While I was in St Lucia, I befriended this pair of island dogs. They seemed to be brothers, coming up on a year old, one fluffy with down-turned ears, and the other sleek and red like a dingo, with upright ears. I watched as they ate someone’s lunch tossed out from a car, noticing that they took turns getting the scraps, and if there was a situation where it was not clear which dog the scrap was going to, they appeared to be taking turns so that they got equal amounts. The red pup also caught a crab and tore it apart, sharing a leg with his sibling. Later, I brought a bag of rolls from the house, not ideal food I know, and tossed out chunks. Again, they took turns, and never was there any sort of snarl or squabble over the food, even though both dogs were clearly very hungry. I brought my sister and her boyfriend to the airport early the next morning when it was still dark, and we saw the two dogs curled up together sleeping by the side of the road. Their lives as feral dogs are difficult, but they have each other. If only we could learn this level of cooperation and respect for each other from these two dogs. There is so much wisdom for us to learn from the lives of animals.
