The Animals of the Camino

              Leaving Sarria, there was a billboard with a cow on it that said “You are never alone.” This billboard seemed funny at the time, like the Spanish version of the Chick-fil-A billboards. However, after just a few hours on the Camino, I quickly learned what the sign meant. There are just as many animals, if not more, than people on the Camino. At first it was the occasional stray dog or cat, but then we saw all kinds of farm animals. In total, I think I saw cats, dogs, birds, ducks, chickens, cows, sheep, and donkeys.

              The second donkey I saw was particularly entertaining. He was big, almost the size of a horse, and had kind eyes. Clearly not afraid of the pilgrim passersby, he was right by the fence so he would have a nice view of the people. Colbi stopped to pet him and Amanda fed him a green apple. Watching the grimy buckteeth dig into the ripe apple was fascinating. Eventually we said goodbye to the donkey and continued walking.

              One of my favorite interactions with an animal today was with a dog at the place we stopped at for lunch. It was a scruffy-looking, curly-haired, small, white dog. It was very friendly and had the tendency to beg. The feeling of something soft pressing against my leg interrupted me momentarily from my chorizo con queso bocadillo. I looked down and saw that the dog had hopped up on its hind legs and was resting its front legs on mine, begging for some food. I gave in and offered it some of the meat from my sandwich, and the dog gladly gobbled it up. The dog went on to visit and receive food from several of my companions.

              Approaching Portomarin, a herd of cows was being corralled by a small, loud Spanish woman in a tiny red car. The cows moseyed across the path, almost as if they were on a pilgrimage of their own. Some of them even stopped for a second to graze on some grass by the side of the road. The brown and white beasts were so large and occupying such a large portion of the path that I was a little afraid I would be stampeded. Despite the mean looking bull rings around their noses, the cows were harmless and there was no reason to be scared.

              Overall, I found it interesting how the animals kind of mirrored the pilgrims. First, they all went at their own pace. Some dogs just lied down while others walked around. The cats also represented the exploration aspect of pilgrimage because they freely roamed the fields. Also, the variety of types of dogs and cats mimics the diversity of the pilgrims.

              Based on the first day, the sign in Sarria was right. You truly are never alone on the Camino.

Here are some pictures of the animals I described above: