To many of us, actually millions of people according to trade associations, dogs mean everything. We love them more than most people. We spend more on our dogs than we do on ourselves. We care about their wellbeing and spend tons of time and money making sure they live their best lives with us. After spending a week in Denmark recently, I can confirm the Danish feel this way too.
Last month, I went to Copenhagen and experienced the best of Scandinavia. Spring was beginning with longer hours of blue skies, fewer wool layers, and many people riding their bikes with their dogs! I saw dogs on walks, in cars, inside department stores, and at cafe tables. I even watched one wait patiently until his person returned from having a drink inside a bar.
Shadyside Inn All Suites Hotel, one of Pittsburgh’s most pet-friendly hotels, has announced a program to allow hotel guests to receive a free pet adoption after completing a five night stay at the property.
Starting on April 30th, National Adopt A Shelter Pet Day, guests signed up for the program will receive a credit towards adoption from their local shelter, giving hope to animals in need and allowing guests to make a difference in their local community.
Rain or shine expect a line when it comes to adorable adoptable pets! Celebrate the season by joining the San Francisco SPCA and Macy’s Union Square for the 31st unveiling of the iconic Holiday Windows on Friday, November 17, at 5:00 p.m. The window displays, which have become one of the most beloved symbols of the holiday spirit in San Francisco, will once again feature adorable – and adoptable – cats and dogs who need loving homes. San Francisco pastry chef Yigit Pura will partner with Snoopy to unveil the windows, and children from the De Marillac Academy Choir will provide the holiday soundtrack.
This year’s windows celebrate the bonds between family and friends. Titled “The Perfect Gift Brings People Together,” the theme centers on the joy of sharing holiday season festivities with those we love. Generations of visitors will delight once again, seeing the cuddly adoptable faces ready to share the holiday in a new home.
In 2016, 257 animals found homes during Holiday Windows and nearly $100,000 was raised to provide year-round support for the SF SPCA’s lifesaving programs. Over the last 30 years, Holiday Windows has made it possible for more than 9,000 animals to find loving, permanent homes.
“Combining the magic of holiday giving and finding these animals new homes, along with the importance of being with those we love throughout the season, makes these windows one of our favorite projects all year,” said Macy’s Visual Manager, Rise Hixson. “Guests from all over the Bay Area and the United States love watching the adorable animals in these windows. Spreading that cheer at this time of year is magical.”
SQUEE
This year, the magic will expand beyond the windows with a special space on the 6th floor where visitors will be able to see more adoptable animals and even schedule time in the wildly popular SF SPCA Cuddle Experience. Cuddle sessions will be available from 11am – 1pm and 5pm – 7pm on weekdays and 10am – noon and 4pm – 6pm on weekends.
WANT TO HELP?
Holiday Windows relies on volunteer support. The short two-hour shifts involve greeting the public, collecting donations, and directing people to the SF SPCA adoption center inside Macy’s. No prior training is required, and groups are welcome to volunteer together. Learn more at sfspca.org/holiday
“Thousands of lives have been saved through the Holiday Windows event, thanks to our partnership with Macy’s,” explained Dr. Jennifer Scarlett, SF SPCA President. “Every holiday season the San Francisco community comes together to help our animals find new homes. This is our biggest event of the year, and the tradition truly brings out the magic of the holiday spirit.”
Does your dog love going to the beach? Ever wanted to take your dog out on a paddle board while on vacation? If you live in or are planning to visit Southern California, you're in luck!! Not only can you sign up for dog surfing classes or paddle board lessons with your dog, but all the proceeds support a great animal nonprofit.
We are a nation of dog lovers. There are so many of us that we influence our communities, businesses and animal welfare laws for the better. Compared to a decade ago, we can practically take our dogs with us everywhere now. Soon it will become natural for us to take our dogs with us when we decide it’s time to move into a senior living facility.
When I read an article about the U.K. moving away from its own status as a nation of dog lovers, I thought that it was a good topic to pose to the Grouchy Puppy community on Facebook for comment. One responded with a perspective of being a recent ex-pat to the U.K. with three greyhounds. Because I believe in the positive influence from sharing our personal experiences, I asked Cindi if she’d share a series of guest posts on what it was like for her to move from the US with her dogs, and to answer some questions about what life is like for dog lovers there.
