Where’s the Dog in Cachorro?

Not far from Madalena, on the north shore of the island is a little village near the airport called Cachorro. It is in this village, which has close to 30 basalt houses, that we went on a hunt to find the dog in the Arcos do Cachorro. Arcos = Arches

In this village there is an impressive group of lava formations right next to the sea, filled with grottoes and tunnels. Volcanic arches soar over the sea. Rocks have curious shapes, and one of them resembles the head of a dog which possibly gave the place its name (Arcos do Cachorro means Arches of the Puppy). That’s the dog we were hunting for.

And it wasn’t easy for us to find. We would look around and see clowns in the rocks, an elephant's trunk, a bear, human faces but we almost gave up looking for that famous dog.

But finally we saw it. Chris spotted its two ears. The dog looks like it was carved out of the rock and is looking out over the sea, mesmerized by the waves.

For many of the villagers, the dog is loved as they feel that it is watching over the island's safety. There is even a group called the Friends of the Puppy who take care of it.

We spent a morning driving on the coast road through several old villages from Madalena to Sao Roque. In the distance, the Pico Volcano appeared and quickly disappeared. The land is very rugged, yet beautiful, with its volcanic landscape and coastline. The lava block houses built closely together with their red doors, outdoor kitchens and walled gardens are lovely. We didn’t see many people though…Read more