Bicentennial Chile Dog: And we have a winner!

Posted on Friday, January 8, 2010 by | 31 Comments

Chile has a thing about its dogs, especially its quiltros!

Dog representing Central Chile on mural outside old Diego Portales building on Alameda

Love ’em–or not–they’re part of the national culture and landscape and will have their place in the limelight during Chile’s 2010 Bicentennial celebrations.

Remember the government-sponsored search for the Bicentennial Chile Dog ? The National Mutt photo competition? Pitching for the perfectly pictorial pooch project? The hunt for the Quiltro del Bicentenario? Well the results are in and the winners declared.

The judges (members of the Bicentennial Commission, the Photographic Heritage Corporation, and several photographers) poured over the 700 photos of canine candidates to find just the one that represented the concept of “quiltro” in Chile, guided by the DRAE definition: a dog of mixed breed… and have found their mutt of the hour:

And the winner is…… Cachupín!

Quiltro Bicentenario "Si para ser felices" de Oscar Fuentes, Chillán

1st Prize: "Si para ser felices" by Oscar Fuentes, Chillán

Oscar Fuentes of Chillán won first prize (a Nikon Reflex Digital Camera d-40 w/ 18-55 lens) with his image “Si para ser felices” of a dog he calls “Cachupín” and its master, both of whom appear a bit down and out, but the judges appreciated the shot for the story it seems to relay: the pup’s cocked head and perked ears showing attention to his master, who appears to be counting change, while the dog waits patiently for a bit of attention. Fuentes explains that “the dog is not observing the money, but rather the intentions of being fed… and his only means of payment are faithfulness, happiness, and in cases like this one, the enormous need for companionship.” He goes on to say that “among the many facets of this particular chapter in our culture, it is important to emphasize this other side of the exacerbated contempt of street dogs.”

The runners up:

Second Prize
Quiltro Bicentenario "Sensei" de Gabriela Manríquez, Temuco

2nd prize: "Sensei" by Gabriela Manríquez, Temuco

Photo Title: “Sensei”
Photographer: Gabriela Manríquez
City: Temuco
Prize: Nikon Coolpix L-15 Camera

Third Prize
Quiltro Bicentenario "Gótico" de Carlos Agurto, Santiago

3rd Prize "Gótico" by Carlos Agurto, Santiago (Recoleta)

Photo Title: “Gótico”
Photographer: Carlos Agurto
City: Santiago, Recoleta
Prize: Nikon Coolpix L-14 Camera

And 3 Honorable Mentions, who received $100.000 (Chilean pesos) each:

Quiltro Bicentenario, Mención honrosa "Alambrito" de Gianinna Schade, Maipú

Honorable Mention: "Alambrito" by Gianinna Schade, Maipú

Quiltro Bicentenario Mención Honrosa "Libertad" de Alvaro Hoppe, Vitacura

Honorable Mention: "Libertad" by Alvaro Hoppe, Vitacura

Mención Honrosa: "Julio come en Julio" de Catalina Illmer, Las Condes

Honorable Mention: "Julio come en Julio" by Catalina Illmer, Las Condes

Congratulations to all the winners and the corresponding pooches!

The public commentary–pro and con–is already starting to flow in (See, for example, Cooperativa’s “Si para ser felices…” ganó concurso de fotografía del “Quiltro del Bicentenario,” where the comments range from congratulations, happiness, and pride, to indignation and criticism).

And YOUR opinion?

Like the photo?
Is this a shot that should represent Chile and Chileans in its bicentennial hour of glory?
Should we be celebrating its street dogs?
Should Chile be spending money on this kind of project?
Got something else on your mind?

See other dog-related posts on Cachando Chile:

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19 Responses to Santiago de Chile Part II: Of Dogs and Men…

  1. Margaret – You are a blogaholic and I enjoy every minute of it. My understanding was that “you would not be able to post as often this week”, and here you are, blogging away.

