If you have been to Mexico, you have probably seen the many barking dogs on people’s roofs.
But why are their dog’s on roofs? We tracked down a dog rescue organization in San Miguel, Mexico, who wished to stay anonymous, and asked them to answer our questions about why the dogs are on the roofs.
No Yards
The organization explained that in the many homes in the cities have no yards, so the roof acts like a yard (similar to a New York apartment).
Security System
The main reason dogs are placed on roofs, however, is for security, the group explains.
The dogs are meant to dissuade people from burglarizing, though the group added that since in most cases the dogs can’t get down, they can’t do much other than bark. Intruders can easily enter most homes from the lower levels that the dogs can’t reach.
Interestingly, it’s actually illegal to keep your dog on your roof, but that doesn’t seem to dissuade many.
Stuck?
So, are they stuck on the roofs? Yes and no. Many of the dogs cannot get into the house from the rooftop, however some houses are built in such a way that the dogs can get into the house via stairs or a window.
Friendly or Feral?
This depends on the family and the dog.
“Many are not socialized so become aggressive, therefore the family becomes afraid of them and they end up not giving them the proper care,” the rescue explains. “Since they are on the roof, the family doesn’t see much of them except for when they feed, water and clean up after them….and many times this is not daily. So basically roof top dogs are not socialized and are not part of the family. They usually have bigger aggressive dogs on the roof and small poodles or chi’s as house dogs. But I have seen the smallest breeds living their lives on roof tops too.”
Because of this, these dogs often end up neglected and abused, the rescue group says they come across it all the time.
Risks To The Dog
Locals will get dogs both as puppies and adults to put on the roofs. Some only have one dog, other houses have many dogs.
As one can imagine, living on a roof is not exactly safe.
“Many dogs fall off rooftops and die or are injured,” the group explains. “Some are even chained and if too close to the edge, can fall and hang themselves.”
In addition, it’s boring. And since it’s boring, the dogs take to destructive behaviors like barking. This then leads to people reporting the barking, sometimes. The rescue explains that often neighbors are worried about retaliation and so they won’t call anyone. And if they do call, the people who should respond (Ecologia), never show up.
Dogs on roofs are not just found in Mexico, however. For example, these dogs are both in Greece:
Regardless of where or why, dogs on roofs are probably not a good idea.
