Michael: Dogs

The miniscule ants,
Furious little pin pricks,
Quickly meet and greet.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

If I were a stateside dog and my owners started talking about moving to Panama, I’d seriously consider running away from home.

Dogs here are treated far differently than they are in the states. In L.A. in particular, some dogs are living pretty sweet lives living in better homes and going to better restaurants than I’ll ever step foot in. And I’m not talking about their owner’s home, I’m talking about their dog house, or chateaus as they’re referred to in Malibu.

Here in Panama a lot of dogs are on their own. If they’re fortunate enough to have a home, it’s a very simple one and if a dog shows up at a restaurant, it got there on it’s own and isn’t going to be there long before someone is scaring it away.

Dogs walk with people but it’s because they’re hoping for some food. Very few owners leash their dogs and take them for walks. So unless a dog is tied to a post or his house, it’s very difficult to tell which dogs have owners and which are just street dogs.

We see some dogs here that are always tied up and don’t ever seem to get more exercise than their short tether allows for.

Dogs that have owners and a property to live on can be very threatening when it comes to protecting what they consider the  boundaries of their territory. This can often extend far beyond the fence posts of their owners and some dogs have come after us very aggressively. We haven’t been bitten yet, but Kimme is carrying pepper spray and I’ve been nipped at a couple of times.

We’ve been given very different advice on how to handle vicious dogs. Some advise picking up a rock, or at least going through the motions, and that’ll scare them away. Others suggest squatting down and extending your hand behind you so the dog can sniff you and see that you’re not a threat, but want to treat them with kindness. We haven’t tried either approach yet.
I either just ignore them or acknowledge them, sometimes in a stern manner, while continuing on my way. I want them to know I recognize their claim to their space, am not a threat, but will be in a position to defend myself if I have to. Be cool and I’ll be out of your space is the jive I’m going for.  I’m not sure if they’re getting all that, but it’s been working so far. 

Our neighbor’s dog, Lea a pit bull, has a very deep bark and a very strong build. But she likes us, thank God.

There is also a cute black puppy living down the dirt road from us, that sometimes barks at us but lately has been coming over for some affection. She rolls over in a very submissive posture when we approach her at our place. She’s the only dog here that’s done that. The stray dogs here, which are easily in the majority, are usually non-threatening and will either ignore us or move out of our way.

Dogs are not treated at all like they are in L.A. So if you’re someone’s posh little toy and are brought to Panama, don’t let your owner set you down because the dogs and people here aren’t going to give you the red carpet treatment you get back home.