The Protest Dogs And Their Stories

Of the different ways that man has devised to demonstrate, street and mass protests have become one of the most forceful, by mobilizing a large number of people to exhibit their position for or against some issue or situation, be it political, social, economic or cultural.

One of the peculiarities that on many occasions can be seen in this type of demonstration is the presence of canines in the middle of the mass of people.

Sometimes, they are even participants in the actions that are committed, which has caused many dogs to be considered icons of the protests.

Given this curious fact, we will present below the two most outstanding cases of protest dogs.

El Negro Matapaco, symbol of the Chilean student struggle

If we are talking about a dog that is usually present in mass marches, it is impossible not to think first of the Negro Matapaco, since it is a small four-legged that has become known worldwide for its participation in numerous student demonstrations that have occurred. in Santiago de Chile.

Far from being daunted by tear gas or dangerous water cannons, this cannon has always been rebellious and subversive towards the police, who are a uniformed police entity of a military nature. His aggressiveness and bravery is such that he has several Facebook and Twitter pages with thousands of followers.

Owner of a protective and student-friendly character, it is very normal to see this dog walking in places such as Usach University, Republic District, Central University and Utem University. When meeting young people, they caress, feed, and place colorful scarves on his neck.

It should be noted that the fame of this dog has been so impressive that the audiovisual production company En Marcha Films made him a successful and award-winning documentary, in which each of his adventures and details is broken down.

Loukanikos, the main figure of the Greek protests

When the demonstrations against the austerity measures exploded in the Hellenic country, no one imagined that the person who would end up being the visible head of the massive marches in the streets of Athens would be a brown-and-milk canine of mixed race.

His fierce spirit has been so notorious that he has faced anti-riot members in Greece on numerous occasions, without escaping from the detonations of firearms, the explosions of tear gas and the atmosphere of violence and chaos that on many occasions occurred in the protests .

This has earned him to be considered a hero and an inspiration to many Greeks, who have seen in him the figure of the subversive citizen, who struggles incessantly to assert his rights and help his fellow soldiers when they face the police. Idolatry has been such that murals have been created in his honor.

In addition, this dog has his own YouTube channel and Facebook account, both of which have thousands of followers.  Also, he owns a blog in which he is called a protester and anti-establishment dog.

Why are dogs participating in protests?

According to the specialist in canine behavior, Erick Lucero, when a dog is part of a march, the attitudes that it develops in it are due more to environmental stimuli than solidarity with the slogans or ideological positions.

Similarly, he emphasized that the reasons why dogs participate in these are the following:

• The attraction generated in them by the commotion that occurs in the environment, which makes the dog enter the protesting mass.
• On some occasions, because of knowing or having seen a person who is part of the march before.
• In situations where violent events occur, to see everything that happens as a kind of game.

The truth is that, although the opinions of this prestigious specialist are true, no one can deny that dogs like Matapaco or Loukanicos are not only participants, but also highly representative figures of social protests.