Anyway, I agree with you about how it can be heart-wrenching to see dogs on the street, in particular for me the ones who have been so obviously loved at some time in their life, only to be discarded to the street when they get too big, o lo que sea. Still, I don’t think it’s quite so bleak, or at least not a specifically Argentine affliction. Argentines love their dogs, although they don’t have quite the same relationship with them as we have in North America, for example. In fact, I think many American dogs are neurotic due to strange, co-dependent dynamics, but that’s not the case at hand. As you mentioned, a lot of the street dog “issue” is due to a culture of not castrating animals here. Just try suggesting an owner castrate his or her dog and you’ll see a look of confusion, because it’s as if the thought has never once crossed their minds. My boyfriend’s family has a male labrador who escapes several times a month, causing lots of stress to the family as it is a beloved pet and they worry someone will take him. Of course, he is off chasing the neighborhood females. We always fight about this, because to me it is obvious, but it’s a topic that his family just doesn’t…. it’s like they just don’t get it. The idea of castrating an animal is so…foreign. This makes me think the problem is educational, as well as somewhat political. We neuter our dogs in the US now because it at some point became an issue, and that is what needs to come about here. Already this year people have started making an issue of dog poop in the streets, and now nearly all dog owners pick up their dog’s droppings! That is an incredible change! Additionally, the cats in the botanical garden have started to breed out of control, and so there is now an NGO that specifically picks up the cats and spays and neuters them. It’s becoming an issue, and people are becoming aware of it. These cats are then released back to enjoy their lifestyle. Which brings me to another point: the dogs abound in the streets in Argentina because they aren’t killed, like in the US. The Humane Society in the US takes in dogs, and there is a 3-week window to claim or adopt them, and then they are euthanized (which, if I’m not mistaken, was shortened to one week after 2008 because of the influx of pets due to people losing their homes). So, be it that we might feel sorry for these dogs in Argentina, I’m sure they are much happier alive and on the street than rounded up and “put down.”