One of your top priorities as a Peace Corps volunteer is integrating into your host community. For me, integration came in a surprising form: my foster puppy, Boots! Boots was rescued from the side of a busy highway when she was only two months old, having been abandoned there. I named my puppy Boots because she was mostly black with white patitas. I had Boots for three months before she was adopted, and absolutely fell in love -- she was the most well-behaved, smartest puppy you could ask for! I took Boots everywhere with me, and she became quite popular among my friends and coworkers (she came to work with me sometimes, and would sneak out of my office to beg my coworkers for food). We started and ended every day with a trip to the park, where I met and became friends with many of my vecinos. Through giving Boots a home, she helped me create my own in my new neighborhood!
Ecuador has a lot of street dogs. Notice I didn't say stray dogs, because "stray" implies they are lost or without a home, whereas for many of these street dogs, the street is their home. Generally, street dogs stay in one area, and the vecis that live nearby often chip in to take care of them.
