Hairless route.

My younger sister, Nuria, and her husband are vocational globe trotters. I always ask them the same thing: look for hairless dogs! Fortunately they love dogs and it does not seem to be a problem for them but their guides get tired of looking for these rare breeds. Let's see some examples.

This picture was taken two weeks ago at the historical city of Trinidad de Cuba, in the center of the island. The owner asked Nuria to take the animal with her "if you wish" because "he breeds continuously". Despite the subsistence economy of the inhabitants of the house, the animal looks healthy and its temperament was very friendly and outgoing. He is a cobby type and resembles a xolo but I have seen some street dogs in Perú looking so similar. In any case it seems very obvious that the natural types are prone to be short-legged and more fatter than our selected modern lines.

Photo by Luis Chico

The next picture was taken by a friend last spring in a beach at Ko Samet island (Rayong province), Thailand. The animal is not completely hairless and results very similar to some hairy hairless Chinese Cresteds without any grooming. I will ask Marcos for extra details about the animal but it seem an evidence that is very easy to find them in Southern Asia.

Photo by Marcos Ruiz Trujillo (m_traker@hotmail.com)

Coming back to South America, concretely to Perú, my sister found this Perro sin Pelo pequeño size in front of a café-bar in the little town of Machu Pichu. The animal was very used to people and it walked freely between the railway tracks. Its tail was cropped and the ears down but the owners had suited it with a little coat despite the high temperatures reached that day. I have to say that this dog was the only viringo that they found in the whole trip, even in Lima. It was an amazing fact because we thought that would be easier to find them almost everywhere.

Photo by Luis Chico

The last image pictures a pariah dog in Bali. My brother in law thought he was a hairless dog with irregular patches of hair. He is one of the hundred dogs that roam freely everywhere and suffer severe dermatological pathologies and other diseases. If you wish to make a donation or simply know more about The Bali Street Dog Fund, an Australia-based charity and Bali Adoption Rehabilitation Centre, B.A.R.C take a look at their websites. The dogs will be so grateful for it.

Photo by Luis Chico.