Wananchi,
I just remembered that in the 1980s, there was this talk of some small lethal dogs from Tanzania that were on the loose. Rummors had it that they moved in packs and were very dangerous. I remember a day my brother and I ran away crying frantically that T-9s were after us, but really, I did not see them.

My question is were these dogs real, or was it just a pigment of our imagination? Who else heard of them?

Sajini
I also heard about them but I never saw one. Whoever created that story made those animals sound vicious and very creepy that nobody would wish to encounter them. Perhaps that was just propaganda to divert attention from the pressing issues of them days, no idea why.

Well, turns out they are wild dogs, actually travel in packs and migrate to and from Tanzania into Kenya alongside the wildbeast and other herbivores. They are slightly smaller than the common dog and lethal too. They have the highest success rate when it comes to hunting and carry with them the deadly tetanus infection. I don't know who coined the name T-9 but they actually are wild dogs. They spent most of the day sleeping and will usually attacek and steal farm animals when they have no choice.

Welcome Fanyamambo.

I know utafanya mambo katika hii nyumba.

The stories of T9 came live in early 1980's. What I was hearing (it was mostly not true and I never believed the story) was that, the T9 dogs were trained Army Dogs. They were attached to the 9th battalion of the Tanzania Army and hence the term T9 (Tanzania Army 9th Battalion). This Battalion (Both men and Their Dogs) were part of the Tanzania Army that was used to fight the Government of Dictator Idi Amin Dada of Uganda (May God rest his Soul in eternal peace). During the war, some of the Dogs were accidentally let lose and they became wild. Fortunately enough, being Army Dogs, they were castrated and therefore could not reproduce. Hopefully, the whole Generation of the "wild" T9s are by now a past tense.

However, after getting the side of your story I am now more enlightened about the T9 Dogs. Next time I happen to be in Maasai Mara, I will enquire about the wild T9s that migrate with the Wild beasts. I think this is a very interesting relationship that one need to study keenly.

Fanyamambo
Thank you for explaining about the wild dog connection. I remeber watching on discovery channel a lion running away from these wild dogs, because they move in packs like a swarm of bees. If they follow the wildbeeste migration, the possibility of some straying is not hard to contemplate.

Riara,
I also like your explanation about the (th batalion. Sories of those dogs were an enigma in my village, though I never saw any, stories of T-9s weer legion. The most lethal insult immediately became "T-9 ino!".

If they really existed, I would reast at peice that they are all past tense.

Thanks you very much Fanyamambo and Riara for the enlightenment. I love everything with a dialectic touch.

Thanks Riara and Fanyamambo for demystifying that long standing mystery sorrounding these unknown creatures. I remember the mention of them in my village then sent shudders in people. It was very unfortunate that we were in school then and you can imagine how scared we were to go to school.
I remember one day, an alarm was raised in the whole village that a T-9 had been spotted and everybody was put on high alert. Almost the whole sub-location including administration was involved in hunting it down as it was alleged it was hiding in tea bushes. After frantic efforts that lasted the better of that day, the "T-9" calmly appeared from the bushes and it turned to be our faithful "Chui"!!!

Thanks for remiding me the events of 1980s,in my home area very many innocent and health dogs lost their lives .
it was said that they had been biten by those T9 and inffected.

The whole village went home by home killing innocent dogs we lost three of them, it was painful!

Wagithuri i know the feeling.
when i was a kid, we had this old dog we called Jimmi.Everyone was always telling me that that dog was older than me and i didnt like that fact too much.he sure was old- older than me by 8 years but i liked him quite much. he passed on when i was 12 years and i felt like i had lost a family member.

Anyway back to the old creatures like the T-9s. there are these ant like insects we used to call múgagacha which i dont see anymore.are they extinct?
then, Ngunjiri na papa daad tanjirai atiriri ngurani ya gítúyú na njímbírí ni iriku? what are they called in English?
Wagithuri kwanyu nikuri Njimbiri kana gituyu?

Bihari utiganu wa t9 na muthige. T9 ni tugui turia tea irbid two ni Nyerere wa kabarage riria maruwaga na idi amino. Actually t9 ni corgis.