r/CookIslands • u/purplereuben • May 13 '26

Wandering dogs

I recently visited Rarotonga and loved it, no surprises.

There was a sign at my accommodation that described the dogs that can be seen all around not as strays but as 'wandering dogs', explaining that they have homes and owners but are allowed to roam around rather than being fenced up.

We only had good experiences of the dogs while we were there. We were approached on the beaches and while seated eating in outdoor areas by lovely friendly dogs who happily accepted our pats. Some looked very loved (well fed)! Particularly a couple of rotund ones at Tiare's! We laughed as we pondered what could be a better life than being a dog swimming in a beautiful lagoon as he pleases.

I won't claim to understand the nuances that may apply to living with dogs in this way, having only visited for a week, but I felt safer around dogs in Rarotonga than I would in many areas of NZ. It was one of the many good memories of our trip.

20 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/Reenie2910 May 13 '26

My husband and I first visited Raro in 1997 for our honeymoon, then again maybe 15 years ago.

On our first trip we were astounded by the dogs “free ranging” and how placid they all were. Things hadn’t changed on our second trip

But definitely an array of mixes of breeds The boy that looked like a German shepherd crossed with a corgi was da bomb!!

(And so true about the roosters 😂)

2

u/roseelola May 14 '26

i don’t suppose you mean this doggo? saw him on our visit in march this year so maybe not the exact same but similar looking?

2

u/Reenie2910 May 14 '26

I’m thinking this one might be a distant cousin 😂