17 March 2020 - Street dogs

Los Algadones, Baja California, Mexico

These dogs are a fixture of this sleepy desert town which has a reputation for having the most dentists per capita. It is the northernmost town in Latin America; it is here where many people in the US come for quality medical and dental care at a fraction of the cost in the US. Even though the US is less than a kilometer away and it feels like there is more English spoken here than Spanish.

These dogs are street smart and very adept at navigating around vehicles and people. They sleep in the streets, they chase cars, locals feed them. They clearly combine enough trust and apprehension to make it out there. Their presence gives the town a rural sleepy feel.

And the first day it felt like that was just how the town still lived, the coronavirus crisis notwithstanding. Yesterday and today, I managed to get some face masks and disposable gloves - items that are hard if not impossible to find in the US. Though today things have started to tighten down today - some restaurants are closing down, I have heard reports of massive panic buying at the area supermarkets, a US Border Patrol agent I got to talk to across the border fence says border restrictions, while not enacted thus far, are a distinct possibility. It is a global crisis, sadly, and no place is truly spared.

So enjoy these dog pictures. And, perhaps, try to be like these dogs - smart and adaptable.