The Crusade to Save Mexican Street Dogs

Anyone who has visited Mexico City, Tijuana, Juarez, or other big cities in Mexico has likely noticed the large number of dogs roaming the streets. In fact, Mexico has the largest number of street dogs in Latin America. But what exactly is a Mexican street dog?

According to Lauren Botticelli, executive director of the San Diego-based dog rescue organization The Animal Pad, which also does rescue work in Mexico, these street dogs are “typically either community pets or don’t have owners at all, because the population of stray street dogs in Mexico is very high.”

Mexican street dogs descend from a diverse mix of breeds, many shaped by generations of survival on the streets. While some dog DNA tests have started to identify “Mexican street dog” as a breed, it’s not a breed recognized by organizations such as the American Kennel Club, and in Botticelli’s experience of doing DNA tests on Mexican street dogs, they are composites of many different breeds — “a melting pot of everything you can think of.”

Mexican street dogs are known for their remarkable ability to adapt to their environments, their street smarts, their endearing personalities, and their large numbers. There is an estimated population of 23 million dogs in Mexico, 70 percent of whom are classified as street dogs or stray dogs.

“So often, we’ve taken dogs that very clearly used to have an owner,” Botticelli says. “You can tell they’re trained in some way, or they’re just way too friendly. You take them into your house, and they never have a single accident — they’re completely potty trained.”

Why are there so many street dogs in Mexico?

There is no single reason why there are so many street dogs in Mexico. But we can attribute this large population to several factors.

Lack of spay and neuter programs

One of the biggest reasons there are so many Mexican street dogs is the historic lack of spay-and-neuter programs in the country. This has produced “a vicious cycle” of overpopulation “for quite some time,” Botticelli says. In fact, according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), just one unaltered female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in only six years.

Today, “the spay and neuter problem is getting increasingly better and under control,” she adds. This is thanks in part to such organizations as Compassions Without Borders, an independent Mexican rescue group run by a Mexico City native, and the US-based rescue group The Animal Pad. Both have been “working hard to make sure that dogs on the streets are getting altered and aren’t procreating the way they once were,” Botticelli says, adding some dogs may suffer from anything from fleas to ticks to mange, or even develop the TVT, a sexually transmitted cancer that’s contagious. “We love Mexican street dogs, but we don’t love so many dogs dying on the streets. So we’re just trying to control that population.”

Poverty 

If people are struggling to support their families and they have a dog, “the first thing they might do is put the dog out on the street and not care for the dog anymore,” Botticelli says. “They’re trying their best to put food on the table for their children, and they’re really sad situations. But these dogs sometimes do have families and then find themselves out on the streets.”

A dearth of animal welfare resources

In contrast to the U.S., where there are many options for stray dogs — including animal control, humane animal shelters, and rescue organizations — there aren’t enough shelters in Mexico to house the large stray population. What’s more, many Mexicans, just like folks in the United States, can be skeptical about animal shelters. So they buy dogs from breeders rather than adopting them. 

Luckily, some independent rescuers are working on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border to help as many street dogs as possible, including advocating for more humane means of animal control. Legislation regarding animal rights has notably evolved in recent years: For example, most (but not all) of Mexico’s states have laws against animal cruelty, and in 2017, the country passed a federal ban on dog fighting. But in contrast to the huge obstacles ahead of them, these efforts are just the tip of the iceberg.

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The role street dogs play in Mexican culture

Mexican street dogs are beloved by many because they are “typically really good and really sweet, sweet dogs” who are often “very friendly because they rely on people to feed them,” Botticelli says. She notes that you may see, for instance, local taquerias putting out leftover meat or tortillas for the stray dogs, or gas station attendants looking after them. On the other hand, some dogs may “sometimes not treated the nicest and are seen as pests” by other people, which can result in street pups becoming “super shut down,” Botticelli adds. 

