I have a concern. I shared it in a Facebook Roatan Group this afternoon. I hope to get some perspective and good advice.

"In less than two weeks we will (finally) be permanently moved to Roatan, along with our two dogs and a cat. The cat will be fine; the eight-year-old Min-Pin will probably have a short learning curve, but my main concern is about our nearly 4-year old Doberman. Citified big dog moves to the Island! Out on the street he is used to being on a leash and all the other dogs being leashed also (here). 

Rocco has been with us since he was 8 weeks old and is fairly well-trained. He is absolutely the protector of our home and his family. He gets along well with people once he is sure of our acceptance. My concern is mostly about how he will adjust and get along with all the other dogs.

I'd love to hear your experiences and advice!"

Island dogs run loose on Roatan. Just like any time you have a population of dogs in one area, there are nice guys . . . and the not-so-nice guys.
People in Roatan use one of three things for protection:

• A weapon

• A security guard (property caretaker)

• Dog(s)

With Mike's law enforcement career, he is very well versed in what needs to happen to keep us all safe. It will be a laborious process to gain Honduras permission to carry a gun. Since we do not yet own property, we will not have a security guard. We do have Rocco, though. 

In January we were at a friend's home. Their protection was two very large dogs. I'll admit to feeling uncomfortable around one of them. I didn't like the look in his eyes and I hated myself for having momentary flashes of fear when I was around him.

One day our friends were lounging in their hammocks. Mike and I were the only ones on their property. Quite suddenly the large pit bull (appropriately named Rhino) turned on the other dog. If you've ever seen a bloody dogfight, you can picture what I saw. I was pretty shaken up and the only thing I can really remember was our friend trying to pull Rhino off the other dog. He repeatedly punched the dog in the face to get him to stop the attack. In the end, both dogs and our friend had lots and lots of bites. Everywhere.

If you know our Rocco, you know he's not made for that stuff. I'm not sure if he would antagonize another dog and I am quite positive he'd never be able to defend himself against an attacker like Rhino.

Island dogs run loose. They are everywhere.

With Mike's law enforcement career, he is very well versed in what needs to happen to keep us all safe. It will be a laborious process to gain Honduras permission to carry a gun. Since we do not yet own property, we will not have a security guard, but of course, we do have dogs. Companion dogs.

Leo is almost eight years old. He is probably considered an "ankle biter" though he has never bitten anyone. He has quite the bark but would never scare anyone off.

Rocco will be four on July 1. He is certainly the protector of our home here. He takes his cue from us but there have been times he reacts to a person that neither Mike nor I have a problem with.

Jake, the (buyer's) Realtor. The first time Rocco met Jake there was no problem. But the other day when three people entered our home for the house sale closing, Rocco suddenly did not like Jake. It might have been because of the mask but even after Jake removed his mask, Rocco continued to bark at him. Whatever the cause, I trust my dog.

But we need to be absolutely sure we can control the big guy. He has never flown in a plane or been suddenly placed in the kind of situations he will have to learn to encounter. He might feel strange and off-balance at first. That 100 pounds of his must be under our control at all times. We use a Gentle Leader to walk. We tried a lot of different collars and methods and have had the most success with the Gentle Leader. We just purchased a harness for him, thinking the handle might be real helpful. 

And we got an e-collar. Now before you go off on me, take a look at this one. CLICK HERE 

It does not "shock" him. The most it will do is act like a tap on the shoulder that says, "hey look at me." A tool to redirect his focus. 

Rocco, ready to work.

Leo, ready to walk.

Is it fair to expect Rocco to stand up to an aggressive dog? 

I wonder what he will be like a few weeks in, after encountering street dogs?

These are real fears. So I put those questions out to one of my favorite Roatan groups.

I like the following response and I feel better already.

"Our Doberman and two Jack Russells are always loose but in our fenced yard. There are enough dogs that run loose here already and with all sorts of diseases and the dangerous garbage they can get into, better safe than sorry. When we do walk them, it is on a leash."

On-leash it is!

hmmmmm