Bringing any animal into your home is a huge decision and, is something that should be done with the future in mind. Too often, pets are adopted only to be returned to rescue or otherwise "dumped" because a family finds themselves overwhelmed by the reality of pet parenthood.

Granted, life happens and sometimes there are circumstances that leave some families no other choice but to re-home much loved pets. However, when a Rescuer hears the phrase "get rid of the dog" as a result of humans not doing their due diligence and adequately preparing themselves for all aspects of animal guardianship, our hackles might rise just a teeny bit.

Because we want every family and every pet to succeed and thrive, The Pack Project has put together a little list of tips, tricks & pointers to help you all get settled in and adjust to your new family dynamic.

A really good question to ask yourself when considering adding a pet to the family mix is, am I prepared to completely provide and care for a being who will rely wholly on me for it's day to day needs for the next 10 plus years?

A pet can and should add to the joy and happiness of any household, whether it be a single person or a bustling family. Because they are so innocent and huge hearted, make sure the decision to provide an animal a forever home is the right choice for everyone.

For a rescuer, part of the charm of touring in Cuba was the abundance of Los Perros (dogs) merrily trotting the nooks and crannies of the cities and towns. The main focus of the strays’ day was obviously to forage enough scraps to sustain their lives, but they did so in an unhurried and seemingly serene manner. One's first reaction at seeing so many apparently homeless dogs could be one of pity and empathy. Oh, the poor dogs, living outside and all alone. On deeper inspection, and from a perspective of knowledge of the K9 species AND being a member of one or more dog rescue organizations, the pity falls off to make way for a lighter emotion; pleasure.

Cuba, in winter, remains almost balmy, at least by Canadian standards. Food appears to be plentiful, with locals and tourists alike tossing crumbs and scraps to the prettily but respectfully begging outdoor dogs. The dogs display no fear of or aggression towards humans, an indicator that for the most part and with the exception of a roof over their heads, they are treated kindly.
Access to bathing is clearly at a minimum and, a quick stroke of a pups head yields rather a YUK response and in the case of an OCD pet parent, the urge to run an enormous bubble bath for the el fresco animals.

In downtown Havana, multiple dogs were decorated with collars which bore name tags. Dogs wearing these collars are mainly street living however, they have a human sponsor that takes responsibility for feeding them as well as providing a place to sleep at night. Such sponsored dogs are safe from the city pound and are be permitted to stay on the streets.

The down side of such a large stray population is that there is almost zero medical intervention for the dogs. Sick, elderly and, many many nursing mothers roam the streets right alongside the young and healthy pup and teenaged dogs. The older and weaker a dog gets, the less able it is to feed itself. According to locals, the biggest cause of stray dog death is starvation. Most dogs on the streets were leaning towards the painfully thin side. 

Mama dogs moved in and out of human and vehicular traffic in search of enough food to keep their milk supply up. It takes an incredible bravery for nursing mothers to stow their helpless babies in order to find a meal. The sight of these intently focused mothers was a particularly moving one. But, being born and bred on the streets, I suspect that these stray Mama dogs experience less emotion towards their plight than I did.

The way that strays are treated in this small Island country is in such a contrast to the way the stray population is managed here at home. Many Northern Communities experience huge numbers of strays and the relationship between humans and dogs is strained and often times violent. Within city limits, local animal control officers will quickly swoop in and contain stray dogs in hopes that an owner will come forth to claim the dog. If no owner is found, the dog will generally become part of the adoption program or, depending on the organization, will be euthanized after a certain time period has lapsed.
Witnessing the stark differences was a bit troubling for this rescuer/blogger. Apparently all it takes to co-exist with stray dogs is a bit of a change in perspective and tolerance. Stray dogs do not need to be “the enemy” at all, with a bit of compassion, respect and, understanding, strays everywhere might lead better lives instead of being treated like four legged criminals.

If strays are inherently terrified of humans, it makes the job of rescuers and caring citizens much more difficult. With increased trust and understanding, rescues are better able to intervene with spay and neuter programs which in turn reduces the stray population in our communities. In order to improve conditions for both humans and dogs, humans will obviously have to take the lead. Dogs are out there just being dogs and it is not generally on a dog’s agenda to make human lives miserable. Unless they have the good fortune to live in a good year-round climate (think Cuba), dogs are really going to struggle on a day to day basis.