Chapter 48 - A Dog's Life in Austria

No one loves dogs more than me, but I am surprised at the places dogs are permitted to go in Austria. There seems to be no limit to where they're allowed. I don't know about churches and movie theaters, but I've seen them everywhere else! Yes, even the grocery store, but I didn't have my camera with me.

The dogs over here are the best behaved I've ever seen. I haven't once seen a dog have an "accident," or bite anyone. Actually, they're not very friendly to strangers and for the most part don't want to be petted by them. I have seen a few dogs offer verbal insults to other dogs, challenges that are frequently accepted by furious barking. If not for leashes, surely duels would ensue. And the vast majority of Austrian dogs are perfectly leash trained. When I commented on that, I was given a "duh" look and told that everyone takes their dog "to school."

Just like at home, people seem to adore their dogs in Austria. Most of them are freshly bathed and groomed. It was hard to capture these dogs "on the run," so we starting asking people if we could photograph their dog. Without exception, everyone has eagerly agreed to let us do so.


Here are some dogs on the street and in the park in Wiener Neustadt.








Here are two dogs on the crowded streets of central Vienna.


Yes, that's Kate on the right in the brown shirt.


Here's Ecco, our favorite ball chaser, at an outdoor party.


This puppy finally went to sleep at the pool at Sigma.


At an outdoor restaurant at Kirtag in Klingenbach.


Okay, so those aren't so surprising. Just wait! Here's a dog at the bank in Eisenstadt.


The next several pictures were taken at the huge SCS (Shopping Center South) 5-mall complex near Vienna.


The little dog offered an insult, but the big dog ignored it.




I was shopping in the same store and saw this dog just sit there and not move for at least 10 minutes while his owner flipped through the racks. He never took his eyes off her and slowly turned his head as she moved.








This little guy nibbled my fingers, the most affectionate greeting I've received over here.


Here are two pictures of dogs inside restaurants at the SCS mall.




I fell in love with this sweet little 8-month-old King Charles Spaniel. Her name is Nuni ("noon-yee"), and her owner is a Japanese man who owns a Japanese (naturally) restaurant on a side street in Vienna. We were walking by on our way to a main shopping street when we noticed the puppy inside the restaurant (all restaurant doors are open). The owner was quite chatty (in a mix of German and English with a Japanese accent) about the puppy and repeatedly apologized for her bad behavior. She seemed perfectly behaved to me, but he explained that she hasn't "gone to school" yet.


So here's the biggest surprise. We recently ate at a restaurant in Eisenstadt where the front door of the restaurant is on one street, the kitchen door around the corner. When we left to go to our car parked on the side street, we passed the open door to the restaurant kitchen. A guy was visiting his friends in the kitchen and had brought his dog with him! I didn't mind, but I suspect that some people might be shocked by it!