  2. Well, technically it’s Kathleen doing the work (and on the firing line) right now!

  3. Oh the dogs.
    My personal take on the matter is:
    1.- We are lazy about it. If it doesn´t affect us directly, we´ll have 100 other things to think or do before worring about street dogs that don´t belong to us in the first place.
    2.- Should we control EVERY animal that shares space with us? Should we sterilize and/or provide shelter the pigeons, rats, flies, cats or anything that live around us? This obsession with controlling somehow everything around us is sick. I´ve been in other countries, without any dog in sight on the streets. Those cities are clean, but I´ve also seen how most cats and dogs live there, and I don´t like it. Castrated, in cages, or forever confined inside little yards, to be ignored and left alone, until their masters remember them for some reason. (Of course, there are a lot of people that love their pets too, but what I described first is sadly acceptable and also somehow expected).
    3.- Can´t we just share the space we took by force from nature? Is the only acceptable place for an animal a cage or the meat display of a supermarket?
    4.- If those dogs, that are everywhere, are fat and seem happy, is because they have food, (and now you can call me crazy) so they are helping somehow to recycle part of OUR OWN waste of energy and resources, that otherwise would end up in a pile of trash.
    5.- I´ve read that in some places in NorthAmerica, my fellow groundhogs are poisoned and killed like a plage, for eating flowers in some old lady´s yard. If that´s the right way to deal with animals around us, I don´t want it.
    6.- Those dogs have a function that you can only understand after spending a few months or so in Chile. They are everyone´s and no one´s pet. They can belong to a street, or a yard, or a plaza, and live their lives peacefully there.
    7.- If we had the same population of stray dogs and cats, but sick and aggresive, then I would understand there´s something really wrong in all of this.
    Being a city groundhog myself, this subject gets personal xD

  4. Wow Marmo! (have you noticed how often I start a response with “Wow Marmo”?) I see this really hit home, but rest assured that I have neither seen nor heard of any plans for attempting to control urban groundhogs in Chile!
    Your opinions are very interesting… and you KNOW there are plenty of dog lovers out there who are going to call you out on them!
    Personally, I’m on the fence. For me the bottom line is responsibility. People need to take responsibility for their pets…and that also means taking responsibility for any pups or kittens (or marmotitas) that result from “nature’s way” need to be cared for and not just dumped on the street or worse.
    They also need to be responsible for any damage they do–whether that is biting someone or tearing the trash apart–if your dog did it, you need to take care of it.
    That said, I love that there are fat & happy dogs on the street that coexist with people… and I loved the whole idea of the Bicentennial Quiltro as something that Chileans (granted no all) identify with.
    What’s everyone else think?

  5. Thanks Margaret!
    I agree, if you do own a dog, you have to anwer for what it does. Strangely enough (I don´t know if in Santiago they have the same “culture”) but dogs here in Temuco rarely destroy the trash bags or cans. They seem to do pretty well from restaurants and groceries leftovers. Maybe helps that meat and milk are way cheaper here (I was talking to my dad a few days ago, he lives in Santiago and said that filete or lomo, I can´t remember, cost around 8 lucas there, meanwhile the same cut can be found at 4,5 lucas here in Temuco).
    I think that the dog population somehow self regulates; there are plenty of food, but even if they reproduce, I´ve never seen in any city that they breed to the point of have dozens of hungry dogs around, I think they should have a self regulated system (as animals, they are naturally balanced in that way) to not get pass the point of sustainability.

  6. I’ve seen dogs trashing the trash more times than I want to remember–but people throughout Chile tend to put their trash in high baskets or hang it from high hooks so the dogs can’t get at it. It may have to do with food, but I think it’s also related to canine curiosity.
    I also think that many of those dogs really do have homes to go to as the sun goes down (or comes up, as the case may be).
    I’m not so sure about the self-regulating theory. The dogs are not left to their own devices in the wild, but co-existing with humans who interrupt their ability to self-regulate. Furthermore, there are places outside of Santiago that people go to dump their unwanted dogs, and it is an incredible (and scary) experience to go through there even in a car (and I shudder to think of anyone trying it on a bike!)
    I guess I’m just looking for a happy medium!

