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Health & Fitness

The Dogs of Chile

Those who know me know I love dogs. The love may not be a strong enough term. I am obsessed with dogs particularly my dog the famous "Heidi Feldstein" – actress and writer.

(you can read Heidi's deathless prose here)

Whenever I am traveling I always miss her (oh yeah and my wife) and so when I see dogs on my trip a big smile always crosses my face. Well there are a lot of dogs in Chile – some well taken care of and some not (those I wanted to take home). But some were just amazing.

Besides being an actress and writer Heidi is also a herder. She escorts our houseguests when they leave the room (it can be a little disconcerting when you open the door to leave the bathroom and there she is waiting to escort you back to our living room) and makes sure no one spends to much time near our refrigerator. And if you are plumber, electrician or someone coming into our house she will keep a constant eye on you.

But, while in Patagonia I got to see real working dogs. As we were leaving Torres del Paine we came across 2 gauchos on horseback driving their cattle to another location. Along with them were several dogs who kept the cows from going on the road or into a ditch. It was amazing to watch these dogs loving their work and listening carefully to the gaucho’s whistle so that they knew exactly what to do. I am sure Heidi would have joined right in!

Watch "Dogs of Chile" on You Tube http://youtu.be/IDGHOsqj-BY

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