Some cities have wild cats, some have rat infestations, others crazed squirrels. Ollanta has dogs.
Saying that there are dogs everywhere just doesn´t do these feral animals justice. They are sleeping on thresholds, rummaging through trash, lazing in the Plaza, hanging out in stores. There are big dogs, small dogs, brown dogs, spotted dogs, and black dogs. There are friendly dogs, sick dogs, mean dogs, and wimpy dogs. Ollanta has them all.
Hanging out in the street.
This dog is not dead, but rather decided that the middle of the Plaza was a good place to sleep.
People have asked me if I feel safe here, and I do, in the sense that I don´t feel like I´ll be mugged or raped or whatever. The people are friendly and unassuming, even the drunk ones. But the dogs keep you on your toes.
It´s not that they´re so vicious. Hardly any will bark or run at you, unless you come near their territory. The people we know who´ve been bitten were riding motorcycles onto private property. A good yell and well-aimed rock usually does the trick. Actually, most of the perros are kind of wimpy.
But rabies is a very real concern here, and none of us really wants to mess around with a disease that the UNC Campus Health Clinic woman so delicately told us is ¨one hundred percent fatal.¨ Sure, they have the vaccines here at the clinic, and lots of people have gone through the treatment and have been fine. But still, who wants to play games with ¨one hundred percent fatal?¨
Some families do have dogs as pets, but it´s pretty rare, and fleas are ubiquitous in most of these households. Fleas are not fatal, but life without hot showers is bad enough without adding itchiness to the mix.
Our family has a dog named Cochni, which is Quechua for something, and also thus unpronounceable and unspellable. Very cute and sweet, but we´re convinced that the cuteness is a just a ruse, and that there is a direct cuteness-to-rabid-ratio.
Prime example of the dogs trying to lure you in with their cuteness. I was not swayed.
So we´ve become adept at rock-throwing, sidewalk-skirting, and mean-look-sending. We´ve been brushing up on our mental intimidation, and I might buy a large walking stick. A+ to Campus Health for that rabies presentation, in terms of conveying the seriousness of the disease. A+.
Postcards From Peru 