Oddly one of the few places where I saw street dogs (which can be the best, happiest dogs in the world) on my last visit to Santiago was in the plaza in front of the presidential palace (La Moneda). The funny thing was that the dogs tended to group with other humans. They especially seemed to like couples especially when the dogs were couples as well -- maybe it's the pheromones at work :-)

BTW - The chilean mutt or Quiltro, in my opinion should be considered a national treasure. When well fed they form an amazing part of the city's ecology. You never see them fight, most are incredibly intelligent (I think this is a Darwinian process, dumb dogs don't survive long in busy cities or their streets) and have amazing schedules that they seem to maintain. On a future trip I would love to do a mini photo-essay on these dogs.

This is part of my Santiago, Chile Gallery, see more by clicking below: