Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais: Pets and Animals

My experience in Minas Gerais is that everyone has a dog! The love of outdoor places and animals here is widespread. People really enjoy having their pets to get outside or to enjoy in their country homes. It has been really nice for me that there are so many pets because when the conversation gets too fast or I can't understand Portuguese anymore, I generally attract the dogs to pet while observing the conversation rather than participating in it. Plus animals really seem to like me - likely because I have been giving them so much attention and smell like a ton of other dogs.
This is a French Bulldog, my new favourite kind of dog, from my first dinner party in Brazil.
This is Coco, Carol and Lucas' old dog who limps everywhere contently.
This is Gigi's brother's pet monkey! Last Sunday we went to Roni's country home to have some afternoon tea and pao de queso and to meet his pets.
I particularly liked his two pet tucans. Tucans are native to Brazil though I haven't seen any in the wild. I don't think I have even seen a Tucan in real life before this visit. Normally he lets the Tucans fly free during the day in the neighbourhood and then they come home to sleep. He kept the birds in for me the day we visited.

Roni used to have two pet Macaws that he also let fly freely, but apparently they flew too far one day and were likely trapped by poachers to be sold at market again. That was a sad story. You would think it would be safer to keep these birds caged, but even on Roni's property there is so much room for them to fly and enjoy the tree fruits (there are 54 different fruit trees at his home) that the birds wouldn't otherwise be able to enjoy.
On our way into the condominio where Roni lives on weekends, I saw these weird animals in one of the lakes and on the shore. None of them were moving so I thought that they were some artistic statue feature for local residents. However at Roni's he showed me pictures of these animals and I said I saw them and thought they were statues!! He laughed, so on the way back we found them again, and their collection of offspring, so I was able to take a picture.

All dogs are great but this one was hilarious. His name in Portugues means Smiley, because as you can see he is smiling constantly when he is happy. Basically as soon as his tail starts wagging, the teeth come out.

I also have two dogs at the house where I am staying, Jaco and Juca, and will add a photo of them later. Jaco is very hyperactive and can jump like he has springs in his hind legs - though he is good friends with the sick cat Nene that weezes all the time and you'll often find them playing together or sleeping side by side. Juca is fat and more calm likely because he is epileptic and takes medication daily.