Along the wide avenues and in the many parks of Barrio Norte and Palermo, you'll often be treated to an impressive sight that's probably unique to Buenos Aires: the paseaperros , or professional dog-walkers . Joggers holding seven or eight prized pedigrees on leashes are surprising enough, but these dilettantes are rightly held in contempt by the beefy specialists who confidently swagger along in spite of being towed by twenty to thirty pet dogs, many of them bigger than they are. You can't help wondering how it is they don't get tangled up or lose one of the pack, but they never seem to. These invariably athletic young men are not paid just to take wealthy Porteños' Afghans, Dalmatians or Wolfhounds for a stroll, with inevitable pit stops along the way, but must brush and groom them, and look out for signs of ill-health, which is why many of them have veterinary training. Paid on average $100 a month per animal, they perform these vital duties every weekday - the dogs' owners usually manage the chore themselves at the weekends. The number of paseaperros on the streets is regarded as a litmus test of the prosperity of the northern barrios; fewer dog-walkers implies less money in circulation.