DOGS IN THE SAHARA

Every family among the Imuhar (Tuareg) nomads owns a dog (Eidi). The dogs are strong and fast animals which have to take care of the herds at night. The dogs are supposed to scare away jackals, the greatest threats to the goat and sheep herds. The dogs do not accompany the herds at daytime. At daytime the dogs sleep or roam around. The nomads normally do not tie down their dogs. The dogs are regarded as impure and therefore everyone tries to avoid touching them. Being compared to a dog is an insult.

DOG BREED/RACE

Traditionally, Imuhar (Tuareg) nomads own Sloughi or Azawakh dogs. Nowadays they usually own mongrels. Sometimes they get the dogs from villages. 
From a litter of puppies they only keep one strong female. If no one of the neighbors wants a new dog they kill the other puppies. The puppy is tied nearby the tent for the first months. It grows up among the livestock and gets familiar with goats, which he has to protect in the future. The dogs of the nomads are quite independent and tough and very aggressive towards foreigners.

NUTRITION

The dogs are permanently malnourished. They get the rest of the meals without meat. The nomads rarely feed them meat. If an animal of the livestock dies without the ritual slaughtering then the nomads do not eat the meat. Older children burn the dead animal and feed the meat to the dogs. In that way they avoid the dogs to get used to raw meat. In addition, the dogs hunt wild animals like rabbits or jumping mice.