Dog’s life in Germany

Let me introduce our Crazy Trinity, meaning my two doggies and me. All three of us live in Germany, on a picturesque Island of Rugia and, as it sometimes happens in life, we ended up here by accident. I’ve been living on the Island for about three years now, so I know ins and outs about the Germans and their attitude towards dogs and their owners. If you want to know more, read on.

Doggy no.1 – Hektor, nearly 5 year-old-male labrador, probably with a mix of Rhodesian Ridgeback. As I know nothing about his pedigree, I nicknamed him “second hand” and I am his umpteenth and the last owner!

Doggy no.2 – Robin Hood z SzÄ…brukowego Lasu FCI, turned 25 miesiÄ™cy today (06.02), a Black Russian Terrier male, and there was no need to think of a nickname, as I shelled out for the pedigree.

And my humble person, Gosha, a fair-aged woman, with a decent family name, a happy owner of the two above „Rogues”.                     

I will start with a statement: “Germans are dog-lovers”. They really are! In Germany a dog is part of the family, it’s an inseparable element of the German landscape. They are definitely dog-loving.
According to 2013 (http://einfachsocke.blogspot.de/2013/02/wissenwert-wieviele-hunde-leben-in.html), 9.638.000 people in Germany have at least one dog in their household, and 5.783.000 are pedigree dogs. Further, the statistics said that in 2013 in Germany there were ca. 1,27 mlns people with two dogs in their household. (http://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/181167/umfrage/haustier-anzahl-hunde-im-haushalt/)
The most popular, but of course, are German Shepherds, right behind them trot Dachshunds (aka. „sausage-dogs”), next all kinds of Terriers and retrievers… Quite popular are company-dogs, shepherds and poodles. As you can see, the Germans are fond of pedigree dogs. Many of them have two, three dogs… So the pedigree kennels there are blooming.

But how Germans treat dogs in EVERYDAY LIFE? They are really “human”. Even in a small town there is no problem to enter a local grocery shop. In bigger markets like REAL, small dogs in a transporter-box, a lady’s bag or a baby-pram, are accepted. The bigger ones must wait outside. Me, personally, enter with my dogs to banks, private shops (where the hygiene regulations are founded by the owner, who usually loves dogs).
Dogs are visible in the streets, in parks, in restaurants… Yes, yes! More and more eateries welcome guests with their “four paws”. The “furs” also get a bowl of water, sometimes, with the permission of the dog owner, waiters bring some treats from the kitchen, like a bone, a slice of bacon, etc…
If a given restaurant does not allow dogs, it usually has an outside “garden” or a terrace, where the dog can stay. It’s simple: business is business. The Germans know, that these days, a dog is:

• a substitute of a baby for couples who, for various reasons, don’t have a baby,
• the sweet-pea of a crazy Auntie Helga, who has chosen to keep a few Pugs instead of a bunch of cats…

I know restaurants, where owners risk paying a fine, but allow dogs, as they prefer to pay than to lose their guests.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT…

to be continued…

HOTELS

coming soon….

FEES, DUTIES AND REGULATIONS

coming soon……

All the best to all Dog-Lovers!
Gosha, Hektor & RobinHood
(text by: Małgorzata Junkiert)