First Cruise & Worried about Stray Dogs

[Emilymay1]

Hi All




I'm a huge animal lover and am soon to be going on a cruise to the following places:




Venice, Bari, Dubrovnik, Katakolon, Izmir & Istanbul.



Can anybody help me as to if I'm likely to see stray dogs in any of these places please? A recent holiday to Albuferia was ruined due to all the stray dogs I saw, it upset me so much I couldn't leave our villa. I understand this will sound strange and pathetic to some but I am trying to plan my holiday to avoid getting off in ports that are likely to have stray dogs.




Many thanks for your help in advance

[Bonnie J.]

How do you know they were stray dogs? People don't take care of pets the way we do in the US but they may have homes. They just spend days unleashed and not in fenced yards.Take a box of dog bisquits and toss those.

[DmnDva]

Only stray dogs you are likely to see on your ship will be one that has either fallen from the bain-marie or out of it's bun...

[alexspepa]

Originally Posted by Emilymay1

Hi All




I'm a huge animal lover and am soon to be going on a cruise to the following places:




Venice, Bari, Dubrovnik, Katakolon, Izmir & Istanbul.



Can anybody help me as to if I'm likely to see stray dogs in any of these places please? A recent holiday to Albuferia was ruined due to all the stray dogs I saw, it upset me so much I couldn't leave our villa. I understand this will sound strange and pathetic to some but I am trying to plan my holiday to avoid getting off in ports that are likely to have stray dogs.




Many thanks for your help in advance

Emily - I googled "stray dogs in Istanbul" and found out that while there are thousands of stray dogs, there is an active effort to put tracking chips in all of them and to make sure they are all up on their innoculations and are otherwise healthy - quite a progressive attitude it seems to me.

I suggest you take the time to google all the cities you are visiting regarding stray dogs - there is a lot of information on the web!

After doing your research, only you can make the decision as to how it will affect you, and if you should look at another itinerary.

Good Luck - you have a kind heart. I have a chocolate lab I love more than almost anything, and the thought of her being alone on the streets...well I don't want to think about it.

Keith

[CaroleSS]

Many places have dogs that have the run of the city, but are cared for by the people of the city. They aren't considered the property of anyone, but belong to the city and are fed/cared for by many people. During your recent holiday, did you ask anyone about how all the 'strays' were taken care of? Yes, there are some that go hungry, but there are also a lot of people that go hungry as well.

Lots of countries aren't like the UK in many ways. That is one of the many reasons we travel, to learn about the culture of others and how they differ from our own - I was surprised to learn the many ways that you in the UK differ from those of us in the US. Many places you visit will have cultures that are a vast contrast to the life you live; Maybe during your upcoming holiday you could talk with the locals about how they deal with the dog population. You may be pleasantly surprised, or maybe you could find a way to help in some small way!

[alexspepa]

Originally Posted by CaroleSS

Many places have dogs that have the run of the city, but are cared for by the people of the city. They aren't considered the property of anyone, but belong to the city and are fed/cared for by many people. During your recent holiday, did you ask anyone about how all the 'strays' were taken care of? Yes, there are some that go hungry, but there are also a lot of people that go hungry as well.

Lots of countries aren't like the UK in many ways. That is one of the many reasons we travel, to learn about the culture of others and how they differ from our own - I was surprised to learn the many ways that you in the UK differ from those of us in the US. Many places you visit will have cultures that are a vast contrast to the life you live; Maybe during your upcoming holiday you could talk with the locals about how they deal with the dog population. You may be pleasantly surprised, or maybe you could find a way to help in some small way!

that is an excellent suggestion. We go to Cabo every other year, and many people volunteer at the local animal shelter there. The Cabo forum on TripAdvisor is very active, and the shelter is mentioned a lot.

[LHT28]

What about stray Cats
We see them everywhere...they seem to know DH by sight & follow him around

If it was really traumatic for you I would not travel

[fishycomics]

It's funny. How you go on a cruise and out the country. And all can thin of are stray dogs.

I hear and no arguement here

But North America over feeds everyone. Dogs Nd all.

So the dogs you see may look stray. And sure enough you will go and try to fatten them, just may be some ones per

Out of country allows the dogs to be free not back home. Become a president and no more dog issues

[sstepson]

On our Mediterranean cruise we saw lots of stray (wild?) animals in many of the ports. In fact, Ephesus was full of cats. They all seemed pretty happy.

You're going to see all kinds of amazing history, architecture, and cultures...kind of seems silly to worry about seeing a few stray animals...

[PennyAgain]

I do understand the sadness of seeing stray dogs, but an even bigger issue is the risk of being bitten if you try to feed or pet the stray dogs.

I do not assume that stray dogs are cared for and I do not attempt to touch or feed them.

[Emilymay1]

Many thanks for your comments all. I googled each port and also posted on Tripadvisor about each one, so was just tripple checking my reasearch by posting on here

Whilst I am aware the reason we go on cruises is to experience different cultures etc I am also aware of my own thresh hold when it comes to stray animals. Wherever I travel to I always do my upmost to find an animal charity and donate, I also spoke to the locals in Albuferia about the strays and she simply said that there were loads and tourists sometimes fed them. The ones I saw however, some were ill

Unfortunatley as I have such a huge passion for animals and work with many animal sanctuarys in the UK and as I am not able to act as I would at home should I see a stray abroad, I guess it just makes it worse.

I think I have gathered enough information to make a resonably educated decision