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Dog issues


joanne

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I love cats too... enough to overlook the hair balls coughed up in the middle of the night.... the presents they bring me..dismembered mice, frogs, squirrels, and birds of course. The shredded furniture was a little irritating when they had a perfectly good scratching post, and the family treasures knocked off the highest shelves ... the now empty bird cage..... the presents they occasionally leave in a slipper if their litter box needs cleaning.... the only thing that really gets to me is when I find kitty litter on my counters. The scraps in the middle of the night... I have no idea who starts it. They've stopped marking the walls since everyone is now neutered... and the tape lint rollers are wonderful to dehair my clothes before I leave the house.

They also provide hours of entertainment and love.... worth the hassle.

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I must admit I feel sorry for anyone who has never been loved by a well trained, intelligent, obedient dog.

Agreed. I feel lucky too. A couple are well-trained. Two are intelligent. Several are obedient. Do all the qualities come together in one dog? Hmm. Rarely.

I'm very well loved though. :)

I understand the frustration and anger about the noise of barking dogs. We live in a somewhat rural part of a third world country where people, locals and expats. keep dogs for protection. A few years ago, the chief of police told worried citizens that the number one security measure he would advise is to get a dog. A silent dog is not a good watch or alarm dog.

I guess the question is whether this is a deal breaker for you living Lakeside? It's unlikely that the overall situation will change.

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Joey, if you are easily bothered by barking and loose dogs, my humble opinion is that you would likely be happier somewhere besides Lakeside. I think everyone who has been here a long time would agree that the situation is much better than it was years ago, but there are still many, many dogs in nearly every neighborhood, both contained and loose. Dogs on the loose are not necessarily strays, but likely belong to a Mexican family. Most but not all gringos have their dogs contained. Dogs on the loose bark, causing those that are contained to bark, soon causing a short but raucous canine party. Many people work very hard on the dog "problem", volunteering at shelters, spay and neuter clinics, etc. It helps a great deal, but progress is very slow. Mexico and Lakeside are not areas known for their peace and quiet. I am not in any way trying to be mean, but I really don't think you'll be happy here if you don't have a strong tolerance for dogs and barking.

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My boyfriend was house sitting last year and asked a Mexican neighbor if the incessant barking ever bothered him. His response? "Why do you listen?"

I don't enjoy loud constant barking by any means but wanted to share this.

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I lived next to a house that bought a dog to keep on the roof of their store. It barked all night long under my bedroom balcony. Talking to the Mexican owners just illicited intense hatred toward me. The dog just wanted love and attention. Moving was my ony solution.

Next house, my Mexican neigbor was rarely home days or nights and his poodles barked all day and all night. Talking to him about it ilicited the same intense anger and hatred toward me. He even got my Mexican landlord to evict me for no reason! Well, actually for that reason.

In both cases there was literally no difference to someone placing a boom-box directly under my bedroom window and playing horrendous music at high volumes constantly. I love all the sounds of Mexico, the gas trucks, water trucks, vendors, roosters, cohetes, even dogs barking occassionally. This was not an occassional bark when someone walked by. It was a constant cocophony of auditory assault.

However, in the first instance, I came to find that the store owners got divorced a month or so after they forced me to move. In the 2nd instance, I not only ended up with a much nicer quieter place, but the landlord has been unable to rent his house for over a year, and the neighbor with the poodles, his girfriend left him.

I do not know if this is the fate of people so rude and inconsiderate of others, or just divine karma. And although I do not wish ill on others, it does make me wonder.

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There is good and bad in Mexico, just like there is everywhere; no place is perfect but if something as specific is barking dogs might be beyond you level of tolerance, then maybe Lakeside would not be a good fit for Joey.

I love animals and at night when I get into bed I am usually listening to many sounds, cows, goats, music, cohetes, squabbling cats, squalling birds, and yes, there are barking dogs, but eventually every living thing settles down for the night at around eleven, in my neighborhood, and I hear nothing much until pre-dawn when the roosters sound their alarm and the day begins. To me it is all part of the "music" that I choose to embrace in my retirement. When it gets annoying, there are ear plugs and as someone suggested: white noise.

After eight years Lakeside I see a drastic reduction In the emaciated, starving creatures that broke my heart in the beginning and still does on the occasion that I see an animal abandoned, neglected or abused but, I take heart in the recognition that it is getting better every year, thanks to the many volunteers who saw/see a problem and have worked diligently and imaginatively to do something humane about it with shelters and free spay neuter clinics every year just to name a couple of exercises.

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This is an enlightened view Aquaman. I think there is a certain spirituality attached to animals, whether wild or domesticated. Someone mentioned in the dogs in restaurant thread that some people consider the family pet as a family mascot, part of the entourage. A great many other people here will not let a dog or cat into the house. If they are a part of an entourage they are at the lowest levels of the heirarchy. We used to raise Basenjis, a breed which teamed up with the Pygmies of the Congo many centuries ago. They are one of the very few canine breeds which are "self" domesticated, they came to live among the natives, and the natives made no attempt to "improve" them. Where I am heading with this is that the men of these tribes select a Basenji to become part of their totem, a much beloved part of their families, sort of like a team. I find this very interesting stuff, here is a short article on animal totems in Africa. These "primitive" and "backwards" tribes which have managed to coexist with nature for hundreds of years.

http://www.wilderness-safaris.com/blog/posts/african-totems-kinship-and-conservation

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From what I understand, Mexicans historically have believed that animals have no souls, and that's supposedly from the religious teachings of the Spaniards. Most of us have witnessed dogs being kicked for no reason. As others have pointed out, things around here have improved noticeably over the last few years. Lots of people now even use a leash, whereas previously they did not.