I hope people will learn a little from Cindi's experiences about life across the pond as a renter with big dogs. Take it away Cindi...
The condensed version of my move to the U.K. was, gee, get everyone their vaccinations, ship the dogs over, rent an apartment, pay the pet deposits and easy peasy, right? WRONG. SO. WRONG. When I first moved to Scotland, the entire process brought me to tears several times. I should also point out, large-scale apartment complexes do not exist here like they do in the U.S. For example, you may have a big high-rise building in your city, but only 50% are rented out by agencies or private landlords. Most rentals here are private apartments (more akin to condos) or homes rented out by property management companies on behalf of private landlords. How did all my friends with dogs in various parts of the U.K. do it?
Evie checking out her new neighbourhood in Scotland [Photo: C. Patterson]
No Pets. No Children. No Families. Why was I having so much difficulty? Granted, I have big dogs (60-80 lb. range) but it shouldn’t be so hard, right? Apartment and houses alike always had the dreaded words “no pets” in the advertisement. But in a bit of comeuppance, it was equally gratifying to see homes and apartments advertised as “no children” or “no families” meaning they would only rent to professional singles or couples. I was also lucky and in a position to pay 6-12 months of my rent up-front (and as a foreigner, many landlords required this as well) as a bargaining chip to allow my dogs. After some desperation, I used social media to my advantage and lamented my plight to a local reporter, who called me when I was still in the U.S., about the lack of housing (and affordable housing) for pet owners. Thankfully, this article ended up being published, and I was able to use it in “selling” myself to potential landlords!
Wherever you are, wherever you travel, around the block, or across the world, be kind to animals. Your heart will thank you, and if you're like me, you get a sweet puppy kiss from an Anatolian Shepherd in the Turkish countryside. Now that's my kind of Turkish Delight!!
During a vacation last year across Turkey, I had the chance to see stray dogs for the first time. They displayed their own unique way of hanging out, and engaging with people. The spaniel in this photo was an intact male who seemed to enjoy checking out various groups of tourists exploring the ancient Anatolian ruins of Perge.
Compared to other groups of foreigners, I think he was encouraged by our body language to get very close. I certainly welcomed him, even petting him for a few minutes. He decided on his own to lie in the shade with us, and listen to our guide talk about the baths for about ten minutes.
After returning to San Francisco, I realized that I had witnessed what it must have been like for dogs thousands of years ago. These stray dogs displayed a desire to be near people, even if the people showed little desire to have them close by.
This spaniel wasn't unusual, the stray dogs at the many UNESCO sites we visited sensed that we were people who responded positively to their overtures. Neither side was threatening. How they chose to engage varied. Some came in close for physical affection, while others were content at lying near us in a relaxed and trusting manner.
As a dog lover, watching how other tourists and visitors responded to the roaming dogs, one can appreciate why these dogs had to be cautious around people. I saw some tourists and locals reacting badly to a dog's presence near their shop or just walking down the street.
It was obvious the dogs were trying to survive in a place where they weren't always abused, just mostly ignored or tolerated.
I did not see pet dogs, but at a rural cultural and educational center, there was a puppy and an older deaf Beagle being cared for as part of their property. They lived outside in dog houses, or freely wandered the property. They were definitely members of the group who ran the premises, interacting freely with them. They were not chained up.
Experiencing dogs who belong to a place rather than a person was a first for me. Having that experience set inside ancient communities made it easier to image the evolution of dogs over thousands of years.
How (and when) dogs become members of our family definitely depends on culture and country.
This trip showed me firsthand that dogs are incredibly adaptable creatures! But from my perspective, once you've experienced the joy and companionship of a dog, anything less is unacceptable.
- Sharon Castellanos
Have you experienced dogs who belong more to a place than a person?
Is this a wolf in leopard-unicorn clothing rather than sheep? A treat walking in San Francisco, with or without a dog, is our many murals.
