Seems like every other house has got a dog, big or small, here in Mexico. I suppose part of the motivation is the supposed bump up in security they get from having a dog around. But, it means that everybody else is subjected to the noise when they decide to set up a howl- which can be merely when you pass the house, on what might otherwise be a pleasant stroll through your neighborhood. We gave up walking through neighborhoods in part because of this: you're walking along, early of a morning, feeling peaceful and enjoying the soft lights and sounds only to have your heart start racing and adrenalin pumping as a dog, bigger than you are, charges the fence. ____________________ Since we moved, we encountered a new variation on this theme, Cancun's wild dogs. Small packs, eight to ten, roam the streets of Cancun- I believe on regular routes, which constitute a territory defended by these same dogs- and are active at night, foraging for food. Several nights, these dogs have passed through our neighborhood. They come through at around 3 AM, perhaps according to a schedule established by the pack leader, over time. They don't tend to bark, themselves, but every neighborhood dogs resents the invasion- and perhaps feels a twinge of jealousy at the freedoms these dogs enjoy- letting it be known, with long and loud barking, until the invaders are well out of sight, that they have noticed. Last night, I got up and out on the street at 3 AM, to see for myself. The dogs were of a medium build, tan in color, and numbered 7-8. (Getting up at 3 AM and going out on the streets is, unfortunately, a common occurance for me, as I investigate the source of noises in the neighborhood- more often, loud music from one of the restaurants or bars, nearby.) I thought perhaps these are the same dogs who once terrified my wife by running by her in Puerto Cancun, as she was jogging there one morning, several months ago. The pound will pick these dogs up, if they see them, but I doubt they keep the hours the dogs and I keep....
This is yet another human error.... Dogs and cats(and other pets..) should NOT be allowed to be sold in pet shops in Mexico. People walk by and see a "cute little puppy" in the display window and buy it, completely unplanned. The dog grows up and requires training, vet costs etc. "Hey, what happened to my little puppy?" "Oh lets just dump him. It rarely gets cold here so he/she will be fine..." Impulse purchasing of pets are lethal, to the pets. They do "ok", breed outside and then become a "pest". The pound WILL pick them up, but the way they get put down is by filling water on a concrete floor, push all the dogs whose "time has come" into that room and then electrocute them. Pet shop owners and puppy mills make their $ regardless... Every time I see the idiots who stand outside Wal Mart, Sams Club etc., selling puppies on the parking lot, I go mental and confront them. The council knows about all of this but refuse to do jack sh*t about it. There is a reason why so many countries have banned the sales of puppies/kittens etc. in pet shops - Mexico should follow. Even spaying/neutering could be considered by the pet shop owners, but hey, they dont want to lose out on ANY of their profits, right..? Human error which dogs/cats have to suffer horrendous deaths for. Animals are merely products in this place.
I know, Rawkus, contemplating the death of any animal is painful, to one degree or the other; but, I don't know if the method employed here is any less humane than that employed where I come from, in the U.S., in which the animals are put into a chamber and all the air pumped out of it. Either way, we don't like to consider it. In Kazakhstan, running dogs were shot by marksmen employed to get rid of them: this took care of those too wild and wary to be captured, easily. Done in the early AM, typically, I never heard a report of a casualty that was not intended, but the sound of gunshots was a little unnerving. ______________________ Animals, like these, running at large, cannot reasonably be ignored- from a public health standpoint, if nothing else.
V: Yeah, I have read about the way many places in U.S. puts down unwanted animals... I have a friend who lives in Taraz (Kazakhstan) and she told me about these events. For me, thats more "humane" than electrocution and gas. She told me how specific the government was in hiring top marksmen for this. I also havent heard of any casualties and they even managed to separate the strays from the dogs who had owners(collars). Of course its not all "gold and green forests"(Swedish expression, haha), but I assume its way more accurate and "fast" than what is done here in Mexico. However, preventive actions are always the best in the long run. This only "slows down" what is happening, it will never stop it. I have volunteered at the pound in Cancun and also bought injections for as many dogs as I could when their time had come... Heartbreaking but I felt good that at least some 25 dogs didnt have to go "the other way"... Problem is that it was for one day - the day after it all continued as usual. Its easier to fix this from the ground, but this is yet another case of the whole "Do we have to do this now?"-thing in Mexico. What pisses me off the most is all the people profiting from this. Disgusts me to the bone.
