Americans love their dogs; not so in Iran
HUNTING -- I had some interesting conversations over meals with a professor from Iran a few years ago centered on our common love for hunting chukars. We don't hear much about that part of Middle Eastern culture, but he was a solid enthusiast for walking the steep river canyons and swinging a shotgun for sport.
I made my gaffe when I expressed dismay that he hunted alone without a bird dog. He winced a bit but was polite.
Still clueless, I invited him to hunt with me and experience the excitement of hunting behind a pointing dog.
He respectfully declined and that was that.
Later I learned that buying and selling dogs is illegal in Iran. Iran’s parliament also passed a bill to criminalize dog ownership, declaring the phenomenon a sign of “vulgar Western values.”
Pursuing birds without a dog would leave a huge hole in my experience, so I'll be hunting my chukars here in the United States of America, which has the highest dog population in the world.
YOO-ESS-AY! YOO-ESS-AY!
France has the second highest and some South American countries may rival our country for dog populations, except nobody seems to own all the strays that roam the streets.