My family and I just returned from the vacation of a lifetime. We traveled to Tulum, Mexico for a special wedding of friends who are family (you know the kind). We saw beautiful beaches, sailed on a catamaran, jumped off a cliff into a cenote, explored ancient costal ruins, and ate exquisite foods. We spent time with each other and met new friends, and my junior pet sitters were ring bearer and flower girl on the big day.
All the while, I was checking out the dogs.
I didn't miss out on any of the human fun, mind you, but I just couldn't get enough of the special canines of Tulum.
The Dogs of Tulum–Well Minded
If you're wrinkling your brow about where Tulum is, it's about a two-hour drive south of Cancun on the Caribbean side of Mexico. Map source: kateschelter.com
I've advocated before about the importance of leashes, and I'm a firm believer that dogs should be leashed unless in a designated off-leash area. Basically all of Tulum is off-leash, and dogs roam free. And it's fine. They all get along and behave themselves, and their local owners have them under complete control. The dogs are friendly and fun and free, which is basically the definition of the place. We didn't wear shoes for five days. That's just how it is.
Meet some of my favorite dogs of Tulum.
the ones with the coconuts
We saw these two roaming the beach frequently. They always stuck together, and though they had a lot of room to walk the beach freely, they never strayed too far from their owners, a nice couple just enjoying the beach and their cocktails. The light brown shaggy one reminded me of an over sized N.A.S.H.A. She liked to munch coconut husks, while her brother, the brindle bully mix, loved to play fetch with them. He would bark at tourists walking by, and we'd all pitch in to keep the game going.
the one at the docks
We walked in as a group, pumped up for our catamaran cruise, and there lay an adorable Scottish Terrier. He didn't pay any attention to us, at first. In fact, we had to step over and around him to get through the entry and onto our boat, but he eventually came around and gave us some love.
the wedding crashers
We kept seeing this pair of yellow labs on the beach with their man. They were playful and casual and friendly, and just a joy to be around. I guess they figured they were part of our group, because they decided to attend the wedding, invite or not. Thankfully, they restrained themselves until the vows were said.
