No one knows how long he had been alone before that day.
In Providencia, Santiago, Chile, a stray dog began hanging around near the garbage truck. The garbage collectors saw him skinny and disoriented, looking for something to eat between shifts. And instead of ignoring him, they did something no one expected: they took him with them. They named him —Basureke— and from that moment on, he became one of the team.
@marstudiomariajos join us to see Basureke on his workday on TVN with his friends, the garbage collectors from Providencia thanks, guys, for taking care of Basureke @Municipalidad de Providencia @TVN #doglovers #caninosfelices #perritosvirales #perritostiktokers ♬ Funny Song – Funny Song Studio & Sounds Reel & Thomas Hewitt Jones
The waste collection company had a reflective vest made for him, identical to those of his human coworkers, so that nothing would happen to him on the streets. Basureke climbs onto the truck’s ramp, walks alongside the workers, and even helps gather bags with his snout, as if he understood that this, too, was his job.
A video by user @Marstudiomariajos showed that routine in December 2022 and surpassed one million views on TikTok. Since then, Basureke is no longer just the neighborhood dog: he is the companion who found a job, a family, and a vest tailored to him on the same day they decided not to leave him alone.