Before my trip, I had read quite a bit about the situation with stray dogs in Puerto Rico. The hardship and mistreatment seemed unimaginable and people like Adri at Amigos de los Animales seemed to be few in number. Traveling the island and also a side trip to the smaller island of Vieques gave me an opportunity to see just what some of the conditions were like. Driving the narrow mountainous roads, it was horrifying at first to round a sharp bend and see a dog belonging to a nearby finca resting in the middle of the road, oblivious to the danger. Yet, in all of my travels I saw only one dead dog, killed on a major highway on the east coast of the island. I imagine as pups these animals have to develop road sense very early in life if they are to have any chance of survival at all.
It was heartwarming to see in so many places, like Isabel Segunda on Vieques, donation jars and posters showing what I would like to believe is a growing concern and care for these abandoned and victimized pets. The reality is that it will take generations to change a society that for the most part regards these loving creatures as disposable, all too evident in some of the conditions that many of the 'lucky few' household pets are kept in.
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