I don`t have any stories from the weekend, since the weather was so bad, we only went to the cinema. (It is Murphy`s law that now, that I`m all day in language school, the weather is nice, warm and shiny... )
Anyway, now I go to the center (metro stop Insurgentes) every day for Spanish classes: I have to take the bus, then the metro, then the metrobus (which is just a huge bus with a special lane on the road). The travel takes about 40-50 minutes (if there is no traffic jam) and I`m usually just wonder around in the bus.
So today, as I was just dimly looking out the window, realized that there are many stray dogs on the streets. I have seen them before, I just didn`t realize they were so many! But the strange thing is that these dogs are calm and nice and look well treated. I think the people don`t treat them as they are noone`s, but they keep them as everybodys` dogs. For example, I see dogfood and water at the corner of the supermarket every time: somebody just buys it (maybe for him/her own dog) and puts some for these homeless dogs.
Therefore the dogs on the street are not desperate and bitter and want to bite people, but they are cute and well-fed and friendly.
I guess it is inevitable to have a lot of stray dogs in such a huge city, but I had the feeling that Mexican people resolved this issue very humane: they try to help the dogs and live with them.
How much better is it than hating, fearing and trying to collect and kill them, no?
And what about rabies or parasites? Vaccination?
ReplyDeleteSzia Andi! Long time, no see! :)
ReplyDeleteAs for the parasites, I`m sure they have fleas etc. After your question, I searched a bit on the internet, and it seems that these dogs are not vaccinated (who would vaccinate them?) therefore the rabies rate should be high.
(I don`t know the symptoms, but) I haven`t seen a dog angry or with foam at the mouth. They are just always begging for food. I fed one one time and it was very friendly.
Nevertheless, I didn`t (wouldn`t) pet it... you never know.
However, I saw an article with 2009 data, that there were 2 rabies incidents in Mexico, but both were of bat bites, not dogs`.
Szia,
ReplyDeletethe veterinary issue caught my eyes :-)
Foam at the mouth etc. is just the last stage of rabies. Anyway, I think keeping a distance from them is a must...
Yes, bats are important reservoirs of rabies in Latin America, however, I think those poor dogs are not 'innocent', either.
Congratulations on the awesome blog. I'm not a blog fan (I have no time for it) but I try to check yours. (I like traveling and different cultures so your 'insider' experience is really interesting. I mean it!)
Andi