 A Philippine mongrel |
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| Country of origin |  Philippines |
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An askal is a mixed-breed (mongrel) dog in the Philippines. The name is a Tagalog-derived contraction of asong kalye (street dog). It is applied to mongrels due to their often stray nature. In Cebuano, mongrel dogs are called irong Bisaya, which literally means a native dog.[1] To counter perceived political incorrectness, the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) has suggested the alternative term Aspin, short for asong Pinoy (Pinoy dog).[2]
Askals are often more resilient and street-smart than purebreds[3], but unlike in other countries, mixed breeds are not popular choices as pets in the Philippines. These dogs however are now being considered for training as bomb-sniffing dogs as purebred dogs of the Philippine K9 units are becoming too old to work and too expensive to maintain.[4]
"Azkals" is also the nickname of the Philippines national football team.
References
- ^ See this Cebuano news item for an example of its usage: "Irong ‘bisaya’ magamit sa bomb sniffing". GMA News.TV. http://www.gmanews.tv/story/47835/Irong-bisaya-magamit-sa-bomb-sniffing. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
- ^ Honasan, Alya (2007-07-22). "‘Hey, pare, let’s save the whales’". Philippine Daily Inquirer. http://services.inquirer.net/print/print.php?article_id=78027. Retrieved 2007-10-25.
- ^ Tan, Michael. "Askal". Philippine Daily Inquirer. http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view_article.php?article_id=62750. Retrieved 2007-04-27.
- ^ S. Allada, Anthony (2007-06-29). "Police welcome move to train "askal"". Mindanao Times. http://www.mindanaotimes.com.ph/story.php?id=17183. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
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