The language of dogs is universal. Regardless of where they live in the world, they learn to understand the verbal communication that comes from the humans they live with. Although they can understand different words and languages, it's our energy that speaks much louder-- it's mother nature's secret language. It's kind of like that saying, "it's not so much what you said, but how you said it".

It's common in many countries to see dogs that run free, or are considered homeless. Because of their environments, they may not live as long. Disease and lack of care play a major role in this.

I know it's tough not to feel bad about their situations, but it's important to realize that these dogs actually lead happy and balanced lives. They rarely experience issues like over exictement, possesiveness, or obsessive behaviours. Remember that a balanced mind is a happy mind.

A client of ours was recently in Cuba and got some great shots of a dog named Smiley. Here's his story:

"We called her "Smiley" due to her underbite. I was actually quite surprised to see a dog at the resort. It's the only resort in that area-- small by comparison, and surrounded by swampland. No nearby development, or other resorts. From other trips to Cuba, resort strays tend to be found where there's more potential food. It seemed to be the big motivator for these dogs. They knew the routines; appeared during meal times and then quickly disappeared after. Although seemingly "friendly", the moment they knew you weren't going to provide a meal they moved on. They were quite docile and a bit skittish. There was obviously an undercurrent of fear or wariness in their interactions with people at the resort - constantly alert and wary of new arrivals or noises. Not surprising, since some resorts consider them a nuisance and shoot them. I could't help but wonder what Smiley's story was and how she came to be there. On the plus side and despite being incredibly skinny, she was probably eating fairly well. Visitors to the resort would often bring food out from the dining hall for her (and the numerous stray cats- which would sometimes result in confrontations between her and the cats over the food). I still wonder what has come of her. It's hard not to want to bond with an animal like this. I joke that my own dog sometimes sees me only as a source of food, in this case I'm sure that that was absolutely true."

Here are some images that were taken of roaming dogs, during mine and Tim's past trips to Cuba.

[images: melissa condotta jarak & tim tripp]

roaming dogs, abroad