Stray and street dog's of Colombia
Coming across a tourist would make ‘Amigo’s’ day
By Cesar Garcia Wednesday, April 8, 2009
...No one seems to know how many there are. Passersby are too busy going to and fro their business to contemplate the growth of their ranks. They are the “canchosos” (street dogs) who roam freely. The authorities wrestle with what to do about their numbers. But it’s hard to take an accurate “dog count” when puppies can be born the minute after the last census comes in.
There are rogues, leaders of the pack and runts.
These are the stray dogs of Bogota, the street dogs now featured as “A Dog’s Life” in bogotafreeplanet.com.
They come in all breeds, mostly half-breed; make behind bushes and under trees their “bed-time” and easily stroll Bogota’s downtown streets like a mangier breed of touristas.
Lucky ones are sometimes fed by sympathetic shop keepers, who feed them a part of their paper sack lunches; others suss out garbage detail behind local restaurants before trash pickup.
But because they have always foraged for survival, the stray dog contingent of Bogota should get by in the current Recession.
A friend told me she finds the same one at least twice a week when the garbage is out.
“He comes on like a bandit, skulking over to the trash, picking up whatever is quickest to grab, an empty egg shell or tissue wad which he picks up in his jowls before running off like the devil is after him in hot pursuit. He’s easy to recognize as his one ear has been worn down to a nub. I watch from my windows but would never interfere in the raid,” she said.
The beautiful “Amigo” in photo above grabs at human heartstrings with his haunting, all-knowing eyes.
Wary that I might be one of those people ready to drive him off with a hand gesture or angry shout, Amigo stared me right back as I trained the camera lens on him.
I didn’t have anything in my pockets to give Amigo when I came across him in the street, but was wishing I did because he seemed to lack the universal chubbiness that comes as a familiar part of the puppy look.
There are no puppy games in Amigo’s life, no children tossing him a ball to return, no adults bringing him bones.
Life is just getting by for Amigo and friends, and days are marked by what can be foraged in the streets.
Amigo’s tail didn’t wag when he spotted me. But I am sure that had I put my camera down, he would have approached for a sniff and a lick, if only to see if there was anything edible.
Tourists, who come from countries where hungry dogs don’t wander city streets, often feed the canchosos.
When I walked away, my wish was that Amigo would meet one today.
But as sure as the birds begin each Bogota morning with cheerful birdsong, the street dogs of Bogota will begin their endless daily search for food. For them, it’s a Dog’s Life.
to be continued.
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Cesar Garcia is a freelancer and writes for Bogota Free Planet.
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