Stray Dogs … Maybe Not?
Monday, January 12th, 2009
During a recent trip to Portugal I was amazed to see so many dogs out and about on the streets and beaches by themselves without a care in the world.
Whilst sitting on the beach at Praia Da Luz several dogs in a pack would run past you off on another adventure! It was hard to determine which dogs where actual strays and which dogs have owners because some of the dogs did have collars and id discs on.
I stood watching a group of dogs on the beach playing as usual in the afternoon and the next thing I noticed was one of the dogs emptying its bowels on the beach (yuck I thought to myself). I was even more amazed when a woman strolled up alongside me, saw what the dog had done, she shouted its name, put a lead on the dog then casually walked away as if it didn’t matter that her dog had just messed over a beach where people walked. I felt rather angry at what I had just witnessed, however this seemed to be the normal thing that was done at this particular location of the beach.
Despite seeing many stray dogs around Praia Da Luz they looked remarkably fit and healthy. Maybe the dogs that didn’t wear a collar were getting their food from tourists who came and went, but then again maybe they do have owners who let their dog out in the morning and open the door when their dog returns by itself. It all seemed like a rather relaxed approach to keeping dogs I must admit.
So a word of warning, if you do go to the beach and see stray dogs roaming around, just be careful where you sit!