Perro Caliente. perros de la calle de Cuba


words by Anna Cooke pictures by Randy Batista


When Randy Batista returned to Cuba in 1996, after having fled as a child during the revolu- tion, there were no dogs anywhere. The Soviet pull out had created extreme poverty and people strug- gled to feed themselves and their families. Randy has returned several times since then


and circumstances have changed. Now there are homeless dogs roaming the streets alongside family pets. While those who have money are buying expensive breeds, to show off their status, many pet owners are struggling to provide proper care for theirs. There are little to no resources, such as low cost spay/neuter programs, available for pet owners. Each time Randy has returned to Cuba to


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photograph the people, the dogs always catch his attention. He has observed their street smarts, like knowing when and how to cross the street, waiting at the corner for the cars to pass. Some dogs show signs of injuries, like broken bones, that healed on their own without medical attention. Still, they seem to do more than manage to survive. They seem happy and socialized, sitting near people dining on the sidewalks, waiting for scraps of food. They have become part of the fabric that is now Cuba. Panhandlers have learned how to exploit the dogs with tourists, training them to perform and pose for pictures with them. Anything for a buck.


Continuedg Winter 2017 THE NEW BARKER 49


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