You find yourself surprised again, and again, with what people draw on buildings, or next to a window. The Mission District has many large and colorful drawings along alleys that are wonderful. Each week you can find a new piece of art, and this summer I've been seeing more organized walking tours taking visitors to the best exhibitions.
Not having my dog Cleo to take on walks, I enjoy coming across these various murals featuring canines. I feel like strangers are reminding me how much this city loves dogs. They are as fascinated by the different shapes and personalities of dogs as I am. These are often unexpected visual reminders on my walks that tell me I made the right choice all those years ago to call San Francisco home.
Though I currently don't walk or hike some of my favorite city trails as often as I did with my dog, here are four of my favorite places to take a dog in the city:
Forgot your headphones in the seat pocket? I did. I'm probably also one of the few people who wishes the FDA Beagle will stop and visit me at SFO baggage.
This news from a major airline carrier out of Amsterdam is making me think hard about my next trip, and feel better about my carry-on. Watch this video from KLM Airlines:
From a teddy bear found by the cabin crew to a laptop left in the lounge. Locating the owners can sometimes be a challenge, so special forces have been hired…
KLM’s dedicated Lost & Found team at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is on a mission to reunite lost items as soon as possible with their legitimate owner.
Seriously, this is one smart airline to employ a dog as a goodwill ambassador, and delivery method. I can think of a few airlines, starting with United, who could benefit greatly from this same service.
First therapy dog teams giving out cuddles for stressed out travelers, now passengers could have their lost cell phone or teddy bear returned to them by a cute dog? Yes, please!
What do you think? Best use of social media and dogs from a major airline?
I have yet to encounter one dog who has turned down a good scratch when the spot is hard to reach. The dogs I met while traveling in Turkey enjoyed my human affection, and this youngster most definitely loved getting her butt scratched after lunch.
In April, I traveled for the first time to a place where the majority of people didn't love dogs the way I do, the way most of us do in the United States.
This was my first experience of seeing stray dogs roaming city streets, staked outside with little shelter, or being chased off of a sidewalk by someone with a broom. It was overwhelming at times emotionally because it was obvious there was little that I could do to make the dogs lives any better.
For each lonely stray I saw in the countryside, the bright side was seeing images like this one. It was heartwarming to witness some level of kinship and connection between Turk and dog, even if it wasn't what I was used to experiencing here in San Francisco.
This snoozing puppy was at Pergamon, a world heritage site in Bergama, Turkey.
A tagged stray dog hangs out in Istanbul. Most of the street dogs I saw in Turkey wanted to be near people. At one point it seemed as if they were tracking me, a known animal lover. These loose dogs showed up at every place I went, and didn't hesitate to come close. Could they smell my desire to clean out their eyes or give them a soft pet?
Istanbul's street dogs seemed to be content either observing the flow of pedestrians, or napping in the sunshine. They were calm and sweetly passive to feet stepping very close, or in this case letting me sit near him on the bench to chat for a minute.
Most of the dogs I saw in Istanbul were somewhat healthy looking, considering they lived outside and fended for themselves. This is a busy, crowded city. I was glad to see most people here either ignored the dogs, or were pleasant to them. Given the amount of cars and buses on the streets, I expected more aggressive behavior from people towards the loose dogs. Sure they honked at dogs walking in the road but that was all.
I was also kind of amazed to watch how the dogs navigated the crowds of tourists. The dogs I saw didn't spook easily and had a level of confidence in their behavior that told me the majority of them must be getting their needs met somehow.
I hope whatever they are doing in Istanbul is spreading to other Turkish cities and rural communities. The majority of dogs may not have a home but they didn't appear neglected, or abused, as I saw in some of the smaller towns.
My big struggle during this trip was deciding how to respond when I came across one of these dogs. What would you do if this happened to you on vacation in another country?
While traveling through Turkey, I met wary stray dogs, independent but cared for by the community dogs, and pet dogs. This senior dog came to visit and get a nice snuggle. He was the perfect finish to our lunch after exploring Ephesus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
You didn't have to know much about dog behavior or body language to figure out what he was trying to say to this lady. We were in the Aegean region near Fethiye, Turkey, and this dog was fluent in the international language of good smelling dog treats.
Dogs understand what treats are, and how to ask for them in any language...