Dogs.

Everywhere.
Big, small, skinny, fat, fluffy, scruffy, balding, smelly (mostly this one), and everything in between
No big deal.
If you're Chilean.

I'm still freaks me out when I am sniffed at four times by curious mutts on my way to the metro, greeted by three dogs at the grocery store door, accosted by two athletic dogs during a hike, and annoyed by a pack of mangy, hungry park-dwelling dogs.

In case you were wondering, the dog population of Santiago is 1.25 million.
The people population is 5.2 million.
Apparently it is fairly common for Chilean families to let their dogs wander around during the day, but about thirty precent of the dogs on the street don't have a home.

It's sad.
And also strange.
I don't know whether to pet them, start carrying ScoobySnacks in my purse, bark back, or start sniffing butts.

On another note, I think perhaps I will rename the Santiago metro "The Mystery Machine," as I never seem to be able to understand what the announcers are shouting over the loudspeakers...