But overall, Botticelli has witnessed a cultural shift in attitudes over time toward street dogs. “A lot of people have embraced them,” she notes, adding that in Baja (one of the Mexican cities in which The Animal Pad conducts rescues), “Nine out of 10 people we’ve come in contact with actually do care.” She’s noticed that even those who essentially ignore street dogs are accepting of them, and willing to co-exist with them. 

How rescues are saving Mexican street dogs

To be clear, many Mexican street dogs “often don’t know any different and are happy on the streets,” Botticelli says. “They can find a way to make a life for themselves that’s not completely terrible.”

So in many cases, rescue organizations will help street dogs by feeding them and giving them medications, including flea and tick preventatives and treatment for mange. They sometimes also work with community members to supply food and medicine to help street dogs continuously — which, to be fair, many Mexican rescuers have also been doing by themselves for years. 

The Animal Pad considers each dog on an individual level, with many benefitting from being left “a little better than when you came,” as Botticelli puts it. In some cases, this may include taking dogs off the street temporarily to be spayed or neutered, and after they have recovered, dropping them back off where they were found (similar to “trap-neuter-return” programs for cats in the United States). 

However, there are also street dogs who, Botticelli says, “need to get off the streets, whether they’re medically unwell, or no one’s looking out for them, or they’re in a poor neighborhood where nobody can afford to take care of them, or no independent rescuer has stumbled upon them yet. In those cases, rescuers do everything they can to shelter, medically treat, and ultimately adopt out those dogs. 

How to adopt a Mexican street dog

After The Animal Pad and other U.S.-based organizations medically treat the Mexican street dogs who can be rescued, they will put them up for adoption. Anyone interested in adopting a Mexican street dog can view available dogs on Adopt a Pet, where many organizations have pages (try starting with The Animal Pad, Helping Paws Rescue MX, and Bone Voyage Dog Rescue). 

If someone wants to adopt a street dog they encounter in Mexico, Botticelli recommends first getting the dog vetted at a local animal clinic, which can help you meet the legal requirements to cross the border with them.

Read this related article on Kinship

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What can I do to help Mexican street dogs?

If adopting a Mexican street dog isn’t an option, there is still plenty anyone can do to help them. 

• Donate: First and foremost, donating to an organization that rescues Mexican street dogs is always helpful. Your money will cover medical expenses and other costs of saving these dogs’ lives. You can even get creative with your contribution: The Animal Pad has a Sponsor a Dog program through which a donation of $250 specifically goes toward the intake care of a dog.

• Foster: Offering to foster a dog rescued from Mexico is a crucial step in the process of helping Mexican street dogs find their forever homes. Given the foster shortage many rescues are facing, this is an important way to help (and most organizations will cover the expenses of caring for a foster dog). 

• Report: If you happen to be in Mexico and see a sick or injured dog there that you can’t personally help, search for rescue groups on Facebook in that area. “It is astounding how quickly people will respond and at least get the dog off the street, off the hot asphalt, and take them to a vet hospital,” Botticelli says.

Commonly asked questions

Are Mexican street dogs a breed?

No, Mexican street dogs are not officially a recognized breed — even though, Botticelli points out, “DNA tests are classifying them as a breed of their own.” 

What are some of the physical characteristics of Mexican street dogs?

Mexican street dogs are very diverse and do not necessarily share similar physical characteristics. Says Botticelli, “Typically, when you do a DNA test on a Mexican street dog, there are like 12 different breeds you’re going to get.” 

Are Mexican street dogs good pets?

Yes, Mexican street dogs can be great pets. While adapting any pet to your home will be a process, many pet parents feel that these dogs’ admirable resilience ultimately makes them wonderfully adaptable to domestic life. “They turn into really well-rounded dogs,” Botticelli says. “They are often very friendly because they rely on people to feed them…their temperaments are typically really good and really sweet.” 

References

Animal Law: Mexico

In Major Step Forward for Animal Welfare In Mexico, Tlaxcala Recognizes Animal Cruelty as a Crime

Mexico Has Highest Number of Stray Dogs in Latin America

Stray Dog Population in a City of Southern Mexico and Its Impact on the Contamination of Public Areas

Street Dogs in Mexico