  7. I tend to agree with Marmo’s take on this issue when he talks about controlling things. I personally think that, particularly in North America, we have gone nuts! For example, here in Canada it feels there is very little one can do that DOES NOT violate some bylaw, city regulation, or human right code. In an effort to create a more orderly society we have gone overboard and have overregulated everything.
    We cannot control humans to the extent that society would like to see. I don’t think I am alone when I feel like screaming: “please leave me alone” and stop complaining. I just want to go back to Chile, buy a small piece of land in the middle of nowhere, raise chickens, and hopefully NOT violate anybody’s space or rights.
    In Malawi you will be arrested for passing wind, (Malawi Government Proposes Fart Ban) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/04/malawi-bill-proposes-fart_n_818674.html

    Give me a break!!! and leave those happy Chilean dogs alone.

  8. Well I´m not an expert on the matter, and caould be wrong, but stray dogs in Chile are different in many ways to those I´ve seen in Mexico and Peru. At least here in the south, we never see them have demographic explotions. It´s true that people interfere with them all their lives, but I don´t think they ask for permission or advice whether to reproduce or not, and yet, there they are, fat and lazy, waiting for the green light to cross on a corner, behaving better than some humans.
    And…
    Hahahah, John Carr, you would be a wonderful groundhog!

  9. I am a groundhog! The picture you see of me has been carefully photoshopped to resemble a human being.

  10. @John- good point about governmental regulations–there are always 2 sides–while they take care of you on one hand, but they do it by placing limits on your freedom…now THERE’S a topic I have a lot to say about (note to self: write up THAT post!)
    @Marmo- So what do you think is happening differently here than in Perú and Mexico–AND, as Kathleen has mentioned, in the D.R.? Kathleen attributes it to something in Chilean culture. Makes sense to me…!

  11. Help us stop Big Brotherism, PLEASE. It is stifling all of our lives! Let’s hear what you have to say, soon. It may help lower my blood pressure.

  12. hajaja- no, sorry, it’ll probably RAISE your BP. I probably haven’t written it yet so it doesn’t raise MINE!

  13. Sounds like there may be fireworks coming up here.

  14. I have no idea of what could be different here. And is something across all Chile, dogs are 99% friendly.
    Maybe Peruvians and Mexicans use more chili in their foods, so that ends up affecting their dogs, xD

  15. haha- as in the revenge of the chili dog? Naw- I’m sticking with culture and how people feel about and treat animals! As in the place of animals in the culture…
    Any else have ideas?

  16. Oh, the dogs. I’m a bit torn on the dogs. I lived in in Pirque, near Puente Alto and dogs were often dumped out on the road. They hung out around the trash dumpster and looked far from well fed. Everyone around already had several dogs and the strays kept coming. It was really sad to me-here we have a couple dog parks which I could not possibly explain to a Chilean. Also, on the road to cajon de maipo, many, many stray dogs, sadly looking for the car that left or might pick them up. And pregnant females, often no more than puppies themselves-and people are generally against spaying and especially neutering. There are many dogs that aren’t dangerous-indeed look like Tramp but there are others who have mauled folks.

    As much as I hate unnecessary laws, they need some. Vaccination, spaying, neutering, licenses.

    But the dogs all disappeared. No idea what happened but I would guess it’s not good. And since you can’t tell which are pets, I would guess some roaming pets disappeared too. Different municipalities are different-I heard of one that actually has a dog pound type facility.

    One last note-I was raised in a rural area in 1950s Montana-before all the laws. And if your pet roamed, it was quite legal for a neighbor to shoot it. Probably still is, but people keep their pets home. Things change. If people don’t behave responsibly on their own, then we have more (many times stupid) laws.

    Many of the street dogs were real cute and smart. I would like to see adoption encouraged and identifying collars for all pets. And spaying and neutering.

  17. Yes, Laura, when I mentioned the dumping grounds for dogs, I was specifically thinking of the area between Pirque and El Cajón del Maipo. Both sad and scary out there! And volunteers take enormous bags of dog food out there just so they don’t starve to death. No one can convince me that this is better than neutering. Each animal should be a wanted pet, not some burden to dump on the side of the road… who DOES that kind of thing?

