 'abysmal' dog-mothering skills.




Mr Harris Holding a Crabdog by its tail

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