by Andy
Most pets are different here compared to The States where pets are treated like people and are a main part of the family. Here pets are much more utilitarian, like many other things in this country, and less of a luxury.
To begin, most dogs in this country are ownerless and live on the streets. They are mangy and, as cute as some may be, they are not to be petted since they are filthy. These dogs survive mainly by eating leftovers found in trash piles or cans. Dogs often “adopt” an owner by choosing a house and sleeping outside of the gate, they may even follow the homeowner around the neighborhood when possible. So the dogs can be handy to have around as a guard dog for a little more security. The secret to getting one of these dogs to adopt you is to not to kick it or chase it off when it comes around your house, as most dogs are treated since they are often seen as a nuisance.
This is the case with Happy. Happy is a light colored, curly haired female dog that began to stay outside the Makarios House when the previous host couple lived there. Happy then moved one street over when Charlie and Kim moved out of the Mak House and into a nearby apartment. Happy will lay outside their gate, wag her tail at Charlie and Kim when they come home and follow them as they walk through the neighborhood.
Happy follows Charlie down the street.This seems to be pretty normal for dogs here. They are free to roam where ever the would like to, but they often choose just to lay on the sidewalk and sleep. The fact that free dogs choose to be idle and stay put most of the day makes me feel better about my dogs at home that are fenced in and not allowed to run free. (Huge thanks to my parents that are taking care of our two dogs, Nina and Justin, back in Austin.)
Dogs are not the only animals that are used for guard duty here. While not as intimidating as dogs, but nearly just as loud, geese can fill this role too. On the way to school while walking through Montellano, we pass a home that has two geese living outside of it. If someone gets too close to them, they start honking and making a ruckus. If one gets even closer, one of the geese will puff up and walk towards the intruder. I haven’t gotten too close since I hear that geese are mean and will try to peck you or bite you.
Another popular animal to have around houses here are chickens. They are everywhere and the roosters seem to crow at all hours of the day, not just in the mornings. Our first couple days here I couldn’t believe all of the rooster crowing I heard. I thought it would drive me crazy, but over the last few weeks I notice it less and less and the crowing just becomes part of the soundtrack to living in this country. Besides waking people up, chickens, hens and roosters are a very valuable resource for their eggs and meat. And it’s a good thing there are so many chickens living around here since everyone in this country eats chicken at least once a day, if not more.
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Roosters can be an exception to rule that animals are utilitarian here. There are many people who breed and raise cocks and treat them like prized possessions by grooming them and shaving their legs. There are different breeds of roosters with different colors and the locals could tell you about the differences about the breeds just like Americans could easily describe the difference between a Yellow Labrador and a Dalmatian. I had never really paid much attention to roosters before, but I now see they are very pretty birds. The rooster is somewhat of national symbol representing strength and masculinity. Some of the roosters are raised for cock fighting which is culturally acceptable here and very popular from what I hear. I have not yet seen a real cock fight in person, but I have seen “cock boxing” outside of the school. Boxing is where the owners will cover their bird’s sharp talons with something rubber or soft, often a racquetball, and let two roosters go at it. It’s a safe way for the roosters to practice fighting or for the owners to see how good of a cock fighter their bird is without risking much injury to it.
I’ve seen a few stray cats around, but not many. I’m guessing that they have to be fairly elusive with all the dogs around. There are are also a couple of ducks that live by the place with the geese. And we have a few spiders around the house that we don’t kill since they eat other bugs The most common one is the Banana Spider (at least that’s the name that was told to me). These spider are fairly large and scary looking but don’t seem to bother people and I’ve been told they are not poisonous.