  18. Dog and animal consciousness, (is there such a term?) are part of the evolution of a society. Here is an example that Laura mentions, “I was raised in a rural area in 1950s Montana-before all the laws. And if your pet roamed, it was quite legal for a neighbor to shoot it”. I am not aware of any state in the US where shooting animals is still permitted.
    It is easy for Americans or anyone else to take their current values and try to ‘export’ them to another country without taking into consideration that that other country has not reached the same level of development or evolution.
    Many foreign visitors who arrive from a more advanced society will find fault with many aspects of Chilean society. However, as Annjie mentioned, it will put things in perspective when we make ‘apple to apples comparisons’ and realize that, as recently as the late 70’s, Chile was truly a third world country. “Rome wasn’t built in a day”

  19. John- I bet it’s pretty common to shoot an errant dog in the Chilean countryside too. Part of protecting your own animals. That pretty much looks like apples and apples to me.
    But the real discussion has more to do with urban culture, and this isn’t about exporting anyone’s laws to Chile or even about whether or not Chile is 3rd world (not this post anyway). But rather a reflection about (1) how/why it is that in Chile (unlike elsewhere) so many dogs share the public space with relatively little friction, and (2, which came up in the comments) the contradictory flip side of this laissez-faire-live-and-let-live attitude that results in so many abandoned dogs left to fend for themselves in certain sectors just outside the city.
    Obviously other countries have dealt with the roaming dog & irresponsible owner problems by creating pet control laws. Chile needs to (1) decide if it has a problem (there seems to be some internal debate on this), and (2) what it’s solutions will be.
    The bottom line in any peaceful society is respect and responsibility. Spontaneous social norms are the first step toward instilling culturally defined standards in the members of said society, and then laws are created as recourse to enforcing those standards. So in the end, it’s a matter of defining the place of dogs in Chile’s urban culture, getting people to agree on that role, and making them responsible for their actions in order to respect the rights of others.
    Hmmm- I’m thinking out loud here… am I convincing you?

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Lost Dogs: Quiltros  & Hero Dogs (November 25, 2009)

In Search of the Bicentennial Chile Dog (October 30, 2009)

Chile: It’s a Dog’s World (April 14, 2009)

** All images are reproduced here with permission from the Chile Bicentenario Commission.
For more information on the competition, see ChileBicentario: “Si para ser felices...”.

This entry was posted in Animals, Identity, National Symbols * Símbolos Nacionales and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

31 responses to “Bicentennial Chile Dog: And we have a winner!”

  1. Here Be Dragons | Friday, January 8, 2010 at 2:51 pm |

    I’m rather amazed. Really? A national dog?

    I do love the red in that photo though…

  2. Margaret | Friday, January 8, 2010 at 2:54 pm |

    Yep–and not just ANY dog–it had to be a quiltro! They’re everywhere here (no leash laws to speak of) and the butt of much controversy of late!

  3. Shark | Friday, January 8, 2010 at 4:39 pm |

    Hmmm…….at least two of those hounds (2nd place and one of the also rans) look suspiciously like pure breeds. It’s a shame first prize doesn’t have a face…..kinda defeats the purpose and just makes it a bog standard photography contest.

    Number 2 is my winner. He does have four legs, right? He not just a VERY happy three legged dog?

  4. Margaret | Friday, January 8, 2010 at 4:59 pm |

    Hmmm- you may be right about the breeds–I couldn’t say. I too like the 2nd shot (4 legs and all), although the first shots SAYS a lot more. I actually like that we don’t see his face–the tilted head and cocked ears tell it all… I’m just not so sure that this is the image of Chile we want to promote for the Bicentennial!

  5. eileen | Friday, January 8, 2010 at 7:47 pm |

    Congrats to the winners, and I do love this about Chile. A national mutt?!

    too bad they couldn’t put the money towards a national dog sterilization (not euthanasia) program, but I’m psyched for the photogs and their prizes. And that red is electric!

  6. Margaret | Friday, January 8, 2010 at 8:02 pm |

    Hey- what a great idea! I like it! Maybe what they should have done (or could STILL do) is have all the contributors send $5 lucas with their pic (pay to participate) and the funds raised could go toward the sterilization program! Maybe make it two-fold–part for street dogs and part for pet owners who want to neuter their pets!
    It just might work!

