So yes, there are dogs here. Everywhere. There were many at Lake Atitlan the last time we were there. And most seem to be homeless. They wander about solitarily or in packs and mind their own business for the most part. They do however keep an eye open for anyone throwing out morsels and treats. They’re not starving at all as far as we can tell but they most definitely are wary of people. They get a lot of scraps from strewn garbage, from neighbor’s feeding them, and some of the stores here have dog bowls with food on the sidewalk outside their doors. It’s a little sad to see them but they seem to be surviving ok. We have our own pack (5) on our short street (and yes, we have been giving them stuff!). They bark a lot at night and howl when they hear sirens but mostly, they hang out in the street. Like it’s their turf and they are protecting it and we feel safer knowing they’re guarding the place.
As for the other animals, the horses we think are not strays, but they have been wandering loose on our street from time to time doing a great job of mowing the grass. What we have not seen are cats. None. Maybe they are all indoors since the ‘big dogs’ rule the streets. There are lots of noisy birds about too, and they also will grab scraps if you are not careful. Maybe they know there aren’t any cats about.
