PlanetEye

One thing that is hard to miss in Santiago are all of the stray dogs walking around the city. While the sight of so many dogs might make some people uneasy, there really is no reason to fear them. In fact, the dogs are some of the best mannered dogs I have ever seen. The dogs just seem to know what is proper and what is not. They tend to congregate around places where they are more likely to get left over food, but the dogs will not bother you when you are eating. I have eaten outside at many sidewalk cafes and no dog has ever approached me while I was eating. They just lay around patiently in case someone wants to give them a scrap from their plate. Much like feral cats these stray dogs are street smart and just know how to survive in the city. One of the more noticeable traits of these dogs are their patience in crossing streets.  The dogs wait at the intersections until people start walking before they cross busy streets and just the other day I saw a dog make a protected left turn across one of the busiest streets in Santiago. Who would have thought a dog would have been smart enough to wait until it had the right of way before crossing the street. So next time you are walking around Santiago keep an eye out for the dogs as they are just as much part of Santiago as the views of the Andes.