One of the things that has struck us from day one in Chile is the dogs. There are dogs everywhere from downtown Santiago to every small town we visited.
Some of these dogs are clearly pets either in yards or being walked by owners but a large number and perhaps a majority seem to be ownerless and they wander around freely.
Almost without exception, the dogs seem good natured and we did not see any malnourished although a fair number walk with a limp or rather stiffly.
There will be dogs lying on the sidewalk, at the side of the street, or sometimes well into the road.
During the day they will wander around, occasionally following someone for a few steps and once in a while someone will feed them something.
One of the Chileans we met said that there were in fact a mix of typical pet dogs and strays.
There is a relaxed attitude to the dogs and people step, or drive, around them and they are part of the routine of the day.
In some areas garbage in bags is hung from trees or fences to discourage scavenging , presumably by the dogs.
We have seen a fair number that look like our dog so perhaps he is part of a pinnacle of random breeding or an example of entropy.
All in all they add an interesting calming presence to the rhythm of life.
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