The impression of the dog of ancient Pompeii in its grotesque death throws is in stark contrast to the dogs of Pompeii today. At any particular time there are about 50 stray dogs existing in Pompeii's ruins. They are lean, flea infested, starving and often very cute. They rely on the generosity of the tourists to get water and something to eat.
I recall in 2009 there was a movement to find them homes and to literally get them off the streets of Pompeii. In addition to the humane aspects of this project there are practical reasons to accomplish this as well. In their effort to find shelter and food the animals can damage the ruins. They often urinate on the ruins which only serves to further undermine the fragile existence of the remaining structures.
Its unfortunate that the dogs are lured to the ruins because there is no natural source of water or food there. They are perhaps drawn by the tourists who have over the decades fed them while visiting. There is also the possibility that they exist there because the psychological pressure of living there is less than in the nearby urban sprawl. Whatever the reason, its a hard scrabble life for these poor pooches.
In closing this post series I collected a few photos from the net to illustrate the various animals there and the nature of their living conditions.
