Whatever Happened to Bantay?

The dog has become a fixture in many Filipino households today. In many homes in the country, man's best friend is not only a pet that is almost like a family member

but also the official provider of security for its owners.

Before,  a dog was given a name for its trait or purpose.  If his task is to guard the house, his name would either be Bantay (guard), Bagsik (fierce), Tapang (brave), among others.  A pet dog's name could also be based on his color or appearance, like Batik (spots), Puti (white), or Tagpi (patch).

Many of these dogs were native. They do not have pure breeds but are mostly a mixture of several breeds and characteristics. More recently, they're called askals, short for asong kalye (street dogs). As these dogs became more common, the name changed too.

When we were young, our grandmother, who was then living in Manila, had a pet named Manilenya (an old way to call a native of Manila).  It was a big brown female dog who slept most of the day under the stairs because she was already too old.  Our first dog was also a native dog, and my mother named him Clever.  Since then, most of our dogs have English names except for one, which my sister named Bansot because she was so small.

Nowadays, Filipinos have developed a liking for dogs with a breed. The most popular is the Shih Tzu, which can be found almost anywhere. One cannot go to a mall or park without seeing a Shih Tzu being carried by a human. This shows how dog preferences have shifted.

Many of these dogs are now given cute foreign names such as Charming, Ashley, Princess, etc.  Even my dogs, who are all native ones, have proper names (Betty, Rod and Ted).  The pretty girl in the photo above is Chantale. My sister-in-law's Shih Tzu is named Disney, and my brother's girl Rottweiler is Margaux.

So whatever happened to Bantay, Tagpi and Tapang? Perhaps the days of naming our dogs with good Filipino names are over. Maybe it's more "in" nowadays to give a dog a foreign name. I still believe that Bantay, Tagpi, and Tapang are still very much around, only with a different collar. Or name.