Everywhere. Dogs. In the market, dogs. Sitting outside your hotel, dogs. Outside the gate to Machu Picchu, dogs. I think I found heaven.

I asked our guide if they were all strays, he replied “Yes and no.”
The most beautiful concept was explained to us that these dogs aren’t necessarily “owned” by one person. Sure, one family may be their main “host,” but each member of the community does their part to make sure dogs are taken care of. Dogs are thought of guides or guards for your spirit into the next world so it’s very important to make sure they are well taken care of in this life.

I think that’s a great concept and it really emphasized the sense of community in these villages. On their way to and from work or school, I would see people stopping to talk to each other. I would see people sharing bits of lunch or snacks with dogs sitting patiently at their feet. I remember this behavior from the small Montana towns I once lived in. This mindset is easy to lose when living in a big city. Why is it that more people we live with, the less time we make for them?

This was all a very good reminder for me to take time for members of my community, both the two-legged and four-legged ones. It’s easy to get wrapped up in progressing our own little world that we forget that our little worlds are actually quite connected.