Another Uber ride without air-conditioning, another trip to the Accra mall.
Just another day in Ghana.
Sitting passenger with my good friend Makenna in the backseat, we make small talk with our Uber driver while the traffic creeps along. It’s another humid afternoon and as the conversation continues between the three of us I glance out my window at the hawkers.
I see the usual items for sale balanced on the tops of their heads, but something catches my eye as the right lane traffic comes to a halt. There are a few cages on the ground just off the main road and I can see there are dogs in the cages. Someone walks into my line of vision with two cages in each one of their hands which are holding green parrots. Shortly after, another guy walks through the lanes of traffic holding a small dog with one gloved hand. Its coat is white and fluffy and as the guy holds it up to the backseat window, traffic starts to pick up.
Makenna had quickly snapped a photo of the dog’s worried looked and we shared our concerns about the treatment and environment of the animals being sold on the street. As we came to once again, another stop, I looked forward only to see another guy holding a puppy. This puppy looked young and was spotted with a pink nose. I point at the front of the windshield,
“Makenna, look.”
After I said this, my Uber driver rolled down the back window and the man with the puppy held it out into the space of our car. Luckily, for those of you reading along I have a video Makenna took of the interaction:
Although it was brief, it was definitely something to remember. It isn’t every day you get to buy a puppy off the street. And with that face, it was quite tempting.