Autor: Arlette Caenen

Being in Nepal again I am astonished every time again. Every time there a new things to see and to discover. Life is so different, not only for humans, but also for the animals. Animals are important in daily life of the Nepali. They depend on them, they work with animals in the field, become their milk, meat, wool and skin. The animals are a part of life. On the other hand, there are a lot of street animals, dogs, cows, cats, but in particular in Nepal, there are a lot of street dogs. They have a hard time at the street as a dog is not really a pet to have. A dog at home is mostly a watch dog, who often not really has a nice life, chained on a very short leash, which frustrates him and due to that he will be very aggressive.  But visiting Nepal for several years now, behavior is changing, there are dogs with a collar, looking good and have a good and cosy home. That is very nice and good to see. Anyway, one evening being at the Boudha stupa, doing my kora´s (circumambulation around a holy place) I saw Toto, a street dog living at the stupa, with a closed bottle of water, which was half full (yes, a lot of things are thrown away on the street, also plastic bottles). I looked at him what he was doing, but was also a little worried as he was chewing on the plastic cap. He definitely was trying to open the bottle. How amazing. I sat down and watched him. The bottle was held between his paws and he was trying to open the cap with his teeth. Can you imagine? I was astonished when indeed he got the bottle openend. A bit of water was coming out. Getting out the water was difficult fo him, so I helped.  For me is this a proof that animals do have skills, or do develop skills which they need to survive. This was so beautiful and also funny to see! I was really happy Toto made me part of this!