How To Be A Better Human When You Travel

For about the same price as a night of vacation debauchery, you can make a significant difference in the lives of dogs.

Do you ignore stray dogs when you travel abroad?

This was a stray dog on Parottee Beach in Jamaica. She and her daughter became my shadows for a few weeks 😁

It’s very easy to go on vacation, stay in a resort, and remain blind to the problems of the destination you’re visiting. But how about when you visit developing countries with big problems outside resort gates?

*For the record, most of your favorite Caribbean getaways fit into the developing country category*

You simply cannot overlook the sheer number of stray dogs and if you can, you need to think about becoming a better human.

As a former destination writer, I visited the same place a trillion times. The location was Jamaica and as much as I’d love to say “Jamaica, no problem!” the island has plenty of problems that I had difficulty overlooking.

One of the biggest is a serious stray dog issue, just like most other countries on the globe.

Here in Canada, you can avoid it if you want to because it’s not in your face. You don’t typically see strays hanging out in your front yard hoping you’ll throw a piece of dry bread in their direction.

But in developing countries, stray dogs are literally everywhere.

You can’t even step outside your front door without seeing a pack of vagrants rifling through ditches looking for a morsel of food. The problem is impossible to ignore… unless you choose to.

This guy was a stray that took up residence on my guest house veranda. He faithfully sat with me every evening while I journaled outside at night 🧡

But how can the average traveller help stray dogs in another country?

If you’re interested you can do some research before you travel. Animal shelters exist in nearly every country and all of them can use our help.

When I first discovered The Animal House in Jamaica I made a point of reaching out because I wanted another story to write. But upon visiting the shelter I received so much more than just a story.

After making contact with the shelter I learned that the owner, Maureen, is a Canadian from Toronto and she ended up starting this animal rescue quite by accident.

She used to be a music industry writer/producer and was in Jamaica doing her thing when the serious issue of neglected dogs soon beckoned her.

From what I remember her telling me, she started small. She took in a few unwell animals on her own and then it rapidly mushroomed into a full-blown mission.

Driving up to Maureen’s property for the first time, I knew I had arrived at the right place from the bark-fest I heard beyond the fence line. It made me laugh because all I could think about was how my ONE dog at home goes mental when the doorbell rings.

There were well over a hundred at this shelter.

Upon stepping through the front gate I was immediately swarmed by about twenty dogs sniffing me up and down, licking my legs, and checking me out. It made me giggle.

While visiting with Maureen I learned that she houses up to 150 stray dogs at any given time, and she does it all with donations and her own money.

She provides food, shelter, and veterinary care to each animal she welcomes into the compound.

My visit to the dog shelter created a lot of mixed emotions. It touched me that Maureen has sacrificed her life for these animals. I imagine it’s highly rewarding for her.

But at the same time, I could see in her eyes that it was overwhelming and there was truly no end in sight because how could anyone just leave them all behind?

It’s a lot for one person to manage.

The next time I flew back into Jamaica I brought a second checked bag stuffed full with fifty pounds of dog treats. When I delivered them to The Animal House, Maureen let me participate in distributing goodies to 150 excited, drooling mutts.

Then I published the story on my travel blog to raise awareness among the millions of tourists who visit Jamaica each year.

Hands down, it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life seeing pure joy in every dog’s face when they got extra treats that day.

Thankfully not a stray. He lived on the property of a guest house I was reviewing.

If you love dogs, why not travel with a purpose?

Considering the thousands of dollars the average traveller spends on vacation, another fifty bucks is a drop in the bucket. You’d spend that on dinner and margaritas in one night out.

Why not pack a second piece of luggage and set aside ONE afternoon of your vacation to do something good for dog-kind?

I purchased 47 pounds of dirt cheap Ol’ Roy dog treats at Walmart and paid $50.00 to check a second bag. And it brought me a thousand times more joy than a hangover from a night of rum and coke at the local bar would have.

I’ll bet you a million dollars there’s at least one dog shelter where you’re going on your next vacation. Jamaica has several. So does Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, and the list goes on.

Many of these shelters rely on donations from foreigners because most locals either can’t afford to help or don’t love dogs the way we Westerners do.

And trust me, if you do help out? You’ll go home with a much more rewarding vacation story than the people sitting next to you on your flight home.

You might even go home with a dog because YES, they’re all adoptable!

Have you ever visited a dog shelter in a different country? If not, would you consider giving up ONE day of your vacation to be kind to dogs?

NOTE: I would LOVE to start a directory of dog shelters in vacation destinations! If you have personal experience or knowledge of any, please feel free to drop a link in the comments. It would be AMAZING if Dog Snobs could be a resource for future vacationers to check which shelters are located where they’re headed.