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It's not for everyone... But it is PERFECTO for us!

We did a week long visit, which was somewhat sheltered. We were not truly privy to the dog infused aspect of Lake Chapala.

Imagine our pleasure when we found out this was indeed "Village of the Dogs"

That aspect, is more evident in some areas/neighborhoods, than others.

Yet, who truly knows who will move in next door.

So this truly is a dog oriented, fiesta, fireworks, life and other loud celebratory sounds area...

Maybe that should be taken into consideration, or come for a month long stay to see for yourself (if things have improved as per your perspective) before committing?

Otherwise, you may end up posting on the message board later, alongside of malcontents, in hope of change?

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I can't figure why anyone would want a creature that basically just barks, eats, sleeps and deficates( and is a lot of bother even in the rare instances that it does behave IMO.)

Good grief!! Guess you've never met a working dog.

We have 6. Right now there is major new construction going on north of us with 15 workers who I doubt are locals. Their "new" wall reached the height of our wall today. You should have seen the look on the guys face when he took a peek over the wall and came nose to nose with a 70 lb. Amstaff who was standing on the roof waiting for him.....the 35 lb Pitbull was right behind waiting her turn. The gate to the roof stays open these days so that "the pack" can make sure those guys stay on their side.

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Good grief!! Guess you've never met a working dog.

We have 6. Right now there is major new construction going on north of us with 15 workers who I doubt are locals. Their "new" wall reached the height of our wall today. You should have seen the look on the guys face when he took a peek over the wall and came nose to nose with a 70 lb. Amstaff who was standing on the roof waiting for him.....the 35 lb Pitbull was right behind waiting her turn. The gate to the roof stays open these days so that "the pack" can make sure those guys stay on their side.

Do your SIX "working dogs" bark a lot?
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ComputerGuy when you stated that ''from what I understand, Mexicans historically have believed that animals have no souls, and that's supposedly from the religious teachings of the Spaniards.'' I think that statement is a little biased, even though there is truth in it, I think that it was pretty much across the Christian world that taught that animals did not have souls and therefore did not go to heaven. I heard that throughout my childhood growing up in the South from the surrounding protestant churches, although I never could believe that concept. I always thought that idea was ludicrous, of course I was going to see all my little puppies and pets again one day when I get up to the great beyond. Thank God that many or most people today are beginning to embrace the idea that animals have feelings, intelligence, character/personality, and certainly souls. I just want to point out I seriously doubt it was a solely Catholic belief forced on the peace loving Indians by the Spanish frailes and conquistadores.

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What really grates on me is all this energy spent by the expat community on "rescuing" and housing dogs while so many children here are needy. I just don't understand their sense of priorities.

AMEN Mainecoons!!

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One word---barking dogs are the best security in mexico

Hmm,there are dozens of barking dogs in our neighborhood but homes with or without them get burglarized on a regular basis..

They're kinda like car alarms,noisy and a nuisance but nobody pays attention to them.

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What really grates on me is all this energy spent by the expat community on "rescuing" and housing dogs while so many children here are needy. I just don't understand their sense of priorities.

AMEN Mainecoons!!

Amen indeed,I don't understand their sense of priorities either,nor do I care for them.

Helping needy children or helping stray dogs???

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In Mexican culture, it is difficult to compare the life and/or quality of life of a human child with a dog, or any animal. Maybe because of limited resources, religion, or who knows, but that's the way it is. That is why most Mexicans cannot understand the comparison of kids, unruly or not, with dogs, as being an irritant in restaurants.

In other words....a bad kid is better than a good dog.

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AMEN Mainecoons!!

I've tried to figure out what this is all about, too, and came to the conclusion that these people feel family-deprived (as in grandchildren), so they adopt dogs. Some do work in the charities that help children.

A psychologist in the States said that the reason people are so attached to dogs is that they remain at the lovable "toddler" stage forever, whereas real children grow up, become teenagers and usually hate their parents for a few years before they become adults. The terms they use in referring to them as their "furkids", their "babies" or "girl dog and boy dog" indicate that. But........whatever makes a person happy should be okay as long as it isn't hurting anyone else.

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A this time of year, we must not forget our origins; especially those who claim that their family arrived on the Mayflower with the pilgrims; those pious ignorants, who came with few provisions and stole resources from the indigenous, who were dying in great numbers from a plague. Not believing that “the savages“ had souls, things did not go well at all. In fact, the pilgrims beheaded at least two of their neighbors, “the savages“, and put their heads on pikes. Somehow, I suspect that it may have been more than two.

Happy Thanksgiving? We invented a myth.....another one.

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What really grates on me is all this energy spent by the expat community on "rescuing" and housing dogs while so many children here are needy. I just don't understand their sense of priorities.

So you figure that helping dogs precludes helping children? Interesting. I assume then all the people who wouldn't have a dog on a bet are keeping themselves busy volunteering with children.

My experience is more along the lines that people who volunteer and like to help out spread themselves around a bit. Because they're the ones who get off their fannies and walk the talk.

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