Brazil/Mexico City1 hour ago
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These days, a dispute has erupted between Brazil and Mexico over a brown stray dog. Its name is caramelo. The people of Brazil consider this dog to be the identity of the country. He says that caramelo is as special in Brazil as football and samba music.
This controversy started after Mexico declared Caramello as a local breed in April this year. This decision of Mexico created resentment in Brazil. Many Brazilians felt that an important part of their cultural identity was being taken away from them.
From a scientific point of view, Caramello is not a pure breed of dog. According to a study by Brazilian genetics company DNA Pets, it is made up of a mix of dogs of more than 300 foreign breeds. It is not a breed developed at any one time, but is a dog created from a natural mixture of hundreds of breeds over many generations.
Caramello gets its name from the light brown or toffee-like color of these dogs. The popularity of these dogs is so high in Brazil that memes are made on them, T-shirts are printed, viral songs are made and even tableaux are taken out in their honor in the carnival parade. Even the proposal to place them on the Brazilian currency was discussed.
In 2020, there was a demand to put the picture of this dog on the 200 reais note, which got more support.
Attempt to create national heritage in Brazil
Caramelo is a Portuguese word, which means light brown color like caramel or toffee. Because of this color, brown stray dogs in Brazil are called ‘caramelo’.
In 2019, this dog went viral on social media. Its popularity grew so much that people started demanding to replace the bird on the Brazilian 10 reais note with a picture of a caramel dog. About 50 thousand people signed a petition started for this.
After this, in 2023, Brazilian lawmakers introduced a bill, demanding to declare Caramello Street Dogs as national heritage. However, this law has not been passed yet.
After this, some states including Sao Paulo made laws at their level giving them the status of cultural heritage. Recently a large number of such brown dogs appeared in a dog park in Rio de Janeiro.
In the year 2025, a Netflix film was also made on Caramello dog.
Caramello developed in 100 years
According to research, Caramelo’s roots go back to the dogs that Portuguese colonists brought with them to Brazil. Later immigrants from Italy, Germany, Spain and Japan also brought dogs of different breeds.
Industrialization increased in Brazil between 1930 and 1970. During this time, when people from rural areas came to cities, they also brought with them the dogs that guarded the fields and animals.
They interbred with small domesticated dogs already present in the cities. Today’s Caramello dogs came into existence after several generations of uncontrolled breeding.
These brown dogs are also found in Mexico
In April Mexico’s environmental prosecutor’s office declared the Caramello a Mexican breed. In its statement, the office said that the purpose of this step is to change the negative thinking of the people regarding local and stray dogs.
Claudia Edwards, associated with an animal organization in Mexico, said that such brown dogs are found in large numbers in Mexico too. The reason for this is the similar history and weather of both the countries.
He said that Brazil was the first to recognize these dogs. But Caramelo does not belong to just one country, but to the whole of Latin America.
Caramelho Dog is very popular among the people in Brazil.
Caramel dogs adapt easily to hot weather
These brown dogs are seen in almost every city of Brazil. Local people often feed them and also take care of them. In many places, they have become common dogs of the localities.
According to experts, their short and light brown fur gives them an advantage in hot weather. Due to this, less insects attack the body and they are able to live easily even in strong sunlight. Due to being a mixed breed, the risk of many congenital diseases is less in them.
This is the reason why these dogs are very strong and can adapt themselves to the circumstances.
Many Caramalos are in shelters despite rising popularity
Caramello dogs have grown in popularity but a large number of them are still in shelters. Juliana Camargo, founder of Ampara, Brazil’s largest animal welfare organization, said people still don’t choose them for adoption in the first place.
According to a global study by animal welfare groups, there are more than 20 million stray dogs in Brazil. Camargo estimates that these contain more than 90% caramelo.
Juliana Camargo believes that if Caramelo dogs get recognition in both Brazil and Mexico, more people will come forward to adopt them.
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