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After almost two years here, it occurs to me that
I haven’t said much about European dogs. I am remiss in this and
want to rectify the situation. For the sake of full disclosure, I
have to let it be known that as a thing that exists on the earth,
dogs are not in my top 10 list. Or even the top 50. Some of you will
not read another word wondering what kind of character flaw exists
in a person who doesn’t like dogs. I don’t know. It isn’t that I
hate dogs; I just don’t want to be around them. We never had dogs
when I was a kid and as an adult the thought of anything with four
legs defecating in my house was unpleasant. While many of you love
your dogs and the affection that they give you, I can’t begin to
express how unappealing it is to me to think of some mutt rubbing
his tongue all over my face. So they cost a lot of money to feed,
require lots of attention, make a mess, and don’t smell so good. But
enough about me.
When we first arrived in the Netherlands, I was
surprised, and not too happy, to discover that dogs are welcome
everywhere. When you go to the supermarket, dogs are there. When you
go to the movies, dogs are there. Perhaps most amazing of all, dogs
are welcome in restaurants. How can anybody take a dog to a
restaurant? They bark, beg for food off the table, and move around
disturbing other diners who may not love the dog the way the owner
does. It turns out that I was boxed into my American way of thinking
about dogs. Perhaps though, and I think there is something to this,
European dogs are different. I may not have been thinking so much
about dogs in an American way, but rather only thinking about
American dogs.
In my admittedly not-so-objective observation,
American dogs live the life of Riley. They’re pretty spoiled. If
they want something, they make some noise and some obedient human
gets whatever it is the dog desires. Most people recognize that this
kind of behavior isn’t acceptable in supermarkets, movie theaters,
and restaurants and wouldn’t think of taking a dog there. It’s
probably a misdemeanor offense anyway. Dutch dogs, however, know
their place and therefore don’t behave in a way that will annoy
other people, even me. A Dutch dog is quiet. One can go for days and
see many dogs around town and they don’t make a sound. I don’t know
why. In the supermarkets they are quiet and follow their masters
with no resistance. In the movies and restaurants, they lie quietly
on the floor and make no attempt at begging for food from the table.
A Dutch dog knows that table food is not for him. Good boy. This is
more than I can say for some owners because while dogs can go
anywhere and don’t make noise in restaurants, they do eat somewhere
and there is a result of all that eating. That result can be seen in
neat, and not so neat, piles on the streets and sidewalks. Since
dogs are almost always on a leash, the owners see the creation of
the piles and don’t seem to care. A pox on their houses; I don’t
blame the dog for doing what he has to do.
Irish dogs, the only other kind I’ve actively
observed, are altogether different from American or Dutch dogs.
Irish dogs have a purpose, a reason for being. Just ask one, he’ll
tell you. In Ireland we saw lots of dogs walking unleashed but they
didn’t meander all over the place sniffing at all kinds of different
things. Irish dogs walk briskly down the street as if it’s 9:58 and
they have a 10 o’clock appointment. They have somewhere to be and
they move with expedience. They have no need for handouts of scrap
food, no need for constant affection, and no need to bother anyone
else. This is my kind of pooch. As long as he lives somewhere else. |
