In British suburban streets and parks and holiday resorts, seasides, and caravan parks you will see people taking dogs for the dog's daily walk, or as some people, and dogs like to think, dogs taking their owners for a walk. I've read suggestions that a quick way to meet a potential date and make local friends is to walk a dog - your own. But you could even walk a neighbour's dog to make friends with your neighbour and make friends when out walking.
As I discovered, you can befriend locals and strike up a conversation on holiday by admiring and asking about their dog. (If you want to, you can then go onto other subjects such as, can you recommend a good place for lunch around here.)
You'll notice in parks the signs warning dog owners that they must clean up any dog mess or face a fine. Some parks have bins where you can place bags of dog poo.
Recently we saw lots of families walking their dogs along the pier. In high season you are not allowed to take dogs on the beach to protect people from dog poo.
The British are known for being pet lovers. We have the RSPCA. Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. PDSA. (People's Dispensary for Sick Animals. Crufts dog show. The King Charles Spaniel.
At Cromer we encountered a Labradoodle (cross between a labrador and a poodle). I'd read about the labradoodle when I began writing poetry for children about animals and started looking up names of animals and the characteristics of species and animals I had not previously encountered.
The one we met had the size of a labrador or large poodle and the curly hair of a poodle.
Here's the Labradoodle. Enjoying watching people on the pier.
Another dog on the pier - but we were rushing to the Lighthouse Museum at the end of the pier so I had no more time to stop and talk. Let sleeping dogs lie.
At Sheringham, the next town along the Norfolk coast, the following day, Sunday, we met what looked like a greyhound and I asked the owners if it was a greyhound. No, they said, a galgol.
I looked up galgol. They are known for their very placid nature. The owner described it as Portuguese. It was a rescue dog. But Wikipedia told me that galgols are also called Spanish greyhounds. Nowadays pets have pet passports for use when travelling to show they have been protected and/or quarantined against rabies. I wonder what the pet passport says. Portuguese? Spanish? British? Entente Cordiale.
I've seen signs in restaurants and hotels saying: Well-behaved children welcome. The dogs I encountered at the seaside were very well-behaved. Even non dog-lovers would be entranced. I was.
I used to think that greyhounds were fast runners and must be lively dogs. No.
It didn't bark, jump, blink, just stood. I'm reminded of the rhyme by English tramp Davies:
'What is life if full of care you have no time to stand and stare.'
(I'm researching my second book of quotations.)
You can see that we are looking at the dog which seems to have stilled us and cast a spell over us. I can see why dogs are sent to soothe children and adults after disasters. I'm sure to have a galgol in your life is very soothing. Some dogs are fun and exciting. Others are soothing. When I want to recover from stresses I shall come back to this photo of the galgol and let its calm attitude to life waft over me. I hope you, too, find it a good experience.
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