The Humble Life of Puerto Rican Street Dogs

The home team is sitting vigilantly in the road wearing happy faces. They have thrown out the interloping Snow White and somebody has beat Bluto’s ear bloody. He went home to get it fixed.
 Stormy is strutting around on testosterone overload; I mean somebody get him some camouflage and an eye patch. The girls are ready to rest and he is going in after Bluto, who just wants to rest his head.

That was a couple of days ago. Today my little Storm is a pooped pup. Lance’s behavior simply says if she’s here, so am I. The Storm tactics have been to dog, harass and annoy. He seems to know better than to add nip to that equation, which I’ve seen him do repeatedly to Bluto.


If the girls accept Snow White Stormy may be forced to accept Lance’s rule, this guy is a he-man.


Today Blondie stepped in the direction of tolerating the new girl. Covering her, daring her to move is way more tolerant than, if you come into my spot; I’ll bite you until you scream.
Dog wars are not a good thing. Rounding them up and mass murdering them is very bad, please, don’t tell these humble animals that their lives are not worth living; I think they would disagree.


Zero population growth; SPAY IS THE WAY! Puerto Rico!!

Bonita, The Adolescent

Good morning! That's the game or ritual that became the means for me to get Bonita to let me touch her.


Who would have thought that the pink pawed miserable little creature we met in January could blossom into a lovely yearling/adolescent. Isn’t she pretty! I gave her the name with the hope she would grow into it, that was my wish for her.

Competition for resources caused her mother to be so harsh with her that when we started feeding her she would not touch food that was next to her mouth for fear of her mother’s wrath. She was dying.

The suffering pup in this photo has been fed for two weeks.

Blondie still is not good about sharing, but she has improved. They get a kibble now, so perhaps it’s not worth a fight like they would for the raw food diet they were getting.

Bonita and her mom, Blondie have become the home team; they work well together. Bonita often takes the lead in defending the turf. I can hear the excitement in her bark when she leads the charge successfully after which she struts around like a jock that scored the winning touchdown.

Last March when Bonita was going back to life, she decided to sample our ottoman, which Storm and sometimes Blondie sleep on at night. This was a big bold move for her. She fell asleep on an ottoman.

Now you know what happened; she fell off! I hear thud followed by a scared to death, yipe, yipe, yipe, then a tough but scared little dog, ruff, ruff, ruff for almost an hour. Really and truly I had to laugh, but I felt so sorry for her on her first venture into boldness. God, there’s a metaphor for life.

Yesterday Bonita had a real teenage/adolescent moment with Lance. She went all girly on him. She forgot all about home team, sat up on the porch and watched like a little sweetie.

Lance ever the hero, let’s Snow White get dominated by big bad Blondie, while he wizes ceremoniously staring at the lovely Bonita. Our girl is all grown up, Pa, git your shot gun!

This Girl Needs A Home

Snow White is hiding in the grass bouncing from one spot to the next getting her butt beat by the resident females.

Bluto played the role of her hero until he got his ear chewed off by probably Lance, the handsome Am. Staff or Bull Terrier, Snow White’s current leading man.

In the photo above notice how smitten Lance is with Bonita. The next picture shows how she is under his spell.

Snow White is submissive with Stormy, and then Blondie takes a turn showing

off her rank. White must lie perfectly still for as long as Blondie chooses to remain on top of her, which was long enough that I made the food is coming noise to end it. Had White moved first Blondie would have inflicted a lesson in pain.

Blondie is getting ready to accept S. W. and Lance. Forcing White to submit is a big improvement over ust beating her up.
Bonita is gaga for Lance. Stormy is not having it, but he has to pick his battles. Old Toby the large scruffy Terrier from down the hill is here to vie for Snow White. They were breeding her three weeks ago, she’s out of season. Don’t know why they are still behaving like suitors; residual musk or a bladder infection gives as similar odor, I am told.
Snow White makes the rounds of the local spots, wherever the resistance decreases is where she will end up. Her man of the moment will only defend her from other males should they become too amorous. Other than that this sister is on her own.
Each breeding cycle this is allowed to continue will make it that much more difficult for an animal to find a spot to live. Spay is the Way Puerto Rico!

Dog Language & Behavior

I have started comparing Blondie’s vocalizations with Storm’s. Her barks to him reflect back what he has barked to her and then there is the modifier, which is frequently the third or fourth word/syllable i.e., woo-woo-woo-ruff. There is a pre bark that may be another modifier or qualifier, then the three bark major content, which may or may not be followed by a modifier.



The dogs here have better developed canine language skills because they actually get to bark. Back in Illinois the cops would have broken up the dog fight last night. Disturbing the peace citations would have been issued.


In the last few years here on the hill, we had a street dog to every four to six houses, some neighborhoods maybe less dogs.

Dogs gather for group activity other than to gang bang a lovely lady. We watched them hunt just last week. Sometimes a group of dogs will go check out other dogs’ spots. They come for an unwelcome, but tolerated spot check. The dogs doing the inspection have spots; it’s like going to check out the neighbors.


Stormy and the girls get pouty and stiff in the legs during spot check, but they say nothing. Sometimes Stormy will have a difficult time holding his ire. He shows the visitors that he is barely in control, but avoids confrontation.

In our rural part of the island it is more than interloping; this has become an invasion. Right now in the rain there are three interlopers hoping to get this spot. The home team is on red alert. Bonita is ever so bravely letting these dogs know she is not sharing her crummy kibble with any strays.


Last year there was a study on dogs in a shelter situation in which the dogs’ basic needs were met. The author talked in glowing terms about how egalitarian dog society really is.


In the last four years on the hill when we weren’t inundated with strays; it was rather amazing here. My friends who love dogs and dog behavior as much as I do would love the experience. It is without a doubt one of the best behavior labs ever.


I do not wish to study the dynamics of scarcity; let’s get these girls spayed! SPAY IS THE WAY!

SPAY IS THE WAY

Puerto Rico cannot become Auswitch Island for dogs! As long as the population is controlled these people can continue to live with their dogs as they have historically! This is not new; this is how people have lived with dogs since they've been roaming the island.
Living in 2010 we get to make a choice. Do we want to kill them off? Do we want to spay them?
I say, "Spay is the way!"
There are not enough shelters in Puerto Rico! These bitches are breeding every heat cycle; we can't wait for that.
If you want to learn something you didn't know about dogs come to Puerto Rico. Dogs have a barking language, a society that when its not compromised by over population is stable and fascinating.  This is the best behavior lab you will ever see!
For those of us interested in dog behavior, this is a gold mine. I am starting to see more of the effects of scarcity of resources as the dog population in my neighborhood grows.
If any of you, who read this blog, are interested in helping, I need advice. I need help in figuring out how to help these dogs. I am not asking for money! What I want is your input on what steps to take next.
Here is what I have so far:
1) Hook up with van MASH units. Who are they, where are they?
2)Central Supply- What equipment to we need to treat sick dogs,
   spay, euthanize as necessary? How much will it cost per spay?
3) Medication- Antibiotics? Anesthesia, Vaccinations
4) Funding- Where do we go? I am getting that pilot projects will be necessary
    to prove ourselves.
5) Donations of vaccine, equipment.
6) Volunteers-
7) Collars- color coded for the year the animal was picked and vaccinated.
8) Vets to do the deed. 
This is the beginner list, please, give me your thoughts. If any of this happens it will be because a bunch of caring humans got together.
Thanks!!