These dog walkers in Buenos Aires went viral during the coronavirus lockdown as they took the pets out for walks on a bus.

Footage shows the pooches boarded the bus and piling onto the seats before taking naps as they're driven by León Darío Sipes to their destination.

Sipes said: "The customers were surprised. They were not expecting it. On the street there are people who look surprised. It is a beautiful madness that benefits dogs.

"I had a car without back seats and the companion to take the dogs. The small dogs were going ahead, the big ones on the back. In total there were ten. Until I thought of buying a used bus to give them greater safety and comfort. I have 'The Beast' (as he calls his bus) for two months: the first school bus in Argentina used to carry dogs."

Despite dog walking for five years, his trips became viral when one of his clients shared a video of the vehicle upon arriving at his home to pick up his dog.

SHOTLIST:

1. Argentina from the air in quarantine
2. Various of dogs traveling by bus
3. Various of dogs playing in the dog park
4. Various of the dogs returning to their homes

STORYLINE:

One of the trades that most attract the attention of tourists visiting Argentina are the dog walkers, which abound in the streets and squares, especially in Buenos Aires.

They are young people, who take dogs that mostly live in apartments, and whose owners don´t have the time to take them out for a daily walk.

But the dedication of León Darío Sipes to his job went further, and for a few months he goes to look for his “customers” by bus, where dogs travel comfortably to their daily destination.

From Monday to Friday, after 7 AM, Sipes begins the tour from the Parque Patricios neighborhood to look for the herd that has been walking for five years. After two hours of traveling through the streets of Buenos Aires, he arrives at La Isla de la Paternal, a green space located in front of the Faculty of Agronomy.

The difference between Sipes and the rest of the walkers is the way to transport the dogs. Most do it walking or cycling; There are also those who use trucks or adapted cars.

"The customers were surprised. They were not expecting it. On the street there are people who look surprised. It is a beautiful madness that benefits dogs," says Sipes.

"I had a car without back seats and the companion to take the dogs. The small dogs were going ahead, the big ones on the back. In total there were ten. Until I thought of buying a used bus to give them greater safety and comfort. I have "The Beast ”(as he calls his bus) for two months: the first school bus in Argentina used to carry dogs,” says proud Sipes.

Despite being in the activity for five years, his trips became viral when one of his clients shared a video of the vehicle upon arriving at his home to pick up his dog. The particularity of using a school bus gave greater impact to its appearance on the networks.

Sitting, but a little impatient, dogs expect their walker to accommodate the leashes to lower first to the smallest and then to the largest. Then, when the bus door opens, Toreto, Ecate, Pisculichi, Uma, Coquito, Luna, Dawa, Lola, Mora, Astor, Teodoro, Achilles, Tita and several other dogs run down until they get tired for two hours and then return to the transport that will take them back to their homes.

According to the latest available data from the Annual Household Survey, carried out in 2014, it is estimated that there are 250,000 cats and 430,000 dogs in the city of Buenos Aires as pets of the Buenos Aires families. But there is no approximate number of people dedicated to caring for pets or regulations that regulate the activity.

The Pets area of the Buenos Aires government continues to offer free courses for walkers that are not mandatory. These trainings explain good practices for walking pets and living with neighbors, among other points.

The topics addressed are canine behavior, responsible possession and care, tools and safety at work, role and responsibilities of the walker, animal abuse, dog bites, how to act in conflict situations, obligations that the dog walker and coexistence must fulfill In the public space. There are also notions of veterinary medicine, first aid, zoonosis, heat stroke, wounds, dermatitis, castration and toxic plants.

The dog park in the city of Buenos Aires are 67 spaces created and equipped for animals to discharge their energy and feel safe.

"I am with them in the kennel for an hour and a half or two. They run, they get tired and when we have to hit the back I call them and they come right away. The idea is that when they return they fall asleep in the evening and are calm until the other day we walk again, "says Sipes, with part of his pack around.