Dogs on Curacao

When you drive over Curacao, you usually notice that so many stray dogs are walking along the roads. This can be true, as it is estimated that there are around 35,000 to 40,000 stray dogs on the island. That means a huge number in addition to the pets that they have.
With 60,000 households on Curacao, almost every family would have to take a dog to get the animals off the streets.

The biggest cause of the growing number of four-legged animals is that they are not allowed to sterilize or castrate (even worse). The latter is in many cases seen as the removal of masculinity from the dog. In addition, there are a huge number of people who, just like in many places in the world, really like a puppy but don’t want to take care of an adult dog. Certainly if it is sick. Puppies that no longer fit in the family are also put on the side of the road.

A tragic fact that needs to be resolved and fortunately several organizations on the island are trying to make a case for it. DOG and CARF, among others, help volunteers to raise awareness and of course to take care of the animals through volunteers.
Keeping one or more dogs is quite normal, especially in non-classrooms. In addition to thorn bushes, dogs are still a good defense method.

If you want a dog as a pet or watchdog, it is best to have a larger garden where an animal can walk around. It is therefore not common on Curacao to walk the dog 2 or 3 times a day. You do this twice a week to get a breath of fresh air.

There are a few places for this to wander freely with your four-legged friend. You can go along the salt pans of Jan Thiel, on the beach of Sint Joris, Semi Boca and Playa Kanoa.