Mexico has so many abandoned dogs on its streets that they’ve become part of the landscape and are now called a "representative breed"

Mexico is facing a massive stray-dog crisis, with abandonment deeply normalized and millions of dogs living on the streets.

The mixed-breed “Caramelo” has become a cultural symbol of this reality, standing in for the country’s common street dogs.

Despite their constant presence in everyday life and pop culture, these dogs are still rarely adopted.

The issue is increasingly seen as a structural animal-welfare and public-health problem, while institutional responses remain insufficient.