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| "Me and Charlotte the Miniature Dachshund" |
There are five things the Argentine absolutely adore: their families, their steak, their soccer, Evita Peron and…their dogs. Yes, Argentina is the land of pampered pooches. Even though Buenos Aires is a large city and a good majority of families live in small apartments, a large percentage of people own dogs, even big dogs are popular. If you come to Buenos Aires in the winter you will notice something rather peculiar and comical, the dogs here wear clothes. The Argentine are pretty whimpy about cold weather to begin with, hailing from Colorado where temperatures are known to dip very low in the winters, accompanied by snow and ice, I know what cold is. However, if the temp gets anywhere below 50 degrees people here bundle up with heavy coats, hats, scarves, boots and gloves and then there are the incessant complaints of how cold it is. So if the people are freezing, that must mean that a forty pound German Sheppard must be as well, therefore, he needs a coat. All throughout winter, I saw dogs of various shapes and sizes adorned in doggie sweat shirts, fleece jackets and pea coats. It doesn’t just stop there; dog clothing has become popular and even fashionable. While walking in my neighborhood of Caballito one Saturday I spotted a young guy strolling with two large Boxers. I regrettably did not have my camera, but if you can imagine this, these two dogs were wearing stripped dog t-shirts, baseball caps, and one dog was carrying around a Kermit the Frog stuffed animal in his mouth. It wasn’t just the ridiculous outfits but the fact that these dogs and there owner had a look haughtiness about them. They looked cool, and they knew it. One afternoon in Flores, I spotted an old woman walking a toy poodle who was sporting a dress and was wearing miniature Chuck Taylors, she wasn’t just walking, she was prancing. One day while riding the bus, I saw a man carrying a rather large dog wrapped in a baby blanket. The pained look on his face made me think something was wrong with the dog; he ran to the street corner and was immediately met by a cab driver ready to take him and his dog to the vet. The people here love dogs. You can see in the prideful look on their faces when they walk them, the friendliness they show towards stray dogs and the fact that I have never once seen a street dog being mistreated. I am not sure who brought this cultural characteristic to Argentina or how it developed but I think it’s something the Argentine should be proud of.
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"Cartucho" -My friend's pampered pup.
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| "Just a guy and his dog out for a Sunday stroll..." |
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| "I don't think there ever was a happier dog." |
