OK. I admit. I’m a cat person and Lima’s Kennedy Park has forty-two purring creatures for me to love. But this town is dog happy and an overwhelming amount of them are beyond coyote ugly. They are even uglier than the extraterrestrials that supposedly visited this place.
Take for instance, the popular Peruvian Orchid. This hairless variety is the rage, the one that wins the ugly dog contest, or at least the growling competition. Some are bred to have spotted skin. Others, have so little hair that they shiver unless they are clothed. I guess an orchid by any other name is uh…hideous.
I remember dogs of my youth. Spot, a puppy that got run over (don’t all kids have a puppy that got run over?), Pinocchio, who ran away (supposedly drowning crossing a not-so-frozen) lake. Then a series of Norwegian Elkhounds that kept could fill a vacuum cleaner bag weekly with the amount of hair they would shed. They were loyal and friendly, and hairy. But none had less hair than what my grandpa had growing out of his ears.
This one tried to bite me when I tried to pet it.
A few look like their owners. That’s not necessarily a compliment.
Lima does have a few canine cuties, but they are usually street dogs in need of a good bath.
This cutie, near the Jorge Chavas market in Surco, goes by the name of Bruno. He was friendly, in spite of the gash on his leg.
Then there are the squirrels.
And of course, Lima has cats. There are forty-two that live in Kennedy Park, many with the markings of a jaguar, all open to a good scratch behind the ears. Some even wear blue contacts.
And of course, people watching is entertaining, too.
All in all? I think Peru should stick to potatoes and stop trying to earn fame with dogs. As for next week? I won’t be looking at cats or dogs in Lima, but birds in San Ramon.