There has been scant research on the presence of stray dogs in cities. Studying their very considerable presence in Concepción (Chile) provided a unique opportunity to learn more about the different patterns of sociality and territoriality exhibited by the dog species. Via a set of case studies, we examined the behavior of urban dogs, adopting an ethnographic methodology. This yielded findings of the dogs’ cognitive, social and spatial adjustment abilities, i.e., their territorialities. Our hypothesis was validated: We found numerous types of sociability, we confirmed the presence of two previously established categories: family dogs (pets, guard dogs and beggars’ dogs) and stray dogs (dogs almost entirely unused to humans, aggressive dogs at the far end of the campus and feral dogs in the woods). We also identified three new ones: familiar stray dogs in packs (dogs both spatially and socially close to humans), pet-stray dogs (i.e., village dogs interacting closely with people) and free-roaming pet dogs. We conclude that an ongoing two-way bond between humans and animals allowed these dogs to became part of a city’s urban identity and explains the stray dogs’ plasticity in terms of adapting to the diversified urban habitat. We postulate that it was the human culture and range of urban areas in Concepción that gave rise to this unique diversity of sociospatial positioning and level of adjustment (e.g., dogs crossing crosswalks).
RESUMENEl análisis y estudio de los caminos en la cartografía histórica de Chile nos desvela la articulación de un territorio complejo e integrado, a diferencia de la visión lineal sesgada actual norte-sur. La recuperación de esa visión este-oeste representa una nueva mirada ante los problemas de ordenamiento del territorio. Este proceso representa una vía de redinamización regional (Región VIII y IX) e internacional (en relación con las provincias argentinas de Neuquén, Mendoza, Río Negro y La Pampa), acorde con su pasado histórico, colonial y mapuche. El reencuentro de las sendas, nos lleva a la comprensión de este territorio y a su apropiación identitaria, como claves para su desarrollo futuro.Palabras clave: Caminos, cartografía histórica, territorio.
ABSTRACTThe analysis and study of trails in Chile's historical cartography will show us a complex and integrated territory in contrast to the present slanted linear vision (North-South). The recovery of an East-West vision, rooted in a Mapuche and colonial past, represents a new perspective on regional development problems and an answer to regional (Region VIII and IX) and international border crossing revitalization (related to the Argentine provinces of Neuquén, Mendoza, Río Negro and Pampa). The retracing of the old footpaths will help us to render that land more understandable and to intensify its territorial identity as clues for future development.
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