Askal

For the football team commonly called as the "Azkals", see Philippines national football team.

Askal
A male askal on the beach
Other names	Ayam, Irong Bisaya, Aspin
Origin	Philippines
Breed status	Not recognized as a breed by any major kennel club.
Traits Height Males 25 ¼ – 27 ½ in (64 – 70 cm) Females 22 ¾ – 25 ¼ in (58 – 64 cm) Weight Males 18–29 kilograms (40–64 lb) Females 16–20 kilograms (35–44 lb) Coat Simple Coat Color Black, Brown, White (commonly), Red (rare), Brindle, Gray, Cream, and Spotted Litter size 3–5 puppies (avg. 7-8)
Dog (domestic dog)

Askal (asong kalye), also called aspin, is the Filipino language name for mongrel indigenous street dogs in the Philippines.

Names

By the mid-late 20th century, dogs commonly seen wandering the streets were called "askal", a Tagalog-derived portmanteau of asong kalye or "street dog". In 2007, the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) suggested the alternative term aspin, short for asong Pinoy (Pinoy dog) probably to avoid the stigma associated with the term "askal".

In Cebuano, dogs are called irong Bisaya, which literally means "Visayan dog" or "native dog" (note that the word "Bisaya" doesn't explicitly mean "Visayan" but it is a term pertaining to people and animals native to a specific locale. For example, "manok Bisaya" simply refers to a breed of chicken native to a locality), implying that these are not thought of as a mixed-breed dog so much as unbred mongrels with no purebred ancestors. This is only from a Bisayan point of view since Irong Bisaya do not differ in character or physical appearance from the other Askals found in the entire Philippine archipelago. Physically, the dogs have "all shapes, configurations and sizes."

Appearance

The coat can be short haired or rough. Coat colors ranges from Black, Brown, White (commonly), Red (rare), Brindle, Gray, and Cream. Spots are commonly found at the base of the tail and at the back in semi-circular fashion. The snout sometimes appears black if the coat color is brown. The tail is usually held high and the ears can be floppy, semi-floppy or fully pointing upwards. The bone structure of a native Askal is on the medium range, never heavy like in Rottweilers.

Interactions with humans

A stray askal in Metro Manila

Askals have been raised traditionally as guard dogs. They are naturally suspicious of strangers, independent and protective of family members. They are good to young children as companions, due to their devotion to family members. They are trusted by their owners to roam markets or the neighborhood to socialize with other dogs which is why these dogs are seen by the Western people as stray dogs when, in fact, they are not. They are, however, expected to be home before dusk, especially males who always look for females in heat. Female dogs usually stay home and are excellent watch dogs. askals were allowed to compete in the First Philippine Dog Agility Championships in 2013. At the 2015 Pet Express Doggie Run in Pasay City, askals were the featured dog. The dogs featured in an essay by Gilda Cordero-Fernando. Askals have been trained by the Coast Guard to identify bombs and drugs by scent.

Notable askals

• Kabang, an askal who lost its snout while saving two young children
• Dagul (won the Lewyt Award for Heroic Compassionate Animals, of the North Shore Animal League of America)
• Buboy, dubbed as the Filipino version of Hachiko for waiting of his owner who had already died, few days before. However, Buboy died after being run over by a vehicle.
• Boonrod (askal Dog), was found paddling near a rig 130 miles (220 kilometers) off the coast of Thailand.

In popular culture

The Philippines national football team has been named as "the Azkals", an alternate spelling of "askal".

See also

• Philippine witch dogs
• List of dog breeds