Over the last two weeks, we've been thinking a lot about the lack of good fencing keeping dogs and livestock within their respective properties, and what kind of problems we are seeing as a result. Although people visiting Chile from other countries automatically assume that the street dogs they see are all dogs who have been abandoned or born in the street without owners, the reality is actually that the majority of the dogs that we see in the streets have owners that do not contain them in their yards , and generally maintain a low level of responsibility for their pets. These dogs roam the streets looking for food, breeding with dogs in heat, chasing (and often killing) livestock and/or wildlife and spreading diseases among themselves and to other species. Additionally, they pose a great risk to themselves and others when they run across highways, and cross busy city streets.
Here are a few pictures of the type of fencing that allows for free passage of owned dogs in and out of their yards (click on the pictures for a much better quality photo):
Here are a few pics of uncontained dogs and livestock- you can imagine the problems they could cause in busy traffic! We have barely escaped hitting numerous dogs ourselves since moving here, and are coming to realize the daily risk of hitting something larger like a horse or cow.
This mom and all her pups were all standing in the highway when we stopped to take pictures. One puppy barely escaped being hit! We ushered the pups back to the side of the road where they stood for a family photo!
Think of the potential environmental contamination (parasites and diseases) from this very common event....
This little guy walked right in front of our truck way out on a back road one day, and gave us this look...we had no idea where he was coming from or where he was going.
After seeing some of these pictures, it seems obvious that if people were to fence their yards properly, it would solve a lot of problems. However, if the solution was so simple, we would probably not be here working together with Chileans! Consider this: the culture of animal care and what constitutes responsible pet ownership in Chile is very different from that seen and expected in Canada for example. Certainly dogs that are contained safely in their yards pose no risk to the general public, other dogs or livestock. But what about the quality of their lives? What about their ability to access supplementary food and water if they are not receiving enough? Is it fair to expect that owners struggling to earn a living, or those whose pets are just not a priority in their lives, should be expected to spend time playing with their dog, training them, socializing them and taking them for daily walks?
This dog for example, is well-contained, safe from traffic, and poses absolutely no threat to others. What do you think about the quality of this guys life?
So perhaps some people should not have a dog...??
With respect to dog welfare- this may be true. Yet if you do a search on Chile and crime... just have a look at what is happening here. People use dogs for personal and home protection. In the three and a half months since arriving here, we have already been robbed once and been seriously chastised many, many times for being "careless" - for example driving in the city with our backpacks on the back seat where they could be easily stolen if someone broke our window at a stop light, leaving anything in the truck including an empty bag or box, leaving our house door or gate unlocked at any time of day or night, leaving a laptop in a locked office, etc, etc, etc - all things that seem strange to us as newcomers. This past weekend, we found out that we are recent victims of identity theft... so before jumping to any conclusions we have to think of all the repercussions of our assumptions and actions.
What would happen if the majority of people had no dogs???Lots for us all to think about...comments are most welcome!
