Homeless, roaming dogs in Mexico and the USA

It would be hard for any American used to dogs being in homes or inside fenced yards not to be shocked when they arrive in Mexico and see hundreds or thousands of stray dogs on the streets, many of them in poor health, limping, or looking mangy, scrawny, and/or dirty.

However, on speaking with Mexican people, I found out that many street dogs have a home of some sort, or an “owner,” somewhere. The dog often returns to the same home(s) or shop(s) at night to eat and sleep. There are also many relatively healthy looking street dogs that are socialized with both people and dogs and apparently pose no serious bite risk.

There is no rabies in Mexico and has not been for a long time.

As a person who has lived abroad as an expatriate most of my life, I have developed the ability to look past my immediate shock at seeing poverty and homelessness among both pets and people, and to try to develop a deeper understanding based on facts and laws.

It turns out that in the USA, the reason we seldom see dogs on the street is that they are either taken into homes, or more often, wind up in shelters, where the problem is hidden from view. Iin Mexico, many dogs roam freely, shocking visitors when they first arrive.

I try very hard not to make judgments about other cultures based on my own values and beliefs as an American, and while I would rather that all dogs have a safe, healthy home, and enjoy a life free from disease, hunger, and danger, I also respect the right of dogs to roam if the society in which they live permits it. It is not a perfect solution, but it “works.”

We have not solved the problem of human homelessness in America, nor the problem of animal homelessness. I do not feel entitled to pass judgment on the issue in Mexico.

A curious ethical dilemma is that many expatriates feel so strongly about the danger of dogs roaming the streets that they try to expatriate the dogs to the USA or to Canada. On one hand, if the dog’s life is in danger, and this is the only way to save it, I can support it.

On the other hand, it could be difficult to verify that the dog has no home or no “owner,” and I find it hard to condone confiscating and expatriating someone else’s dog without informing them about it first or getting their consent. It’s an ethical quandary for me.

I welcome readers to share their views on the issue of what happens to strays, both in the US and in Mexico, and on what might be done to solve the problem in both countries.