Cape Verde Dogs - Whence did they come?
Cape Verde dogs are special - but what are they?
Most of the dogs that roam the Cape Verde islands live semi-wild.
A few have learned to distrust humans and keep themselves remote
from habitation. God alone knows where they find enough food and
water. And of course many do not. Others are fed at dawn and dusk
by owners but roam the streets and beaches by day and sleep out
at night.
Few are of identifiable breeds. For they have bred amongst themselves
without thought to species purity. Only the fittest survive the
cruel environment. A beautiful Dalmatian abandoned by selfish French
sailors at Palmeira harbour on Sal soon died of skin rashes caused
by the fierce sun.
Most dogs are medium size - between 15 and 25 kgs. Many ressemble
Labradors but are smaller, faster and more agile. Some can catch
rats; some can dig up crabs. Most have learned to team up to knock
over dustbins. And all will spend long hours searching for scraps
of food. They never forget that they could starve tomorrow.
Portuguese fisherman sailed to Sal to collect salt for centuries.
They used this to preserve their cod, which turned it into bacalhau,
still one of Portugal` s favourite dishes. They caught the cod on
the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, then a British colony. And whilst
at its capital the port of St John`s they collected St John`s water
dogs to guard their nets. This breed has become better known as
the Labrador and it seems that some came to Sal from as early as
1905..
Other Cape Verde dogs, are descendants of Podengos brought from
Portugal on Caravels, where they kept down the rats, These are fast
and agile but do not swim like Labradors. They bound over rocks
and shrubs and will chase anything that moves. They are enthusiastic
diggers. They have outstanding hearing and sense of smell; this
has enabled them to survive where other dogs have duied out..
The dogs in these photo were all born on the Cape Verde island
of Sal. All were found running loose. One still is. One was later
killed by the strychhnine which the Town Council used top put down
to kill dogs and cats. The others now live in Europe, Some have
Labrador genes, some Podengo and some a mix..
The Town Council on Sal is now rounding up dogs with nets at the
behest of the Hotel Odjo d`Agua, which has provided a roofless stables
as a concentration camp and a pick-up truck to catch them The dogs
are fed left over scraps from hotels.Some dogs are sick, some are
dying and some are taken leaving puppies abandoned.. Most of the
dogs that are easiest to catch have owners. Two charities called
Save Cats and Dogs and SOS Cats and Dogs, run by Europeans and Americans
are trying to release them or at least improve their conditions.
But the Council hates having dogs on the streets and beaches and
des nothing to help the neutering campaigns, which the two charities
organise with German and English vets.
