Walking around the streets of Chile, whether in the hills of Valparaiso or the noisy city of Santiago, visitors cannot help but notice the large number of stray dogs roaming throughout the cities. For the most part these dogs are harmless, but there have been incidents of attacks and many of the dogs carry diseases. Visitors and locals alike have been cautioned to ignore them. However, recent action by the Chilean government is underway to make sure these dogs are getting the vaccinations and sterilizations they need. It will take some time, but caring for the animals and preventing unwanted puppies will solve this social problem.
In my Science in Perspective course at St. Edward’s I chose to write about an article found on Science Direct called “Do dogs get the point? A review of dog–human communication ability.” According to the Science Direct journal, written by Juliane Kaminski and Marie Nitzschner, numerous experiments have been done proving dogs are able to understand social cues better than other animals because of the adaptation hypothesis which claims dogs may have been specifically selected for certain tasks for which using human forms of communication was necessary. For example, dogs are selected for desired traits of understanding humans in order to hunt or herd. This proves why dogs are considered mans’ best friend. Dogs are able to communicate with us on another level other animals are not. The journal proved this by comparing dogs to chimpanzees (humans’ closest relative) and wolves (dogs’ closest relative) and found dogs are able to communicate with and understand humans better than both of those other animals from birth on. Experiments prove at a young age, puppies are skillful at understanding human gesture, which shows this is not a skill dogs learn overtime. One way scientists tested this hypothesis was to look at dogs that have had little to no contact with humans such as street dogs. The results showed street dogs tested just as well as dogs that grew up in a family home when it came to understanding human communication. The journal then looked into dogs’ closest relative, wolves. Results showed even when wolves are raised in a human household; they are outperformed by dogs with human communication. Next, a test was done looking at dogs compared to humans’ closest relative, the chimpanzee. Results showed when dogs and chimpanzees are directly compared; dogs outperform chimpanzees in how successfully they use communicative cues given by humans.
The findings of this journal are interesting when connecting the results to the stray dogs of Chile. Even though many of the stray dogs grew up on the streets with little to no interaction with humans they are still able to understand some human cues and communication. For example, I have found almost all of the stray dogs in Chile respond to me speaking in a high pitch voice and waving them over. By treating them similarly to how I treat my dog at home, they respond in a similar way my dog would by wagging their tails, perking their ears up, and excitedly walking toward me. This observation enforces the results found in the study.
I grew up in a home where our dog was considered part of the family so I feel as though dogs should be given the proper treatments in order to survive a healthy life. That being said, during my first few days in Chile I assumed the stray dogs did not have the best lifestyle because they were filthy, lonely, and hungry. Seeing dogs on the street, without love and attention was breaking my heart. My love for dogs and caring nature began to kick in and I felt the need to give the dogs attention anytime I could (which I found to be difficult since I was not allowed to touch them). I would consider my caring nature both a strength and a weakness when it comes to stray dogs. My caring nature is a strength because I want to fight for a healthy lifestyle for the dogs; however, the weakness of my caring nature is that I could put myself in harm’s way trying to show love and affection to the stray dogs because of the diseases they carry and potential attacks.
Throughout the first few days in Chile I assumed the stray dogs were unhappy with their living conditions because I could physically see how dirty and mangy they were and the lack of love and attention they were receiving; however, with time I began to question whether their lives were better in pounds in the United States. Dogs in Chile appear to be well fed, they are free to roam the city, and they get to play and interact with other dogs all day and night while pound dogs in the U.S. are restricted to a small cage, with minimal exercise, and sometimes their lives are taken due to lack of space in certain pounds. I’m beginning to think my original assumptions were wrong. The life in Chile for dogs is not so bad after all compared to the alternative way of living in the United States.
A current article in The Economist, “Spay as you go,” focusses on recent government action in Chile to make sure stray dogs are getting the vaccinations and sterilizations they need as well as making sure pet owners are being responsible with their animals. There are also billboards and signs throughout the country pushing pet owners to make responsible decisions when it comes to their pet’s needs. A short term solution to stray dogs not receiving the care they need would be to educate Chile on pet owner responsibilities. A long term solution, in order to change the conditions for good, would be to pass a law for harsher penalties for pet owners who do not live up to their responsibilities as well as vaccinating and sterilizing stray dogs throughout the country.
Throughout the first few days in Chile I assumed the stray dogs were unhappy with their living conditions because they are treated differently in the United States. In the U.S., dogs are not considered a wild animal; to many people they are considered like a companion or family. In Chile, dogs are commonly looked at as a wild animal so many people do not feel the need to show the stray dogs love and attention. However, over time I questioned whether their lives were better in U.S. pounds or free on the streets of Chile and I realized that the life of a stray dog in Chile is not nearly as bad as I first assumed. I do believe dogs are a man’s best friend, but if dogs are not living with man than why restrict them to a cage? Maybe roaming the streets and begging for food is not the best solution but neither is locking dogs up in small cages and killing dogs when pounds are full. Culture and history will play a large role in how this problem is resolved in Chile. I am here for only a month. I believe my sensitivity to this issue has been heightened with my experience in Chile and it will change my behavior and attitude when I return to the United States.
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