  7. Kyle | Saturday, January 9, 2010 at 12:18 am |

    The first runner up pic, photographically speaking I think is WAY better than the others. But I guess this wasn’t just a photography contest…

  8. Margaret | Saturday, January 9, 2010 at 1:10 am |

    1st runner-up–is that the 1st honorable mention or 2nd prize? (I’ve never been clear on that distinction!)
    Overall, it’s like you can see the reasoning behind most of the shots–and clearly it was not simply a matter of good photography–but I wish I could see the rest! Photographically speaking (maybe I should say photo-journalistically speaking) I like the winning shot a lot, but I just don’t see it representing Chile. I mean, it does, but not the Chile I want to promote. In that sense, I like the “picardía” of the dog with the marraqueta (probably the least Photoshopped of them all) or the absolute relaxedness of the dog sleeping up against the wall… I wish I could see the other 694 entries!

  9. Marmo | Saturday, January 9, 2010 at 1:24 pm |

    ¡Qué buenísimas fotos! Creo que si no hubiera ganado la que ganó, hubiera sido complicado tenerla en segundo lugar o como mención honrosa, es demasiado buena.
    Capturar en una foto toda la “quiltricidad” de los perros callejeros es una tarea casi imposible, creo que estuvieron bien elegidos los ganadores; es muy subjetivo decidir cual es realmente la mejor, eso probablemente dependa de nuestra propia imagen mental de lo que es un quiltro.

  10. Still Life in Southeast Asia | Saturday, January 9, 2010 at 9:13 pm |

    My favorite is Julio in Julio because it conveys the scrappiness and unquashed joy of quiltros. It is the least interesting composition-wise, but there is something about that dog’s face that arrests me. It’s like Marmo says–Julio is my prototypic quiltro.

    I agree with Eileen. I think the quiltros could use the money to prevent more quiltros. No matter how much we love them, we’d be better with fewer.

  11. Sara | Monday, January 11, 2010 at 12:33 am |

    I would say third prize is an amazing photo even if you can’t really see the dog who looks sort of wolfish against the background.

  12. Margaret | Monday, January 11, 2010 at 10:02 am |

    Marmo-
    Excelente concepto: ¡quiltricidad! Ahí nos llevas también a la línea fina entre qué es un quiltro y qué es un perro callejero.
    Creo que muchas veces pensamos que son lo mismo, pero en realidad, cualquier perro puede ser callejero, independiente de su pedigree, mientras el más quiltro de los quiltros puede ser el perro más amado y mimado de todos! y también hay un 3ª categoría que aqellos perros que son los cancheros de la calle pero con casa y amos que lo quieren.

  13. Margaret | Monday, January 11, 2010 at 10:06 am |

    Sara- There we have it! We have managed to collect a vote in favor of each of the photos!

  14. Lisa | Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 12:20 pm |

    I think the winning photo is a beautiful photo and if it was just about photography then it would be a great choice to win.
    Upon saying that… what were the judges thinking?! It was about finding the FACE of the Bicentennial, not the back and cocked ears of the Bicentennial. I mean, the story to go with it is very nice, and the photo is pretty but you can’t even see the dogs face.

  15. Margaret | Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 12:37 pm |

    Good point. Shark also made the same comment, but I suppose we could make a metaphoric explanation about the “facelessness” of Chilean street dogs in general. Along that line, we’d have to talk about the same facelessness of the person in the shot. I can’t even be sure if it is a man or woman. How many people are out there on the streets, eking out a living tending cars or waiting for a few coins from strangers. We don’t know who they are, where they come from, and where they go at night. Maybe that’s what Marmo had in mind when he talked about “quiltricidad.”
    I repeat, for all I recognize that this is a very real side of Chile (both in dogs and people), I see it as something we should fix rather than celebrate in the Bicentennial.

  16. Marmo | Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 2:43 pm |

    Hay un breve ensayo, que no recuerdo bien donde leí, que habla de las personas y perros que viven en la calle como “los invisibles”. Estamos tan acostumbrados a verlos e ignorarlos, que al final, no tienen rostro en nuestras mentes.

  17. Margaret | Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 2:47 pm |

    Sería buenísimo verlo. Si lo encuentres, ¿nos puedes avisar porfa? Un tema muy, muy interesante!

