Holidays with dog - dogs on Tenerife

Holidays with your dog

With the corresponding vaccination it is possible to take your dog with you when going on holiday. Nevertheless, you have to pay attention to the selection of your holiday accommodation because pets aren´t always allowed. It is mostly holiday apartments and houses on fincas that allow pets, e. g. a finca in the Chiratal. That makes sense because almost every finca has a big property, so the master or the mistress of the dog can go for a walk with their four-legged friend. Please catch up on this before booking. Dogs aren´t allowed in hotels at all. This is also for some beaches on Tenerife. Especially on the well-frequented beaches dogs are either forbidden or only are allowed to walk on a lead. But there are also many remoted bays, where your dog can run around when it feels like running. The same is for the mountainous regions.

Dogs on Tenerife - historical surnames

Due to its magnificient blossoming plants, Tenerife is called "Island of eternal spring" nowadays, but it already had plenty of different surnames in the past. The Phoenicians called Tenerife "Purple island" 1.000 years before the turn of the eras. Reason for that was the trading with a sort of lichen on Tenerife. A rare red colourant was obtained from it. The Greeks gave Tenerife the surname "Island of the lucky". They were thrilled by the flora and fauna as well as by the climatic conditions of the island in the Atlantic Ocean. Besides spring, purple and lucky island the Romans gave the whole archipelago of the Canary Islands the surname "Dog island". The latin stem "canis" in the word "Canary" means "dog".

Naming "Dog island"

Calling the 7 islands of the Canaric archipelago "Islas Canarias", i. e. "Dog Islands", is going back to the maritime tradition. According to folk memory, sailors repeatedly abandoned dogs on the Canary Islands. Due to good living conditions the dogs were able to secure their continued existence on the islands. Reports of the Roman scholar Plinius indicate, that it must have been mostly big dogs.

Special dog breeds

Today´s dog breeds on the islands go back to the historical dog population. The hound "Podenco Canario", the Canaric mastiff "Presa Canario" as well as the sheepdog "Pastor de Garfiano", all of them living all over Spain, have to be highlighted. The greyhound-like Podenco Canario with its slim body and the big ears is endemic in the complete Mediterranean  area. The light-brown hound with the friendly character was already known 4.000 years ago in Egypt. This is why it is called Pharaoh´s dog. The long-haired, philantropic sheepdogs of Tenerife, however, were only declared the independent dog breed Pastor de Garfiano in 2003. These faithful companions are so popular, that dog shows have been dedicated to them. The energy and the well-built body of bulldog and mastiff are combined in Tenerife´s Presa Canario. It is a brindled mix of dog breeds from colonial countries, including Spain and England. Due to its alertness the dog was and still is used to protect the cattle.

Summary

Until today many stray dogs can be seen on the Canary Islands. Unfortunately, countless, mostly well-socialised dogs are in pounds. So whoever is flirting with the idea of rehoming a four-legged friend, may find a long-desired lovely, beautiful friend full of character on Tenerife. With every wag of its tail the friendly and lively flair of Tenerife will dawn.

Tenerife´s pounds also depend on the help of animal-friendly holiday makers. They are looking for flight sponsors, to take dogs to Germany on their return flight. This is absolutely for free and easy for the flight sponsors. The only thing you have to do as a sponsor is to tell your flight details. The pound in Tenerife will inform the responsible pound in Germany. The holiday maker checks in with the dog as a flight sponsor and an employee of the German pound awaits him/her at their destination.