Vixen in Vina

This cute little young pup was strolling along the beach checking the views. I took these two pictures standing in the same spot. She's got a great view, but I wish she also had someone to take care of her!

Looking Cute in Chiloe

I want to make sure that not all of the dogs I post on here are in dire situations. These two guys I ran into while sight seeing in Chiloe. The first pup was with his owner in an artesional market and looked quite comfy.

This other guy was too cute to resist photographing sleeping outside a typical Chiloe stilt house.

Caged in Chiloe

I'm assuming this guy had a home because he was locked in this backyard, but he had no food/water/shelter and looked uber sad. I really wanted to spring him and bring him with me, but sadly that isn't an option.

Friendly pup in Chiloe

This guy was itching with excitement as we walked up to him on our way to the water in Chiloe. He couldn't resist jumping up when I stopped to take a photo of him. He was super friendly and followed us down to the shore line and wandered and waited while we took pictures. He had this odd wide color on, that I wasn't sure if it was a collar or a piece of trash he had gotten stuck around his neck. Thanks for the tour buddy!

Welcome to Patagonia.....tummy rub please!

Exhausted I exit my plane, pick up baggage and head outside to climb into my rental car, and look what I found. I didn't have time to fulfill his request for a tummy rub, but couldn't resist snapping this pic. He was still at the airport when I returned 3 days later to greet me by the door. This pup was young, not even a year old. He needs someone to scoop him up and give him the belly rubs he so much deserves. I would buddy, I would, but Jersey is really far away.

Lunch Buddy

This adorable lady made her way into the outdoor seating area of the cafe where we were having lunch. I know I probably shouldn't but, she was super cute, so I gave her a piece of bread. Evidence is even in the pic. She came and layed down next to us while we ate and just kept smiling up at us. After I finished eating, I starting petting her (one of the few street dogs i've touched) and she rolled over onto her belly. Mind you we're at a restaurant....ooops. This girl should not have been on the street. Afterwards, we went right out of the cafe and she went left. Good luck, girlie, it was a pleasure meeting you.

Hankering for a slice

This smart mama I saw in the Plaza Moneda was quite resourceful and found herself a FULL slice of pizza! I watched her scarf it down quickly.

On another note, I had dinner with some Chilean friends last night and asked about the street dogs. He noted that there were a few factors at play:

1. The earthquake left a lot of people without a home or forced to move to smaller apartments which meant, their beloved pups quickly became street dogs in a large number of unfortunate cases.

2. Although I've read Chileans may be opposed to spay/neuter because of the Catholic culture, my chilean friend said its more likely that people just can't afford the surgery. The surgery needs to be done by a vet so most people opt not to spend the extra money.

3. The government has not put forth an effort to encourage spay/neuter through low cost surgeries/mobile clinics, etc.

Kings of the Castle

This guy I found near Baquedano chilling like Prince Edward himself. Seemed to be checkin' out the scenery enjoying the sights.
This is one of three dogs I found chilling at the Moneda Palace. There are people all about taking photos and guards pacing the grounds, its almost as if these pups were invisible.

This guy was sunning himself on the glass tiles directly in front of the palace. I'm sure there were people roaming around below looking up at him as well.

This guy caught me by surprise because he's not the typical german shepherd Chilean street dog. He was sitting there in front of a woman outside the palace selling chocolate and appeared completely content with his surroundings.

Pan Please?

I found this guy and his sad look waiting outside the panaderia (bakery) front door. He didn't move the entire time we were inside enjoying empanadas and looked as if his owner had stumbled in and forgotten to stumble out with anything for this poor guy.