Jamaican Dogs
Unless you’ve traveled to other developing countries you might not know about some of the animals there. I hate to post about anything negative but there’s a harsh reality about dogs in Jamaica that probably won’t sit well with you, especially if you’re a dog-lover.
Picture of a dog in Jamaica
All the dogs I’m picturing in this post are pets of people in Jamaica, but the sad truth is that the mass majority of dogs there are stray and no one owns them. They are not healthy and its not a good idea to pet the ones in the street due to their poor health and whatever they might be infested with.
Its also not a good idea to approach the street dogs since you don’t know what their temperament will be like. Its not like a stray dog you might find at home, who’s probably used to humans and at one time had a home. There’s not much for pet population control in Jamaica and most of the dogs are born in the streets and stay there until …… I don’t even want to say it.
Jamaicans think its weird that us foreigners keep dogs in our homes and sometimes in our beds and on our furniture. IF a Jamaican happens to own a dog, its a yard dog and it never enters the house. It gets fed table scraps, and in rare cases it actually gets dog food. And they can be friendly and affectionate like any other pet dog. But still they probably don’t have veterinary care and it just remains a yard dog.
I have my own dog back home and she’s treated like one of the family, spoiled to death as one would expect. That’s why it breaks my heart to see all the street dogs in Jamaica, hanging around garbages and supermarkets to catch a scrap of food for the day. My first instinct is to throw it some food but they advise against it or the dog won’t stop following you. Another heart breaker is occassionally you’ll see one dead in the street, most likely hit by a car.
Like I said, I HATE to post something negative and sad but its a reality in Jamaica and it’s good to be prepared. Its hard to ignore the street dogs because we know them as good natured, loyal and affectionate animals.
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those are some nice lookin jamaican dogs compared to the ones i seen last week!!! honestly as terrified as I am of animals when im here at home when i go to the island its so different. u do feel bad cuz the dogs out there are so shy and scared of you and getting hurt. all they want is a likkle food:(
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Yea its really sad in my opinion. I actually just try to turn my head the other way when I see one looking for food cuz I can’t stand to see them scrounging for food.
PS: The dogs in my post are all pets, they’re really well taken care of.
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That is really sad to know that.
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Hi there…nice piece. I’ve often found it difficult when travelling round other islands to see how badly the animals are treated…
I thought you might appreciate being cheered up – especially by a good Jamaica dog story…My colleague wrote a piece about the Jamaica Dogsled team. Did you hear about that? Check it out here – http://www.definitivecaribbean.com/Caribbean_Newsletter_January_2008.aspx Not sure if links work, but you could copy paste it into your browser!
Best – Alexander
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Alex! Thanks so much for that link, what a cute story. After reading it, it reminded me that a friend and fellow traveler told me about Sun Dogs film not long ago and I meant to watch it but it slipped my mind. I think I’ll watch it this week now!
Thanks.
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My best friend is not a dog.
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hi i was talking about these dogs to my sons father early today he is jamaaican and lives back in jamaica now..i alwasy hear dogs barking in the background…he tell me they are wild dogs and live in packs…he say they chase people on bikes and bite the tyres lol..and when he throw chicken bone out in the road they run and take it up but nothing else he said when they throw the rice they dont want it they just want the meat..lol
i think that didnt sound that bad but then he tell me one dog had half of its head rotted off and he local kids said lets throw stones at it till its dead and so they did…and he tell me on how when a dead dog is on the road the kids throw stones at the belly to make it bust open…so then i was quite upset for the dogs then…
wish this dog probably could be sorted out
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Yes unfortunately dogs just aren’t cherished in Jamaica like they are here. It’s really sad and I think that’s one of the biggest things that bothers me because I have my own dog and we treat her like a family member. Although my Rasta neighbor in Jamaica has a dog and takes care of him very well. He gets dog food and rice for meals.
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I recently got back from my trip with my husband to Kingston,Jamaican. It was a beautiful trip. The only thing that bothered me was the large amount of stray dogs. I was so heart broken. I don’t know the breed of these dogs,But all i can say is these dogs were so beautiful. What also broke my heart was the ones that were hit and killed by vehicle on the roads and just left there and cars just running over them again and again. So sad… I would love to find a site,from Jamaica. So i could try to adopt a few of them.
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Mardee you’re in luck! There are places in Jamaica you can adopt and bring them home. I did a blog post about a shelter I visited so please go check it out!! http://www.jamaicamyway.com/uncategorized/animal-house-jamaica/
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Also in Mobay is a great lady who looks after strays, feeds, spays, neuters, medicates, check out Montego Bay Animal Haven. Tammy Browne has some absolutely gorgeous dogs at her place available for adoption.
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