Curtis D Cushman | Why Dogs Chase Cars

Why Dogs Chase Cars

as told by

M’BA KOUMA

If you ever have the opportunity to take a ride on a “taxi brousse” in West Africa, it’s quite a different way of traveling. A lot of people squeeze into a Peugeot 404 pickup and go bucketing down the red laterite roads. If you can keep from worrying too much about hitting people and things as you roar through the villages, you might note the behavior of the local animals.

One day in the dry season, the Cow, the Goat, and the Dog took a “taxi-brousse” from Bobo up the Ouaga road. The day was warm and there were no other passengers. Konaté, the driver, was a sly young man from Bili-Bam-Bili.

They drove down the cliff road heading into the wide Mossi Plateau. The kilometers rolled behind, and all were content.

When they came to the first village, the Cow climbed slowly down and paid the driver for the ride. She had exact change, and everyone was satisfied.

The “taxi-brousse” drove on to the next village. Here the Goat jumped down. But since she knew she didn’t have enough money to pay the fare, she ran instead, going behind the huts and into a millet field. Konaté was furious, but what could he do? Chase a goat across the fields? Besides, he was a chauffer and wore the tight clothes of a Ouagadougou dandy. He drove on.

Finally the taxi came to the next village. The dog jumped down and trotted to Konaté’s door to pay. Here he gave the driver 1,000 francs and waited for his change. But Konaté had planned to make up for the money the Goat had cheated him out of, so, instead of giving the Dog change, he suddenly drove away, leaving the Dog in the dust.

As I told you, the driver was sly, but to this day the animals remember him:

When you drive past a cow, she does not move, and watches calmly. She paid her fare. When you drive near a goat, however, she always runs away. She never paid her fare.

As for dogs? Well, as you see, they come running alongside your car, barking and barking. And those barks are nothing more than dog-talk for “Give me my change! Give me my Change!”