#quiltros

I want to rant about some of the most obvious differences between Chile and the United States. When I enter a store or am walking down the street, people tend to say hello...people aren’t wandering around with headphones in their ears and their noses stuck to their phones...I don’t mean to bash the United States, but the culture here is much more welcome to human interaction. And humans are social creatures, so shouldn’t we naturally want to smile at people on the street and strike up a conversation with a stranger? Since when is it not “cool” to talk to a stranger on the subway or in a store?

The purpose of my rant and the pictures above is to point out another large difference between the US and Chile--the stray dogs or “quiltros”. This one small word holds a lot of meaning down here--especially in Santiago.

While quiltros are basically stray dogs, referring to them as such is an insult to these furry friends. Quiltros wander through the parks, follow groups of people around the city, and even wait for the traffic lights to change when it’s safe for them to cross the street. When you encounter a quiltro on the street, you pet it or feed it or just let it rest near you. These dogs only want human interaction because humans in Chile have always welcomed these dogs and treated them with love and respect.

The picture above is from Parque Forestal--a park near the hostel I originally stayed at in Santiago Central. These cute little houses are exactly what you think they are: dog houses. The entire population of Santiago welcomes these dogs. In the US, we usually shy away from stray dogs. Most of them have been mistreated or abandoned and no longer trust humans. It’s sad to see stray dogs in the US, but it’s even worse to know how they ended up as strays.

Trabajo realizado por el amigo "bellodesorden" (pueden encontrar su trabajo como tatuador y como graffitero en su instagram del mismo nombre). Ubicado en la comuna de Pudahuel en el callejon de los perros.