Bhutan and reverence for life

Perhaps the next thing you notice in Bhutan after the incredibly beautiful land is dogs. Bhutan is a Buddhist country and as such has a reverence for all life, even insects. As a result, there is no such person as a dog catcher. Dogs seem to be everywhere and, perhaps because they have spent most of the nocturnal hours either practicing or performing in various canine chorales, a majority of them seem to be sleeping.
While the dogs have, in fact, become a problem - there are so many - and there is much thought and discussion regarding what is to be done about them within the framework of Buddhism, it is very touching for a westerner like me to see, over and over, stray dogs being fed, petted and respected.