Panama City Dog Names

Quinn is one special dog, he gets to travel around the world on a sailboat called the Spirit of Argo with his beloved owners. The blog chronicles his travels, starting out at home in Brighton, UK and travelling to the Caribbean. Quinn's most recent adventure was to visit Panama City as they sailed through the Panama Canal to the city of Colon and beyond. The blog is narrated through Quinn's voice (what a talented dog and blogger!) and is very humorous. The journey through the Panama Canal was quite nerve-wracking at times as their sailboat was so much smaller than the huge commercial ships that they had to share the canal voyage with. Going through the locks doesn't leave a lot of room for error, especially with a huge tanker following behind you! The pictures of life in Panama City and Panama itself are beautiful, it is such a diverse culture.  

Life on a boat is different for a dog than life on land. First of all, Quinn had to be 'boat trained' for all the necessities such as where to go to the toilet, how NOT to fall overboard, how to become comfortable wearing a doggie life jacket, and of course how to become used to the rolling motion of the boat! He was also given a 'safe spot' for those rough days out at sea. Here he is protected from things falling on him,  and he can wedge himself in out of the way of the humans who are busy manning the sails. Training is a part of his life, as his owners have to be sure he will obey orders which could save his life. They have taught him to stop and freeze and to bark on command. While a barking dog is okay out on the ocean, when in a  marina,  the neighbors may not appreciate a dog that barks all the time. 

Speaking of dog health, in some of the poorer parts of Panama, there are many stray dogs. Poverty means there isn't much money left after feeding a family, so there is an issue about animal welfare. Happily, that is changing with many organizations such as Spay Panama forming. Spay Panama is an initiative to get as many cats and dogs spayed to prevent overpopulation. The Panama City clinic has a team of veterinarians, technicians, and volunteers who take a bus out to their pop-up clinic in Burunga on select weekends. For a minimal charge, your pet can be spayed and receive treatment for any injuries. If no one cannot pay, the team still do the operation, but the owner has to help out at the clinic, sterilizing the equipment and doing other duties. This dedication is changing the fate of Panama Cities pet population. And Quinn, where is he now? He is still sailing with his beloved humans and having the adventure of his life.