Hark! Hark!

Hark! Hark! The dogs do bark,

The beggars are coming to town.

Some in rags and some in tags;

And one in a velvet gown.

Some give them white bread,

Some give them brown,

Some give them a horse-whip,

And run them from town.

I learned that nursery rhyme when I was a little kid, and think of it often here in this little Mexican town.  I started taking photos of dogs probably the day we arrived here.  They lay around in the streets...   they roll around in the dirt....

They all are opportunists... finding food wherever they can.  Even if  it's the grease coming off an outside chicken grill.

Some we see again and again...

 Some seem well fed and well cared for.  Some not so much.

The lower middle picture is Pirate (also known as Oreo), who is my favorite dog in this town.  He lives across the street from the bus stop and often comes over and hangs out, getting petted and made over until the bus arrives...  and departs.

 Some have collars and are obviously well cared for.  Some, like the female at upper right, are heavy with milk and have puppies stashed away somewhere nearby.

 Some look forlorn...  unkempt...  never combed or maybe never even given shots or other care.

 We see cats, too...  but not nearly as many cats as dogs.  Probably no surprise with the number of dogs around.  Sometimes we hear dogs barking in the night...  for hours!  But it's the 3 am cat fights outside our bungalow that wake you out of a sound sleep, raise the hair on the back of your neck and make you think of murder and mayhem.

A couple days ago I blogged about the Spay and Neuter Clinic they have here.  While we don't have any pets of our own, Bill & I both care about the welfare of critters....  and knowing how quickly a couple of cats or a pair of dogs can reproduce... and their offspring reproduce... and on and on...  made it very easy decision to volunteer at the clinic.

Isn't this little guy just adorable?

Cute as can be...  I just hope his folks take him to the clinic when it's time.

So...  the dogs do bark...  the cats get in hellacious fights....   Even the riders on the horses we see don't appear to have whips or even spurs.  And, hey... we've even met a beggar or two here....  but so far...  no one in velvet gowns.

That's All For Today!