  18. Marmo | Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 4:42 pm |

    Lo encontré. Los postulados del autor creo se aplican muy bien a toda sociedad que cree estar bien económicamente, pero ignora a una parte de sí misma.

    http://www3.niu.edu/~td0raf1/1960s/Other%20America%20excerpt.htm

    En Chile celebramos como un triunfo la entrada en la OCDE, y aparentemente la pobreza ha disminuido, sin embargo, queda mucho por hacer.
    Los quiltros en las calles son parte de las muchas tareas pendientes que tenemos como una sociedad; el desarrollo económico no basta por sí solo.
    Espero no haberme puesto demasiado grave con el asunto, estos temas me interesan mucho.

  19. Margaret | Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 5:00 pm |

    ¡Muchas gracias Marmo! Hice una lectura rápida y preliminaria y me parece sumamente interesante. Voy a tener que leerlo con calma más tarde.
    Se trata de un texto escrito sobre la situación socio-económica en los Estados Unidos en el año 1962, y hay ciertos aspectos (no todos, por supuesto), que se podrían aplicar aquí y ahora. Valdrá la pena reflexionar un poco sobre el tema.
    Ahora bien, quiero aclarar que no estoy asociando la presencia de perros callejeros con las necesidades de las personas en la misma condición—lo que puede ser obvio a algunos—sé que tenemos lectores que pueden sentir de otra manera.

  20. Marmo | Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 5:15 pm |

    Si, es cierto. Los temas son distintos, al menos para mí los perros en la calle tiene un componente cultural chileno que escapa a su vez del tema de la pobreza.
    Probablemente los habría aunque enfrentáramos de mejor manera el tema de las personas sin hogar.
    Los quiltros tienen más que ver con nuestra irresponsabilidad e indiferencia con respecto a estos animales, y, tal vez contradictoriamente, pero de una forma bien “a la chilena”, con que nos gusta también que estén ahí, al final mucha gente los alimenta o indirectamente los cuida.
    Es raro ver un quiltro callejero flaco, al menos en el centro de Santiago.

  21. Margaret | Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 5:24 pm |

    Creo que estás apuntando a algo que no he sabido expresar bien… no todos los perros en la calle son abandonados, así es que, dejando al lado el tema de las personas que viven en condiciones de la extrema pobreza–tema que merece una discusión más seria por sí sola—entre los perros callejeros existen dos tipos: por un lado los con hogares y dueños y que tienen total libertad de correr las calles y, por otro lado, los que no tienen otra opción. Creo que los amos tienen la gran responsabilidad y deber de acceptar que si vayan a dejar que su perro corre, hay que esterilizarlo, justamente para evitar que se produzca más perros callejeros abandonados.

  22. Margaret | Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 5:32 pm |

    Sigo reflexionando… hay una idea que he ido decantando desde hace tiempo—aún no he llegado a una posición firme y me encantaría saber qué piensan los demás al respecto, pero esto de dejar los perros correr me parece caber dentro de un rasgo común aquí de ser un poco más proclive a “dejar vivir y no meterse” en asuntos ajenos… de no intentar controlar al otro–sea humano o animal–tanto como en otros países/culturas…
    Mi marido me dice que le parece muy extraño encerrar a un perro, que su naturaleza es correr, mientras mi lado gringo me dice que un amo tiene que controlar esa naturaleza animal de su mascota, que si va a vivir entre seres humanos tenemos que exigirle un comportamiento “más civilizado”. Quizás es por eso—esa obligación tan poca natural de obligar a un animal obedecer leyes que va en contra de su naturaleza—que los perros gringos se vuelven locos si logren soltarse de vez en cuando!

  23. Marmo | Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 6:22 pm |

    Ahi está el factor cultural del que hablaba. He leido casualmente en otras oportunidades opiniones de europeos y norteamericanos respecto de los perros, y siempre me ha parecido bastante frío el trato controlador y restrictivo que (al menos me da la impresión) dan a sus mascotas.
    Ciertamente que dejemos perros (con o sin dueño) deambular indefinidamente por la calle no es la situación ideal, pero muchas veces he notado que en otros países, las personas piensan en términos como los que acabas de exponer

    “controlar la naturaleza animal de su mascota”
    Nunca dejarán de ser animales, con sus propios instintos, adiestrarlos hasta que abandonen completamente su naturaleza me parece no solo cruel, si no abusivo, por parte nuestra. No son juguetes, son seres vivos, como cualquier otro.