There is a BIG pack that hang out around the fountain at the Hotel Zone entrance. Usually they sleep around the Pemex station there and I have to take a detour when going for my evening runs with my own dogs... Have been attacked countless times, but only when accompanied by my dog/s. However, I cant blame the dogs.
Rawkus, how many dogs in that group you're speaking of, there? Interesting that you should feel this way: I, too, feel there's more dignity in this for the animal, who surrenders his life without ever having surrendered his freedom.
V: For me its easy: If it had to happen to me, than of course I would prefer to be minding my own business, then BOOM! Gone. Having to be chased, rounded up, then be waiting for the couple of days in the Pound that they do give each dog(In case the owner comes by...) listening to your fellow species crying in anguish, pain etc. Its an easy choice for me personally... Ugh, makes me sick to my stomach thinking about when I was volunteering at the Perrera
From: http://rapanimalrescue.org/the-problem/ Rawkus is correct that the Perrera here electrocutes unwanted animals. They do this because they don't have funding to do anything else. It is inhumane and unacceptable, but they have a job to do and little money to do it with. There are health issues when uncared for dogs and cats are roaming the streets. Rabies is common here as are countless other diseases, many of which effect humans. A common scenario here is that people here will feed a street dog, sometimes, enough to have it be loyal to them (to guard them). But they take no other responsibility for that dog, so the dog is strong enough to reproduce but isn't neutered, and doesn't have any shots. Meanwhile many vets here will neuter pets and street animals, and vaccinate them, for very low fees, or even for just their cost of meds. And most vets here will do abortions, they will sterilize already pregnant females. The real issue here is education. People here don't understand the how fast a population can explode if you allow a dog of cat to reproduce.
Hi, Rivergirl, this strikes me as very generous on their part, and I'm glad to hear of it, but doesn't offer any relief from dogs running at large- which may be difficult/dangerous to capture- and I don't expect to see these same vets out there attempting it (though, perhaps, some go that far...). If they are not to be shot, little is left except to try to trap or poison them. ____________________ One of the things that's interesting is the cultural component of how the "problem" is viewed. Public Health workers often see stray animals as a threat to the general health, and want active measures taken to deal with them. But, societies see things differently. Rivergirl spoke of general attitudes, here. In Thailand, strays are fed by one and all, and live on the streets or on temple grounds, in large numbers. In general, Thais do not seem to see this as a problem, entertaining a belief that dogs are sentient beings- the reincarnation of monks who "went bad" and must be recycled before they can enter nirvana. The government will, from time to time, round some of them up, but it always provokes an outcry from the public, even though public health authorities will tell you that 7% of the strays are rabid, at any one time. Thailand is the only place I've lived where I thought rabies shots were worth having: those who've been there will have, no doubt, stepped over many a stray dog having a snooze on the pavement because- as a result of their societal "protected" status- they feel quite unthreatened, and do not bother to stir when you approach them.
Maybe stray dogs and I don't frequent the same places (which I find hard to believe!) or Playa has a less severe problem than Cancun. Obviously, Playa is much smaller than Cancun, but the per capita stray dog rate must be considerably less. I've never seen packs of dogs here...and maybe only a dozen total since we've been here (and almost always solitary.) Most of them are familiar -- we see them day in and day out. "Lucky" has been around since our very first day here and like clockwork, she was by the taco stands last night. What gets me, is how damn street smart some of these strays are. Like Lucky for instance: she stays on the sidewalk out of the streets and bike paths. She'll wait at an intersection until it's safe to cross (usually tailing pedestrians) and I've never seen her beg or bother a person for food. She'll sit and wait patiently a good distance from the taco stands at the ADO station downtown and lick up anything that falls, but she definitely seems to understand that not being a bother is a key to her survival. I've observed her habits (and others) many times and it's always amazing to watch how she seamlessly fits in with society. We do have a ton of stray cats though...who are fed nightly by just about everyone except us :/
