Sunday, November 30, 2008

Oaxaca, Mexico

It's me again. Perhaps you've been wondering what's gong on ... well, a lot.
I interrupt my last Cuba report with a trip to Oaxaca (sounds like Wahaca), Mexico
We traveled to this part of Mexico with the specific purpose of taking in the celebration, Día de los Muertos.


You will be hard pressed to find a more colourful festival.
Oaxaca is very much a town of artists and craftspeople.

True to form ... I did search out a dog story.
Before my departure I was connected with Rebecca Raab. This expat lives with here husband on property that has been in his family since the '60s.
Together they operate a wonderful guest house called Casa Raab .

Wandering the streets of Oaxaca I noticed few dogs in the streets.
Most visible dogs seemed to be associated with a person or purpose.
The one below was the "greeter" at a monument supply company.

This one seemed to clean up after lunch at the market.



This town is amazingly clean.
Recycling is second to none and people are constantly cleaning up.



Brooms seem to be on standby and at the ready should any rubbish hit the ground.
There is little to no sign of dogs being in the streets ... you know what I mean.

In the perfect world, I would like to think that the lack of strays was due to a great humane population control program.
The world is not perfect.
The efficiency with which the streets are cleaned is also displayed by the dog catcher.
This is a town that runs on tourism.
Need I say more.

You do see more dogs as you get out of town.

Rebecca calls her project Megan House.

Megan House was established in 2003 in the memory of her beloved German Shepherd.
"The number of homeless dogs and cats in Oaxaca continues to rise at an alarming rate and organizations to assist them are virtually nonexistent. More resources and facilities are urgently needed to care for these animals and to educate the community about the importance of responsible animal ownership, including sterilization and vaccination."


Read more and perhaps leave a donation here.

Oaxaca is a beautiful part of Mexico.



Should you find yourself traveling to this area ...


...don't forget our four legged friends.




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