    “si va a vivir entre seres humanos tenemos que exigirle un comportamiento “más civilizado””
    No creo que ellos en algún momento elijan vivir en ciudades, o elijan donde vivir del todo.
    Somos nosotros los que invadimos la naturaleza, no al reves, al menos desde mi punto de vista, un mejor ejemplo ocurre en aquellos lugares donde animales que años atrás sólo vivían en el campo, hoy son acusados de “invadir” las ciudades… ¡Pero si ya no les queda casi donde vivir!
    Sé que el caso de los perros es diferente, incluso creo que es peor, por que es fruto de nuestra irresponsabilidad, no de ellos.

    Te cito, sin ánimo de antagonizar, si no por que justo esas frases muestran claramente un enfoque que es diferente, ni mejor ni peor que el nuestro, de dejar los a perros irresponsablemente libres por todos lados.

    Supongo que no podemos ganar todas; sería muy bueno que los perros tuvieran su propio espacio y su población estuviera controlada dentro de ciertos márgenes. Creo que eso tal vez es posible, actuando más responsablemente.

    En mi opinión, muy personal, prefiero los quiltros, y su convivencia simbiótica en las ciudades, a tener un mundo de animales-objeto.

  24. Margaret | Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 6:59 pm |

    Para aclarar la situación (si es que falta claridad)…
    Últimamente he pensado mucho en este tema y quería comentar que veo que hay dos polos de pensamiento al respecto. No estoy diciendo que “mi lado gringo” es lo correcto—para nada. Más bien me gusta ver los perros en la calle (siempre que son quietos y no presenten peligro), que comparten el espacio público igual que los gatos y pájaros y, como en mi tierra natal, las ardillas.
    Lo que sí—insisto—es la necesidad de la responsabilidad con respecto a la “propagación” (por así decirlo) de animales no deseados simplemente por dejarlos “actuar según su naturaleza”—o los mantienes encerrados o los esteriliza…

  25. Marmo | Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 7:08 pm |

    Si, es necesario un actuar más responsable. En realidad creo que siempre fuiste clara en lo que dijiste, y con tu último párrafo estoy completamente de acuerdo.
    Sólo tomé como ejemplo lo que habías mencionado antes, para ejemplificar otro enfoque al respecto, quizás hasta se salió de contexto, pero no fue esa mi intención.
    Lo que hace falta es una política pública definida sobre este asunto, por que ahora al parecer está en tierra de nadie.
    Los perros dependen de la buena voluntad de algunas asociaciones o personas particulares, pero eso no basta. Debiera de una vez por todas hacerse algo a nivel nacional, de manera uniforme, no sólo campañas aisladas de algunos municipios.
    Probablemente, es un tema que se diluya o choque contra un cerro de otros temas más urgentes, pero mientras no se evite que sus números crezcan sin freno, la propagación que mencionas efectivamente sólo aumentará el problema, quizás hasta qué punto.

    …En fin, buenas las fotos xD

  26. Margaret | Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 12:03 am |

    Ai, Marmo, ¡qué civilizados que somos! 😉
    For the record, no sentí que habías salido del contexto… la verdad es que es un tema amplia con muchos ángulos distintos que merecen ser vistos, visitados, explorados y seguidos…
    Lo que parece cierto es que estamos de acuerdo que hay que hacer algo al nivel estatal que obligue a la gente tomar responsabilidad. No basta con tener política pública si no hay ningún organismo dispuesto o capaz de hacerles respetadas. De hecho, creo que HAY leyes al respecto, pero falta a alguien que las puede implementar.
    Aunque un lado mío sueña con la libertad total y la bondad del ser humano, ya he vivido demasiados años para seguir siendo tan idealista (qué triste haber perdido esa inocencia de la juventud). La realidad es que la gente ya está con miles de otras responsabilidades y obligaciones y, asumir voluntariamente otras más es difícil. Creo que la realidad es que hay que imponer algún tipo de legislación que se les obliga actuar en una manera más responsable.
    Ahora bien, tal como dices tú, hay tantas necesidades humanas que eso de los perros parece asunto hasta superficial, pero igual plantaría lo siguiente:
    Todas las mascotas tendrían que ser registradas, con collar que lleva los datos de contacto de su dueño (puede ser una suerte de código para proteger la privacidad). Luego, si se lo pilla peregrinando y no sea esterilizado, hay una multa fuerte. Paralelamente, debe existir algún fondo para ayudar a los que quieren esterilizar sus mascotas. Sé que no es la forma ideal, pero ¿qué hacemos? ¿alguien tiene otra idea?

