Dogs in DR

I never thought we would have a pure (we think) Rottweiler as a family pet. We've always had small cuddly little dogs while living in N. America. So, I had my doubts about a Rottie initially. After much research on the breed we learned they are superb family pets. Loving, intelligent working dogs that are very protective of family. That said we set out to train and socialize Elsa to the best of our ability. This is not the type of dog you want turning angry by being isolated and unsocialized, which many yard dogs here seem to be. 

The lady we rented from last had nine dogs at last count. One was a beautiful Huskie with bright blue eyes. I've seen several Huskies around town.

I've had a Pitbull mix here - for a short time - it was occasionally aggressive. I must admit I have always discounted a Rottweiler but know these would be good security. You are right, having dogs in a small yard can be a problem, they need exercise, attention and freedom to be happy. 

Owners that let their dogs run free with them on the beaches of Las Terrenas can be a problem as I recall. It is an obvious place to exercise a dog but is it a good idea? 

I have had several rottweilers and they are my favorite!  Trained well they are great pets and great security!

I have had several rottweilers and they are my favorite!  Trained well they are great pets and great security!

- @planner

That's what we've heard from several former Rottie parents!

I volunteer with Dogs and Cats of the Dominican Republic, an organization with Canadian and US non-profits and three shelters around the island - Luperon, Las Terrenas, and Punta Cana. Last year, we chartered three flights and sent hundreds of dogs to adopters in Canada! 

I've participated in three donation-based sterilization clinics here in LT - March '21, December '21, and March '22. In the most recent three-day event, we sterilized 150+ dogs and cats, mostly female dogs. The dogs were almost entirely ones in our shelter or in local foster homes, street/beach dogs, and those belonging to Dominican families. For these events, the vets and vet techs donate their time, someone donates their space (home, school, hotel), and volunteers spread the word before the event, transport animals to the location, support the vets and animals, and keep track of all the animals and owners!

We have folks that "own" certain streets or stretches of beach and look out for the dogs there. They also educate people on proper treatment of animals. Many believe that a guard dog is only effective if they are unaltered, that dogs will be unfulfilled if they don't have big families (although, at least two people who mentioned this as reasons not to sterilize also said they sell or give away all the puppies), one woman at the last event wanted us to assure her that her dog could still have sex for pleasure after being spayed!

In the almost 5 years we've been coming to LT, we've noticed a lot fewer strays around town. One of the things we're working on now is getting vacationers to understand that not every dog here is going to have a home! I frequently see posts on a local Facebook group from some well-meaning vacationer or new expats pleading with someone to take in the stray that followed them home from the beach. Our response is normally that if the dog is injured or appears to be sick, please take it to the vet. We are fortunate that both of our vets in town work with the rescuers and charge very reasonable rates when you take in a stray. If the dog is healthy, take it to the vet to see if it has been neutered. (We're working on getting a tattoo ink that goes in the incision to help identify those that have been sterilized.) You can usually get an animal neutered, dewormed, and treated for fleas for less than $100. There are plenty of us around town looking out for these dogs. We can't take them all home with us, so we do the best we can to make sure they don't breed and they stay healthy. We also break up packs when we see them form, relocating part of the pack to different areas of town. 

Also, those of us used to domestic animals tend to look at the strays and think they are starving! A starving dog will eat just about anything, right? Next time you see a beach or a street dog, offer them a vegetable, even a french fry, and watch them ignore it! They will take protein if offered because it's a more scarce resource, but if they aren't hungry enough to eat a pizza crust or a piece of broccoli, they are definitely not starving! 

If you are an Amazon shopper and want to help DCDR out, sign up for Amazon Smile and select DCDR as your chosen charity! It costs you nothing but a donation is made for every purchase you make using the Smile.Amazon.com link! Or use the link above to the DCDR site and make a donation or find out about volunteering!

Also, those of us used to domestic animals tend to look at the strays and think they are starving! A starving dog will eat just about anything, right? Next time you see a beach or a street dog, offer them a vegetable, even a french fry, and watch them ignore it! They will take protein if offered because it's a more scarce resource, but if they aren't hungry enough to eat a pizza crust or a piece of broccoli, they are definitely not starving!

. - @ddmcghee

@ddmcghee hi there I saw your post about no longer being able to ship dogs to Canada. There is a wonderful group out of Portland in the United States called Street dog heroes. The lady who runs it Marianne is very much willing to connect and do what she can to help dogs in the Dominican republic. Even talked about transporting dogs back to the US. Are you a good contact for her?

Adopted/Stray dogs from RD are not allowed any more into US & Canada

@nomadmer2023

the CDC restrictions on import of animals to the US from DR do not allow animals that are not a persons personal pet to be imported. Even those personal pets have to go through a application process for a permit.

if your friend has successfully imported dogs from DR or other countries on the CDCs high risk list since last July, I’m happy to put her in touch with the organizers at DCDR.