Vida de perro (A dog's life)

Some dogs here in Solentiname lead truly miserable lives. Unlike  first-world-country-dogs, these dogs are not pampered or adored. In most cases, dogs are kept here for purely practical purposes. They guard the house and some of them are competent at tracking armadillos and other bushmeat (see this post). From what I've observed, dogs serve another purpose as well, albeit a slightly unsettling therapeutic purpose. They seem to be treated as vents for people's frustrations as some families are constantly screaming at, throwing sticks or stones, and whipping their dogs for simply being dogs (i.e. poking their noses into the kitchen, sitting on the porch, etc.) Seeing someone pet or play with a dog is a truly rare sight in these islands.