  27. Still Life in Southeast Asia | Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 2:08 am |

    Hace mucho que no escribo español; entonces les pido disculpas por mi escritura.

    Estoy de acuerdo con tus ideas, Margaret. Tal vez sea idealista pensar en esterilizar todos los perros quiltros (no solamente en Chile, sino por todos lados). Como has dicho, la cuidad y la gente no tienen este dinero. Ademas, hay temas mucho mas importante para proteger los seres humanos. Es cierto.

    Pero me gusta mucho la idea de esforzar una registración de perros con dueños. Y un fondo para ayudar la gente interesada para esterilizar sus mascotas me pone muy contenta. La verdad es que este tema siempre viene en el fondo de la lista de quehaceres en cualquier gobierno o ciudad.

  28. Margaret | Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 10:17 am |

    Apologies to our English-speaking-only readers, but this conversation in Spanish is very interesting… When I get a bit of time (ha-ha-ha), I’ll summarize for all in English!
    In the meantime…

    Sigo pensando (no hay una solución fácil)… creo que estamos en el camino correcto, aunque se me ocurre que en teoría podría resultar en una disminución de quiltros (en el sentido de razas mixtas)… lo que sería una lástima tremenda. Dicen que son mucho más amigable, fieles, estables, etc. que los de raza pura… Así es que cómo encontrar el equilibrio para tener perros queridos y bien cuidados sin tener los abandonados y hambrientes?

  29. Marmo | Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 1:01 pm |

    Look what I found:

    http://www.conciencia-animal.cl/paginas/leyes/leyes2.php

    Also, in the Senate news from 10/19/2009
    http://www.senado.cl/prontus_galeria_noticias/site/artic/20091016/pags/20091016173700.html I found this:

    “RESPONSABILIDAD DE DUEÑOS

    Según explicó el senador Girardi esta iniciativa responsabiliza al dueño o tenedor de una mascota o perro por los daños que cause.

    “Este proyecto sanciona a quien tiene un perro y no lo cuida, a quien tiene una mascota y no la alimenta, la deja botada en la calle, o sin identificación, pero al mismo tiempo este proyecto resuelve un problema que es histórico como el de las fecas de los perros en la calle”, dijo.

    La iniciativa establece la responsabilidad civil objetiva por la actividad dañosa de animales y la del Estado-Municipio respecto a la actividad dañina ocasionada por animales o perros vagos.

    Asimismo, dispone la obligación de contar con un Registro Municipal de Mascotas.

    Cabe recodar que este proyecto ya fue votado en su totalidad por la Comisión de Salud del Senado, pero ésta no lo ha despachado a la Sala a la espera de que la Dirección de Presupuestos envíe el informe financiero respectivo, donde señale los recursos adicionales que se le entregarían a las municipalidades para cumplir con las funciones que se le encomiendan.”

    So, the law number 20.380 (there is a lot of laws xD ) about animal responsability and treatment, makes the owner responsible for his or her dog, so, the ID system Margaret mentions should be obligatory.
    That seems to be the way to follow. What we lack now is a way to encourage and apply this new law. That usually takes some time here in Chile.

  30. Pingback: Pitbull free to roam: the flip side of the Chile’s street dog issue « Cachando Chile: Reflections on Chilean Culture

  31. Rodrigo | Friday, October 28, 2011 at 4:52 pm |

    Hola!

    Me gustó las fotos…
    Yo encontré el sitio cuándo buscava por una persona llamada Gabriela – y vi un imagen donde hay un PERRO EN UNA PARED; interesante!
    Me gustan los animales… Y perros también.

    Saludos,
    Rodrigo Rosa (Brasil)

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