Yea, it's funny how you hear and know these things, such as yell "fire!" etc, but when it happens it's all instinct that takes over and you don't think about anything, you just react. From the swearing to the yelling (I rarely raise my voice) to telling the dogs "Get 'em!"... there was no forethought to any of it. It surprises me that my reaction was anger/rage over fear. I was so mad I stood in the street yelling at the guy running away until he was out of sight, which isn't really my style. Anyone nearby probably learned some new swear words in English. haha. On a side note, I had my keys in my hand, and did use them as a weapon, stabbing at the the guy with one key between my knuckles. Now I carry my keys in my hand most of the time when I'm walking.
I know this is an older thread but I'm just curious on the current situation with stray dogs in Cancun. I've been in Cancun for a month now and the problem seems to be a little better than what I used to notice here in the past. I think I've only really seen 3 or 4 strays in total. I remember reading on here awhile ago the push to fix domestic and stray dogs in Cancun. I'm sure there are still strays out there but my heart hasn't been breaking on every other street corner this time around. Something must be working
JenMan: They are still around. I live on Sunyachen(between Yaxchilan and Market 28) - Give me 10 mins and Ill show you +15 strays. The pound is way better than ever, but by no means "good". It runs thanks to donations, volunteering etc. The municipality dont lift a f***** finger when it comes to this. Their trucks have been K.O´d for quite a few years, yet people complain when they cant come and collect strays. I guess that part of the cash goes down the pockets of the ones involved. I do volunteering every Sat and most Sundays in Puerto Juarez, and there is no shortage of strays there or in other parts of the city, unfortunately. Must be good to sit in the municipal office and have locals(and expats) do the job for you, without any funding. The free clinics are still on schedule each and every year - this is also thanks to mostly Canadian and American vets whom fly down for a week to help. There is a "new" ban against backyard breeding and selling, like outside Wal Mart where they stand in the sun, midday, with a load of puppies. This law, like any other, is completely useless, unless enforced. We are still pushing for animal abuse laws... Today, an animal is equal to any material belonging, thus: Its completely legal for you to torture, beat up, kill etc. your own pet/pets. But if your neighbor does it, you can call the cops as its "destruction of property/belongings". Maybe one day....
Yikes Rawkus! I was hoping for the best and I guess just haven't come across that many on my travels this trip. That's too bad to hear. We actually did come across a puppy seller in front of Walmart our first week here but had no idea what we should do about it. What kind of volunteer work do you do in Puerto Juarez on the weekends? I would love to bring out my 11-year-old step-daughter one weekend if you think it would be ok. She loves animals and wants to become a vet. Message me the details if it would be ok to bring a child there. We could help out if possible!
Jen: Any and all help would be helpful! The project Im dedicating my time to now is not a shelter per say. They have special-case dogs, which will be used(once rehabilitated and trained) to interact with kids with special needs Another place that comes to mind, is Tierra de Animales, run by Ricardo Pimentel and his wife(gf?) Alin, amongst others. They rely on donations and send dogs(soon cats as well!) to both the US and Canada, on a weekly basis. Check them out here: Tierra de Animales I would start with TDA as they have +150 dogs and need all the help possible. Just email them and ask how to get there and when. Its a great project!
I haven't seen nearly as many stray dogs as I used to in Cancun, but that may be because of the neighborhoods I've lived in. Stray dogs tend to be harmless and not dangerous. My 3 dogs are all from family whose dogs had puppies (2 from my in-laws, 1 from an uncle), and I've seen most of their brothers and sisters be sold to family friends who do nothing to take care of them once they pass the puppy stage. Very sad, and after seeing that I can't condone private pet sales. My 3 dogs are poodles, and we got them fixed early on. Mexican friends and family got upset because they all wanted puppies :S It's not something I can get angry about because it's a cultural difference and I don't want to force my views, but I'm really happy to see that Cancun is very slowly but surely changing its attitude. I see more and more friends promoting adoption on FB, which is exciting
You can visit other Mexican cities and never even hear a dog bark, much less see one loose on the street. Here, it's a different story on both counts, but I agree the number of dogs on the street does seem to have diminished in the last year. Could this be just one more area in which we've seen improvement under the current administration?
Gringation: Its a HUGE cultural difference, but I dont see it as an excuse, personally. Its "simply" a lack of education, and that how we are trying to attack the problem since 2 years back: Educate and prevent, rather than treat it once its happened. "You can empty a leaking boat with a bucket, but you will have to continue doing that until you plug the leak" - same goes for stray dogs/cats: Until the outflow stops, the problem will persist. But, like you say, there is a change, although slow. But, slow is better than nothing - everything has started from scratch. V: I wouldnt give the current administration too much cred for this, as they have done NOTHING to help the pound fix the vehicles, etc. What you see is an amazing increase in organizations that fight this issue, on a daily basis. Now more tourist organizations have jumped on board, along with many airlines that help us ship dogs for free(!!) Air Canada, Air Transat and a few others have all helped us, with no charge whatsoever. Obviously when there has been space available. The municipality did accept the ban towards selling backyard-bred dogs/cats in public, but we pushed that for over 3 years... The credit should be given to those that have taken action, an increased number of tourists that actually leave the HZ and volunteer, many of them for several days of their stay, then they spread the word and - BOOM! Local govt should be given cred when they have contributed, but I guess the loooove to take cred for work they havent had anything to do with. I may sound harsh, but if any of you would have been to the meetings, you would drop your jaw... Its like sitting in a room filled with lobotomized zombies. An example in numbers: When CANDI(Cats and dogs International) come here to do their free clinics, we spay more strays/pets(belonging to VERY poor families) in 4 days than the municipality has done in 10 years - their own numbers. I LOVE the power of the common people - unbeatable what willpower, heart, sweat and effort can do.
Bravo to you, Rawkus. I could never even visit one of these places...it makes me too sad. I do agree that it is a cultural difference, but it still makes me very, very angry. I watched my husband tranform into an animal lover when before, he had the typical attitude towards animals that many of his paisanos have. Nine years ago we were given the scrawny runt of a litter of puppies and I think he was the one that nobody else wanted....and I am positive that he now has the best life of any of the pups. When we are ready for another dog (hopefully not for several years) I will definitely let those volunteering in Cancun choose my next new best friend!
rawkus: Sorry, I'm not excusing it. I guess I was trying to say that it's not something I would yell at someone about because it's the attitude they grew up with. My in-laws are lovely and generous people, for example, but yes they have sold puppies at Wal-Mart and don't see anything wrong with it. I agree with you 100% that education, prevention and leading by example is the way to go, and local organizations have done a great job putting their message out there. Slow and steady wins the race
