[literal translation: dog weather]
This morning it was 35°F--with a wind chill of 28°F--and it's only mid-October! It may not be Hundewetter yet (the sun was out), but it definitely gives this Texas girl a chill. All week long I have heard discussions about the weather that begin with "Ohhhh, just you wait! Last year it was horrible. Did you hear about....".
Speaking of Hunde...you know I'd like to have Tostitos (along with salsa, peanut butter, and warm temperatures), but what do I really miss from home? Along with my family and friends, of course, what I miss most is my dog. I decided to leave Allie in Texas for several reasons, one being that I wasn't sure what it would be like for her here (I travel on days off, she hates rain, I'd have to check her on the plane, etc...), and another was that I knew she would be very well loved and cared for by my family in Texas.
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| Allie at the front door when I left home |
I still miss Allie, though, and I blame the Germans for that, because I can't seem to go anywhere without seeing them with their dogs! They take them everywhere...
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| Yes, that is a dog in there! |
sightseeing with the family on vacation...
to the mall...
out to dinner...
I've also seen them inside the city hall and the farmers market, and I've been told they've been known to frequent some bars. The only place it seems that dogs are not welcome is at the grocery store, where they are left near the front door and calmly wait for their owners. This, of course, makes me think of another sticking point about bringing my dog over to Germany: she and I both would have to undergo some serious training before that could happen...German dogs are some of the best behaved dogs I have ever seen!
I think that seeing how tolerant they are of dogs over here is one of my favorite things in Euro-land. And I completely agree, if I were to bring our family dog over here, we would both need some serious training. If I took her to a restaurant there's no way she would lie happily under a table with a water dish, she would be bouncing around making friends with everyone and begging/snatching food at every opportunity. I don't know what kind of training trickery they use, but it's amazing!
ReplyDeleteOhhh man, that one with a stroller made me laugh so much. I can't believe its already in the 30s!!!! That's just depressing. It's finally cooling down in Austin to mid 50s in the morning and mid 80s during the day. I am not complaining at allll. Well, hope allll is well with you and you should definitely take allie with you when you come back for holidays :) Miss you and our dinner dates!
ReplyDeleteLiving here makes me want a dog every day! I've decided on a little daschund but I think I better wait until we decide where we are going to be in a couple of years time.
ReplyDeleteHope the weather's not getting to you too much. I've noticed that we're becoming more 'German' this year and are wrapping up warm just like them, while our current Scottish visitors are waltzing around in t-shirts!
I couldn't imagine leaving my dog in the States. The Germans love showing off their dogs, so don't be shy when you need some puppy love.
ReplyDelete@Heather--mine wouldn't be able to sit in the restaurant, either! Here, though, I have yet to see a dog who couldn't handle it.
ReplyDelete@Jiae--don't go to far at Christmas; I'll be there!
@Fiona--it's not bad yet, but I know it's coming!
@German Gems--I think the dog owners around here can tell...my eyes always go to the dogs first, and when I look up at the owners they are always smiling at me!
Ugh - leaving animals behind is the worst! And it is completely unfair that Germans have their dogs everywhere. We are so happy to be recently reunited with our cat. Best 0of luck keeping away the doggie blues.
ReplyDeleteThe German pups seriously are so well behaved - like so many people never even have them on leashes. I've even seen one wait for the go ahead light at a cross walk...
ReplyDeleteI was SHOCKED at how dog friendly Europe is...especially DK and Germany! The first time someone told us to bring Albert with us into the restaurant, I thought they were kidding!!!
ReplyDeleteBut he was so happy to be where we were and was so good!
Oh, I can imagine how much you miss your little doggie. Maybe you should think about getting her now that you know you can take her to so many places with you in Germany? But maybe that depends on how long you plan on staying...
ReplyDelete@ianandebe--I am thinking of going to the nearby Tierheim to see if they need someone to walk their dogs!
ReplyDelete@Alex--I believe it...I want to know how they do it!
@Kelli--sounds like you have a good European dog! :-)
@Sabrina--I'm definitely thinking about it...everyday I notice more places that are dog-friendly.
Coming from the SF Bay area, the weather here was quite a shock for me too! My husband swore up and down that it hardly snowed here, then the day we arrived there was a massive snowstorm and the temps hit -14C! Germans claimed it wasn't normal, but then we got similar snow last year. Now, I look forward to the winter wonderland it creates for the holidays - and bundle up tight!
ReplyDeleteSadly, our dog has not learned one thing from her German counterparts over here about manners - nor has her exuberation waned. We take her out occasionally, but usually we just have to leave her at home because her behavior is especially embarrassing around such proper German doggies. Our last attempt at taking her to dinner was about a year ago when she nearly knocked our table over and dumped wine all into my lap. Be thankful Alice hasn't had to deal with such culture shock!