Buenos Aires, an adventure in Boxers

As a long time volunteer for BRLA, Boxers are part of daily life. Between those living in our home and the hundreds staying in the BRLA kennel, a daily Boxer fix is a must.
Besides Boxers, travel is another personal passion. Our two Boxers travel many places with us (you might have seen Big and Georgia's Excellent Adventure) but South American was not a trip they could go on. Our dogs were set with a home sitter for over two weeks and we were prepared to miss those funny faces and crazy personalities.

We knew that our trip would include the gracious people of South American, savory foods and the delicious Malbec wines of Argentina. To our suprise our adventures in South America became a suprise adventure in Boxers as they are one of the most popular dogs around. Enjoy the 13 brief glimpses of some Buenos Aires Boxers.

- Joni, BRLA volunteer.

Paseaperros

One of the most unique sites in Buenos Aires are the dog walkers or Paseaperros. The city is the 10th most populated in the world and they love their dogs. The city is mostly vertical living in multi-story apartment buildings. With busy work schedules the dogs need walkers to provide them with the outside experience they cannot get in a flat. It is not uncommon to see a walker with dozens of dogs. Sixteen was the most we saw during our stay. It is something to see as all dogs walk in harmony and total peace. Most of these dogs are un-altered and the fact that they all get along is nothing short of a miracle. Actually it’s a credit to the Argentine way of life. People there are confident and very relaxed. Dogs are dogs and they are happy just being dogs. It is obvious they do not have the emotional baggage as dogs of other cultures do.

Charo

As we all know Boxers are social butterflies. Meet Charo the cuchi-cuchi Boxer of the Buenos Aires café scene. Day or night you would find Charo and her mom having a coffee or a cocktail in one of the trendy sidewalk cafes. Charo would wander from table to table, not to beg for food, but simply to acknowledge her fellow diners. Charo was also a fashion hound with her shiny chain necklace. As it turns out what we thought was jewelry for dogs was actually a triple choke chain. It was functional as well as very fashionable. Charo was one chic chick.

Parque Las Hadas

We had an apartment in a chic neighborhood called Palermo Chico. From the window of our 7th story flat we could see Parque Las Hadas, one of the larger city parks frequented by the Paseaperros. A walker will arrive at a swanky apartment and park his growing pack to a light pole. They wait patiently as the walker goes up to get the newest member. Once down, off they go until all dogs are picked up. Then it’s off to the park. They run, socialize, hang out and enjoy about 3 hours of quality time before the drop off procedure begins. These are some of the happiest well balanced dogs we have ever seen in our lives.

CeCe

We met Cece (or perhaps her owner was simply saying Yes, Yes – Si, Si) the day of the Academy Awards. This park was being decking out for a big red carpet event that evening. Cece and friends were getting in some play time before the black tie crowd arrived. Cece was the typical Boxer, chasing all the other dogs around, getting along with everyone. Typical for Buenos Aires, not so much for us back in the states. She was a beautiful young girl who lived a charmed life in this beautiful Boxer filled city.

Amigos

Buenos Aires is by all appearances very much a European city. It was founded by a flood of European immigrants. Most indigenous people were driven out. You can see the Italian influence in the architecture, language (a kind of Italian Spanish) and the food. The Spanish are the other predominate immigrant influence with culture, food and language. The German influence is apparent in two of the three most popular dogs you see: Boxers and German Shepards. Labs are the third most popular. Sadly they do not spay/neuter as we do, but all these dogs exist in harmony and surreal canine serenity. Go figure.

Grupo de Perro

The Paseaperros do not just walk the dogs. It’s a complete social outing where when returned home the dogs are both physically and mentally exhausted. The parks of Buenos Aires are filled with people, going here and there, sun bathing, kids playing in parks (most parks have a working carousel in them) and non stop people watching. Along with the other dogs, there is a lot of mental stimulus for the dog out with walkers. Some dogs run free, others are tied in groups to trees to chill and observe for awhile. It’s an amazing canine social circle and Boxers are always in the mix.