Between attachment and detachment: canine interlude

Regardless of breed or type, the function of Mongolian and Buryat dogs is to protect the encampment or station, not to accompany the herders on the pastures. In fact, it is rare to find a Mongolian or Buryat family that does not own a dog, and often they have two or even three, so that if one dies they will have another to take its place. At night, the dogs protect the small livestock and calves from wolves; by day, they stand guard over the encampment, whether the herders are there or not. Dogs help deter thieves in the absence of their owners, but they also announce the arrival of foreign visitors to the encampment by barking, or even attacking them, as soon as they are within the encampment's territory. In this context, the dog is a sort of living boundary. It may bark when it sees a visitor in the distance, but it only pursues that visitor when they are within the perimeter of the encampment, including when they leave. One form of greeting when arriving at a Mongolian encampment is to ask for the dogs to be restrained – ‘Nokhoi hor!’ (‘Hold the dog(s)!’). Some visitors will even enquire about the ferocity of the dog and wait until the owner arrives so that they can get out of their vehicle or off their horse, others just ignore them.