On street dogs

Picture a street dog in Latin America…

Got an image? If you are like I was two months ago you would have conjured up a picture of a mangy, half-starved creature that you would hesitate to touch with a ten-foot pole for fear of losing your hand or gaining a nasty parasite. This unfortunate class of animal is what I have experienced on the streets of Mexico and Costa Rica and if I had been asked to guess at the condition of Santiago’s street dogs I would have assumed I would find the same here. But, I would have been wrong.

As it turns out, the four-legged inhabitants of this city of approximately 6 million two-leggeds are quite well fed, well mannered, and as far as I can tell, largely content with their lot in life. I do occasionally, come across an individual who appears to have lost his share of territory battles, but if the average neighborhood mutt brushes my pant leg on my way to work I don’t have the sudden urge to burn and replace my wardrobe. The dogs around our building are not aggressive (except towards the odd moving vehicle), they will beg for food if you have some, but know how to take no for an answer, and wait patiently at the crosswalk for the light to turn green. Yes, they use crosswalks. And probably do so with greater adherence to traffic laws than their average human counterpart who will dash across a busy street given any semblance of a break in traffic. Now I don’t supposed they actually pay attention to the alternating red hand and green walking man (especially given supposed canine colorblindness), but they do appear to possess a uncanny knowledge of the one-way streets in their neighborhood and understanding that a cluster of humans walking between two white lines on the pavement means safety.

I can’t exactly pin point the reason for the Chilean street dog’s relative high level of well-being, but I have some guesses. First, food: Santiagans do not use garbage cans. Trash is brought out to the street once a week - as it is in the United States, but it is not rolled out is impermeable plastic boxes, but in large trash bags; trash bags, which are easily opened again with a good set of carnivorous teeth. While this occurs but once a week for any given street, it is almost always trash day somewhere nearby and hungry dogs seem to have quickly learned the pickup schedule. This combined with a high success-rate of begging at restaurant doors keeps the ribs from showing through the fur. Second, tolerance by the taxpayer: Our aversion to stepping in feces of any species tends to be the largest source of annoyance that accompanies feral animals and street dogs here tend to dispose of waste where they live and we walk in the normal way. However, thanks to an army of civil workers, the pavement of Santiago remains remarkably clean (as opposed to the air, which I will likely touch on in a later post) and any undesired substance is removed from its surface within a day. Finally, housing: Apparently in lue of a Humane Society equivalent, dog houses have been constructed in Parque Forestal near our apartment and are occupied by a few lucky souls. Oh course like any public housing project, the accommodations are limited and many must do without a proper roof. However, given the city’s mild climate and a thick coat of fur, many animals make do just fine with a simple piece of dry cardboard at the foot of a bakery door.

As was pointed out to me by an acquaintance with veterinary tendencies, there is undoubtedly a darker side to the street dog world of Santiago. Without proper health services such as family planning or emergency care, the healthy and happy individuals who inhabit our neighborhood almost certainly represent a fortunate minority who have survived the Darwinian struggle playing out in this concrete jungle. But for now, this likely reality is hidden from my eyes and at least for the successful few individuals that I witness, this jungle is a fruitful playground with few dangers – provided they never catch that speeding SUV.