Guadalajara, 07/09/2025, Dr. Tomas F. Nepor

I have temporarily moved from San Diego to Guadalajara, Mexico, and of course took my dog, Nicky, with me. He is an old labrador mix, 15 years and 6 months, and after living in Europe, then California, and now Mexico, this seemed to be the hardest transition for him due to his age. Guadalajara is a large city with over 5 million inhabitants, densely designed and little free space. His whole life he had lived in areas where he could run freely in the woods and explore, and would go on around 2.5-3.5 miles walks per day. 

At first, we were concerned with how he would deal with this lifestyle change, as he did not have access to the same space and nature as before. For this reason, we chose a neighborhood with some small parks, as it seems that the other pet owners of Guadalajara cherish those spaces as well. The atmosphere in Mexico is generally calm, or “tranquilla” and most people let their pets loose and free to roam in parks. Although I have not been to all the parks here, there seem to be no strict rules or leash laws, which allow dogs to calmly meet each other and socialize. 

Our dog came to this new environment as an old grandpa; 15 years old, still intact, and of course less active as he used to be. He was always rather individual, and cared more about chasing tennis balls than playing with other dogs. Even though he never picked a fight, we could even say he was selfish and antisocial at times. However, as time passed, the other dogs at the park realized that our senior was no harm and then accepted him well. And Nicky? He actually followed in their footsteps - or paws - and became perkier when walking to the park. He started playing with other dogs, ran a little after the pups, and visited other people; it was clear that he felt more energized and excited to socialize. He now is more excited to go on walks and shows more interest in people, and goes for about 2-3 miles every day. In addition, his appetite has increased, he has become more active, and more energetic - making it a great place for him to retire. 

So does location and social life matter? Yes!