Cologne Hotels
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Dogs Are Like People Here
Entry 20 of 61 | show all | print this entry |
(Originally written November 21, 2007)
Dogs are Like People Here
In one of my first journal entries, I mentioned how strange it was to see so many dogs here in Germany. Even more peculiar was fact that so many of them were seen in public places where you would never expect to see one. Well, now that I've been here a few weeks, I'd like to elaborate on a few more "dog sightings" because I think you'll find it quite entertaining how dogs are considered to be just like people here.
One day as I was walking down one of the side streets in Rudolfplatz (a section of Cologne), and I saw a dog walk out of this bar. I had to look twice because I wasn't quite sure I was seeing what I thought I was. The dog was by himself and he wasn't on a leash. Anyway, he walks out of the bar, walks over to a street lamp, pees, and then walks back inside. I am NOT kidding.
A couple of days later, I'm sitting on the train waiting for my next stop and the door opens. A dog walks on. The owner is right behind him carrying his leash (thank goodness or I would have really freaked out). Anyway, there are only a few empty seats on the train, one of which was next to me. The dog looks at me, I look at him, and I'm thinking..."Don't even think about it!"
After both the bar and the train, I'm convinced that nothing could surprise me anymore. Well, the very next day I'm in a shopping mall trying to find Steve a pair of jeans. As I pass by the lingerie department on my to the escalators, I see a dog walking around sniffing underwear. My first thought wasn't, "How strange, a dog is sniffing panties over there". It was, "I would never buy underwear after a dog just sniffed them in the store".
Clearly my thinking is becoming quite distorted the more people-like dog encounters I face. In the same mall on the same day, I ran into another dog on the second floor. A lady in front of me was trying to get him to step onto the escalator and he was being stubborn and wouldn't do it. Of course I never thought, "How odd, a dog is about to ride on an escalator with me?" All I thought was, "Hurry up dog, I don't want to stand here forever".
At this point, I don't think anything could really surprise me anymore. I think I've pretty much seen it all. Now if I see a dog sitting at a table with a fork and knife eating dinner, than I might really be impressed. But other than that, I've seen dogs do just about everything else.
I envy the fact that Germans hold their dogs to such a high standard here... that they take them everywhere with them. In the states, people leave their dogs at home when they go to work, when they go out for dinner, and most times whenever they leave. Not because they want too, but because they can't bring them to public places. In Germany, dogs are allowed almost everywhere and for dog-lovers like Steve and I, it's great because we love to watch them walk around everyday. Though most of the dogs are on leashes, we have seen several that are not and they are so well trained that they will not even step away from their master.
Another interesting people-like thing about dogs in Germany is the fact that a lot of the dogs you see here are wearing clothes. And I mean really nice clothes! From genuine wool sweaters to handmade coats designed especially for dogs. I actually saw a small terrier the other day wearing a leather coat. I kid you not! He was strutting around in this cute little black leather coat that had a zippered collar with pockets on both sides. Ironic thing was, at the time that I saw him I still did not have coat. I thought to myself, "I can't believe this, now even dogs are dressing warmer than I am!"
All joking aside, I've enjoyed every encounter I've had with dogs since I've been here. Just when I'm really starting to miss Morgan and Jack, a dog will do something unexpectedly crazy here to make me smile. Without having dogs to interact with (and share trains and escalators with), I think adjusting to this new place would be much more difficult. Dogs are like people here, and I'm really glad that they are!
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