Some of us may see the word,  “Mucuchies,”  and mistake it for the word, “munchies,” but you need to snap out of it (and drop those chips!) The Mucuchí is an actual breed with a storied past. The Muchuchies is the dog of Venezuela (so designated in 1964) who looks like a mountain dog but is a sheepdog. Its outstanding working abilities have expanded the dog’s reputation from the Venezuelan Andes to Caracas and other areas where these dogs are often seen placidly circling herds of cattle. Their original job to guard and to protect the herd from wolves, wild cats and other predators,  but one South American icon found so much more in the breed. A Mucuchies named “Nevado” was the constant companion of South American, liberator, Simon Bolivar, and was said to have saved Bolivar’s life many times. There is, in fact, a sculpture in Bolivar Square in the town of Mucuchies that shows Simon Bolivar with his Mucuchies, “Nevado,” as seen in this image.