Step.4 KIDS & PETS

Step.4  KIDS & PETS

For one to get away and do some serious adventuring, this topic may be a bit disagreeable, but still an important factor in being able to travel. This would be the issue of pets, like cats or dogs or whatever requires your constant care. Kids too, unless grown up, will be a block in your efforts to get away from the everyday. Even grown up, kids can be a pain, unless of course they watch the dog, cat and hamster you’re now thinking of giving up for adoption. Don’t get us wrong, we love animals and have always had pets growing up. We’ve just never had a pet that wasn’t family owned, which is partially due to our being full time college students until only a few years ago. 

If you’re thinking you can’t get by without some sort of furry companion, 
we can guarantee that in whatever exotic location you decide to reside, there will be stray dogs and cats everywhere wanting your attention and of course food. Be prepared to face an outlook very different from the states, in that animals have very little purpose unless living on a farm, while being subject to owners cruelty and exploitation. For some, this can be surprising, shocking and even quite sad; but it's a much more common global perspective than most of us “first worlders” would like to believe.

During our first months in the American third world, we took an interest in the common and traditional art of keeping chickens. There are over 100 billion chickens in this world of ours, and they all live in our small island neighborhood. Third world chickens are not the cute yellow puffs of fun we see up north; they are mean, aggressive and wild. But of course, when new and little, they’re still pretty cute and fun to watch. We’ll assume that if you’ve grown up in mid-west America, you could give a damn about chickens, as well as our personal take on their stupidity, but there are many things in this world still very new to us. During our first 6 months in the Caribbean, we managed to catch 7 chickens, with a variety of clever traps and devices. Sure, you might think, who cares, why are you catching chickens? But just remember, this is not home, this is a battleground where man fights to uphold his position as top dog in this natural world we’re living in. They walk in our yard, poop on our patio, and sound like a fire alarm if you get within 5 feet of them. So of course we had to show them who's boss. With fishing line, net, boxes and determination, we coaxed the cocky cocks into our traps, and saw first hand that these chickens are not actually chickens. They’re descended from a fighting breed that is neither cute nor fun to be around. Turn your back and they’ll fly with talons flared at your unsuspecting face. Rescue them from hungry stray dogs and they will peck without mercy. The only solution is what our human species has done for eons when it comes to a formidable animal enemy; kill the mother and take the babies! Or just wait until a local has a few too many new chicks to feed, and tame them as your own. 

So as painful as it may be, you’ll have to figure out what to do with your own furry friends. In some cases you can take them 
with you, but only after months of waiting 
and processing. We suggest calling your preferred airline for information about international pet policy.


  <===== Logan; Chicken King Of Vieques! 


          -Go To Step.5 The Time Is Now