One of the things that always surprises me on my travels abroad are the large amounts of stray dogs and cats running around major foreign cities. I saw the most in Santiago, Chile, where people do not pay for pets, they just take one off the streets. There are upwards of thousands of strays in that city. I also noticed many strays in Italy (particularly cats in Rome) and in India. In some cities, the wandering animals have also included chickens, cows, goats and more. I must admit that as a child, I had an intense phobia of cats. As a teenager, when pet cats were keeping me from babysitting jobs and friends’ houses, I decided I needed to get over my fear. I went to the local SPCA and bought a pet cat. Today, I am not as scared of them, but I am still wary of some. I also have a dog. I like animals. With that being said, I am equally surprised at the willingness of tourists to pet and play with the stray dogs and cats in these cities. Personally, I stay far away. I’m sure most of them are nice and lonely, but I don’t want to come across the mean ones. Not to mention all the diseases wild, stray animals can pick up – rabies, mange, etc. Call me cynical, call me mean, but I prefer to keep my distance. I am sure I am not the only one to share that sentiment. The reason these cities have such a problem with strays is because they do not have (or they don’t have very effective ones) systems or societies intact to help these animals, like the Humane Society or the SPCA. Many times I have found myself wondering why more established animal organizations have not gone into some of these foreign cities and tried to help control the strays and take care of the sick animals. I am sure there is A LOT of red tape to get through, but I wish something could be done to help all these animals. I am sure there are many initiatives going on worldwide to help the animals that I am just not aware of, so if you know about them, please tell me – I’d love to know! -Kimberly Krol, circulation and public relations executive