Dogs and Aruba

[IMG Reality]

The people of Aruba love their animals and many have dogs as pets. I was never a big animal lover, maybe that is why i'm not trying to be a veterinarian. The problem with the animal situation is the lack of control in the pet population which leads to many stray dogs. Since I walk to school, about a mile or so, I encounter many of them. They can be intimidating at times cause
some are in packs, but for the most part they are harmless. During the day they are usually lethargic because of the heat but in the morning, while walking to school they are out and about. This is just something to be aware of as a new student that may be planning to walk to either campus, premed or med.

[fossildoc]

The people of Aruba love their animals and many have dogs as pets. I was never a big animal lover, maybe that is why i'm not trying to be a veterinarian. The problem with the animal situation is the lack of control in the pet population which leads to many stray dogs. Since I walk to school, about a mile or so, I encounter many of them. They can be intimidating at times cause
some are in packs, but for the most part they are harmless. During the day they are usually lethargic because of the heat but in the morning, while walking to school they are out and about. This is just something to be aware of as a new student that may be planning to walk to either campus, premed or med.

IMG, you are not adequately fearful. Before you arrived, there were regular maulings of Aruban citizens by unleashed dogs. The stories always got into the main papers, but we never read about it because the main papers are in Papiamento. We found out only through students who are locals.

Where I live, in Punto in Tanki Leendert, a pack of six dogs, all belonging to owners along one street, will not allow anyone to pass at night, and will occasionally challenge people during the day. I cannot even get to that street because the dogs on my block will not let me by. I once saw the pack take a man off his bicycle and maul him until the owners came out and called them off.

Ask the night security guard how he was attacked by a pack of dogs while on his motorbike on his way to school.

I inquired of the locals about this problem. There is a leash law, but it is not enforced because the Keystone Cops who run this place don't want to alienate the voters, most of whom use unleased dogs as burglar alarms which bark all night whenever a grasshopper passes by. The gendarmes prefer to spend their time doing roadside traffic checks, where they don't have to move much and can make students late for class.

In Belize, where I went to med school for two semesters, the local animal control people have an annual stray dog roundup. Well, it's more like a pickup. They toss poisoned meat from the back of a truck, like throwing chum off the back of fishing boat. The next day they pick up all the dead dogs.

The dogs are yet another reason for the school to relocate to a country which is a bit more organized. I suggest Panama City, where there is at least one political march per week to roust the lazy civil disservants out of their hammocks and into their jobs. I say we should shake the dust from our sandals as we leave this place. A pox on all their houses.

You will eventually be severely bitten on your way to school. Then you will be deported when you complain to the police.

[IMG Reality]

I'm not surprised by the stories of Aruban citizen maulings by dogs. I live in the new Punto in the downtown and like I said I walk to school everyday. I call the street that I use to get there "the gauntlet" because on any given day I never know where the potential danger can be. Between the random unleashed dogs and cars that clearly break the speed limit, one of these days i'm bound to run into some trouble.

Right now this is the ideal method for me because I don't have the cash for a car, but I am still looking for a bicycle. Honestly i'm not worried about it and I mostly just make jokes of it. Though, my advice to anyone before coming down here is to try and save some money for a car.

[WPW]

i walked to school for 16months i never got troubled by any dog! it was at nite and day!!!! i lived at punto di oro...!!!! They just bark!

[ams]

YOU walked from punto di oro....please tell me it was the old punto...because the new punto is FAR, and even when driving back to the old punto at night dogs attacked my car!!!!!! lol that only happend once...must have been the smell of the chicken from la granja