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Monday, March 22, 2010

Who Let the Dogs Out?


WOOF! Other than the language of spanish, that's probably the other sound that you are likely to hear if you ever visit BA. The city has love relationship with dogs and it is very in to be kind to canines. In my early days in the city, I remember stumbling upon a very strange an interesting park in my early days in the city as I was walking around. As I was walking through a park, suddenly I came across at least 20 dogs. They were all in a fenced in area and appears like someone was taking care of them.

The sight that I saw was very similar to here in North America when suddenly you see someone walking a bunch of dogs because they are "pet-sitting" them. But only this time, the dogs were all in one area just playing around and having a good time. Fascinated by this site, I asked a man nearby what this was all about and if they were street dogs. "No" he replied and he explained to me that the owners leave the dogs here during the daytime and then come get them. As it would turn out, that park would not be the only place where suddenly you come across what seems like an army of dogs. There are many spots in BA just like this and after you've explored the city for awhile, it becomes a common sight.

Seeing this only confirmed to me that this was the right city for me, being a dog lover myself. And strangely enough, the there doesn't seem to be alot of strays like you would expect in big cities. But even the strays that are there seem to have found a place in the city. I will never forget once when I was walking back into the residence while Buenos Aires was having another one of it's rainy days. Two stray dogs had found a nice dry spot and were cuddled up together and were happily dozing. And it is not uncommon to walk through the city and see dogs (both with or without dog owners) having their own little siesta.

Never have I lived in any one city where i felt that there was a love specifically for this one animal. Even though at this moment, it is not possible or practical for me to own a dog, being able to live in a city where they are cherished and are everywhere does kind of make up for it in some strange way. It's as if just by living here, we all get to be proud dog owners to every pooch that calls Buenos Aires home. And to honor our 4 legged friends, I have posted a link to an incredible video of our canine companions being filmed at 1000 frames per second. It is the most incredible homage to dogs I have ever seen!

Dogs, Art or Both? Dogs Filmed At 1000 Frames Per Second
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Amorous Alpacas

Amorous Alpacas