A Day At the Beach: Low Tide

A Day at the Beach: Low Tide is the first in a trilogy of paintings of dogs on the beach. During a trip to Ecuador I saw many stray dogs. Like in many other cultures, the dogs are just a part of the landscape. They live alongside humans, but aren’t interacted with much. Of course plenty of people have pet dogs, but there really isn’t as much concern for the well-being of the stray and feral dog population there as there is here in the United States. Of course, you might think that other countries have bigger fish to fry than worrying about feral dogs, but feral domestic animals have their own environmental and human health impact. Solving the problem of free-ranging domestic animals is just another part of improving overall environmental and health conditions. I was lucky enough to meet a veterinarian on my way to Atacamas who talked at length about his efforts to promote vaccination and spaying and neutering of pets and the problem of dog bite-related rabies. If dog waste can be a principal source of urban waterway contamination here in the US, imagine what public health issues can be caused by it in countries where feral dog and cat populations are relatively unmanaged. At any rate, I felt bad for these dogs just hanging solo on the beach. Tired, scrawny and flea-bitten. So I painted them and added a few little sea-side pals to cheer them up.