DOGS OF OVIEDO

 

Terrier on the Terrace

If you follow my Instagram account, you know I have a series, “Dogs of Oviedo.” The reason behind this is that dogs are a major part of the social fabric of Ovitense life. Dogs outnumber kids under 15 in Oviedo by a ratio of 3:2.5. Because Oviedo is a small, walking city, dogs are out walking with their humans everywhere (very unusual to see a dog in a car, like in the US), sometimes two or three dogs to one human. Often, dogs, especially the lap variety, join humans at the café table. I've also seen strangers stop to pet their respective canines, which might also prompt the dogs to introduce themselves to each other.

Chow Chow Chariot

Various conveyances can be used to carry dogs, such as the backpack shown above or a stroller.

Of course, dogs have their favorite toys.

Pomeranian Pride

During the winter, humans dress their canines up in sharp outfits, and matching ones if there are two.

Oviedo Rain-Ready (Rat Terriers)

Here's a typically joyous Golden Retriever playing in the dog enclosure in San Francisco Park. I tell you, I have never seen so many happy dogs!

I snapped these Spanish galgos (resembling English Greyhounds but not) who could well have been on their way to a black-tie event. [By the way, "galgo" is not capitalized--Spanish rules: I didn't make them.)

Graceful galgos

You might be forgiven for mistaking this for a St.Bernard, which gentle breed the movie "Cujo" gave a bad name (less so the novel), but this is a Bernese Mountain Dog, another big, gentle canine.

Finally, a young, beautiful Dalmatian I snapped at the mall.

A small disclaimer, though. What I’m seeing in Oviedo is the good half of the story. Terrace dogs are the visible winners: cared for, groomed, and fully integrated into urban life. That skews perception. The other half exists mostly out of sight—in protectoras, in rural areas, in the long afterlife of abandoned working dogs like galgos and podencos. Oviedo may be gentler than many places, but this is a curated slice of reality, not the whole picture.