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The dog ( vi, chó Lài or ), is a distinct
The dog can be traced to ancient dogs whose fossilized remains have been found along the Yangtze River in China, dated to 7000 years ago. Approximately 4000–6000 years ago, the ancestor to today's dog migrated to Vietnam. While much of the dog's history is speculative, dog motifs have been found carved on Đông Sơn drums, on daggers, short battle axes, combs, drinking mugs, arm guards, and in the graves of
The dog's body is long and wide. The face is long and triangular, with slanted red or amber eyes with dark rims. The ears of the dog are lanceolate-shaped on both sides of the skull, whereas the Indochinese dingo's ears are fixed on the top of the skull. The dog has a scissor bite and the upper snout is longer than lower snout. The tail hangs down in the shape of a reed like a wolf's tail.
dogs have a double coat; the outer coat is rough and provides protection against windy weather, while the soft inner coat keeps the body warm. dogs may either be longhaired or shorthaired. The feet are round and webbed, the forefoot rotates flexibly like a human wrist. allowing the dog to agilely chase prey, including climbing up trees or swimming.
The dog is an intelligent, quick-witted and loyal dog that will aggressively protect their owners. They have excellent drive and stamina. Historically, the dog was used a hunting dog, either by catching and retrieving small game or luring animals to the hunter. Modern dogs are less likely to be used as hunters; however, they retain good instincts to hunt vermin. They are aloof to strangers and make excellent watchdogs.
landrace
A landrace is a domesticated, locally adapted, often traditional variety of a species of animal or plant that has developed over time, through adaptation to its natural and cultural environment of agriculture and pastoralism, and due to isolation ...
of dogs
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
native to the northern mountains of Vietnam, but also sometimes used ambiguously to refer to any indigenous landrace of Vietnam including the Indochina dingo. It is considered to be one of Vietnam's four great national dogs (), and the only one that is not recognized by the Vietnamese Kennel Club. The Lài dog is indigenous to the highland areas west of Thanh Hoa along the Ma River and in some remote villages in the northern border area where they function as a farm dog, providing pest control around the house, herding cattle or hunting for food in the forest. Today, this landrace is critically endangered with only a few hundred remaining.
History
The dog can be traced to ancient dogs whose fossilized remains have been found along the Yangtze River in China, dated to 7000 years ago. Approximately 4000–6000 years ago, the ancestor to today's dog migrated to Vietnam. While much of the dog's history is speculative, dog motifs have been found carved on Đông Sơn drums, on daggers, short battle axes, combs, drinking mugs, arm guards, and in the graves of Đại Việt
Đại Việt (, ; literally Great Việt), often known as Annam ( vi, An Nam, Chữ Hán: 安南), was a monarchy in eastern Mainland Southeast Asia from the 10th century AD to the early 19th century, centered around the region of present-day ...
warriors who purportedly worshipped them. Vietnamese folk tales state they are the descendants of hybridization between domestic dogs and golden jackal
The golden jackal (''Canis aureus''), also called common jackal, is a wolf-like canid that is native to Southeast Europe, Southwest Asia, South Asia, and regions of Southeast Asia. The golden jackal's coat varies in color from a pale creamy y ...
s or dhole
The dhole (''Cuon alpinus''; ) is a canid native to Central, South, East and Southeast Asia. Other English names for the species include Asian wild dog, Asiatic wild dog, Indian wild dog, whistling dog, red dog, red wolf, and mountain wolf. It ...
s.
Author Lê Quý Đôn
Lê Quý Đôn (; 1726–1784) was an 18th-century Vietnamese people, Vietnamese poet, encyclopedist, and government official. His pseudonym was Quế - Đường. He was a native of Duyen Ha village in present-day Thái Bình Province. He is cons ...
wrote in his historical work that the dog was selectively bred by Emperor Lê Lợi
Lê Lợi (, Chữ Hán: 黎利; c. 10 September 1384/1385 – 5 October 1433), also known by his temple name as Lê Thái Tổ (黎太祖) and by his pre-imperial title Bình Định vương (平定王; "Prince of Pacification"), was a Vietname ...
in the 14th century to serve in the military and as hunting hounds. dogs were instrumental in the Lam Sơn uprising
The Lam Sơn uprising (; vi, Khởi nghĩa Lam Sơn; vi-hantu, 起義藍山) was a Vietnamese rebellion led by Lê Lợi in the province of Jiaozhi from 1418 to 1427 against the rule of Ming China. The success of the rebellion led to the est ...
of 1418–1428 by hunting for food, tracking enemy bases, accompanying soldiers on the road, and distracting the enemy. One dog was credited with saving the king's life. After the Lam Son uprising, the dog accompanied Le soldiers to guard remote border regions where they continue to subsist today.
Today the dog is critically endangered. The biggest threat is hybridization due to intrusion of non-native dogs, as traditionally the dog was allowed to roam freely to obtain food for itself. Efforts are underway to collect and breed genetically pure examples in sanctuaries; however, dogs are difficult to obtain due to the remoteness of their native region and the difficulties of rehoming a dog who is very attached to its humans.
Characteristics
The dog's body is long and wide. The face is long and triangular, with slanted red or amber eyes with dark rims. The ears of the dog are lanceolate-shaped on both sides of the skull, whereas the Indochinese dingo's ears are fixed on the top of the skull. The dog has a scissor bite and the upper snout is longer than lower snout. The tail hangs down in the shape of a reed like a wolf's tail.
dogs have a double coat; the outer coat is rough and provides protection against windy weather, while the soft inner coat keeps the body warm. dogs may either be longhaired or shorthaired. The feet are round and webbed, the forefoot rotates flexibly like a human wrist. allowing the dog to agilely chase prey, including climbing up trees or swimming.
The dog is an intelligent, quick-witted and loyal dog that will aggressively protect their owners. They have excellent drive and stamina. Historically, the dog was used a hunting dog, either by catching and retrieving small game or luring animals to the hunter. Modern dogs are less likely to be used as hunters; however, they retain good instincts to hunt vermin. They are aloof to strangers and make excellent watchdogs.
Health
dogs are considered a very robust breed with few health issues, often living up to 20 years. Due to the scarcity and remoteness of the breed, very little scientific research has been done.References