DOGS OF CHILE
There were dogs everywhere around Chile. After trudging up a huge dune — there were two dogs chilling out. They looked at us as if to say “what’s the big deal?”. James and I were later shocked to stumble across one in the middle of a cave walk too. It squealed and cried begging for something. We weren’t sure if it was stuck or hungry. Turned out it was simply playing tricks, it could easily move in and out of the steep rocks. We spotted another as we pulled up to a beautiful waterfall and one was sitting on top of a 3 metre high wall. A family had adopted one for their stay in the Atacama Desert, giving it lifts around in their ute. I received a message on Instagram from a panicked tourist who had developed a strong connection with a dog in San Pedro. It had waited outside their hostel but had gone missing and they feared the worst. She wanted to adopt it, so asked me if I had seen it anywhere. Packs of dogs would gang up on one other, nipping at each other’s paws as they chased through the streets.
They seemed gentle and received ample pats and hugs from both locals and tourists. There were a few that were aggressive, but only towards cars. Unbelievably a few jumped and barked at the bonnet.
I started capturing a few of my favourites. I couldn’t believe how they looked like the type of domestic dogs found in Australia. All of them were bursting with personality — some were inquisitive, others just sleepy.
They seem to survive on trash and the scraps from restaurant tables which they’ll quickly pounce on once the guest had left. I couldn’t help but feel guilty about taking their photo — like it was a type of poverty-porn. Some were frightfully skinny and had matted fur.
