THEY ARE considered the most loyal of companions that a human can have.
The Internet abounds with stories of dogs which have saved, served, waited for their masters or mistresses or even then pined at their deaths.
The Internet also abounds with stories of unspeakable cruelty to them, abandonment, beatings and sometimes deaths.
For generations in Barbados, dogs were merely seen as cheap security systems, something to be fed as an afterthought or even feared.
And while attitudes are slowly changing, dogs still come out second best, especially as hard times hit families.
Founder and President of the Hope Sanctuary Cornelia Coulthrust quite candidly admits that cruelty and neglect of dogs are linked to economics, but added animal rights on the island have improved.
Stressing that dogs were the first to suffer in times of economic hardship, Coulthrust said: “It’s just means maths. If you have several animals and children and you lose your job, you still have to look after your children. So where you have to cut down is on animals and what do you do? It’s a vicious cycle.”
This week Heather-Lynn’s Habitat takes a pictorial look at a dog’s life in Barbados.
