Forget soccer and samba. This caramel-colored street dog is Brazil's new national icon
SAO PAULO (AP) -- For decades, lanky stray dogs have scrounged for food on Brazilian streets, abandoned and overlooked. Today, the brownish short-haired mutts are having a major moment. The 'vira-lata caramelo' is being exalted in memes, videos, petitions, an upcoming Netflix film and Carnival parade, and draft legislation to honor it as Brazilian culture. Their name means caramel trashcan-tipper and caramelos' newfound cachet speaks to the importance of resilience in Brazil, a multi-racial melting pot of 213 million people known for weathering hard knocks with a smile. Fans say the caramelo inverts Brazil's supposed 'mongrel complex,' transforming mixed roots into a source of pride.