Dogs of the United Kingdom

January 02, 2018

Dogs of the United Kingdom

Dogs of the United Kingdom

Ah England and Scotland (I have not had a chance to pop over to Ireland yet). There are few places in the world one can go that the population loves their dogs more. The British are renowned for their dog breeding, having been one of the epicenters of dog breed differentiation in the Victorian era, and of course, the host of the world famous elite Crufts dog show, the largest dog show in the world.

Everywhere you go, dogs dutifully follow their people, along for the day's adventure just like the rest of the family. Businesses in the smaller towns seem to be very dog friendly, having water bowls set outside, dog leash stations, or even allowing dogs inside. Many storefronts have their own resident host dogs. It does a dog trainer's heart good to see all this loving dog-human coexistence when it seems here in Tampa that the laws and population are becoming more and more dog-unfriendly (that is a debate for another blog).

England

Popping about, doing my Sammy tourist thing, I was stopped by a number of dog lovers after reading my Camp Sammy Dog Training t-shirt. The Brits were super friendly, curiously asking all kinds of questions. While I was toddling around this quaint coastal town in Suffolk, one lady showed off her lovely leash-born umbrella for her Pug, who did not like pottying in the rain.

Earlier in the day, while exploring Shingles Beach in Suffolk (which incidentally reminds me of something out of a Bronte sisters novel), I ran into a rambunctious Schnauzer puppy. I had a lovely almost hour long conversation with the pup's humans on potty training and the like. Anyone who believes the Brits are not friendly people simply needs to don a dog trainer shirt. You will instantly be liked.

Hey Look A Horse Sammy!

I stayed at an Air BnB in Hollesley, Suffolk which was absolutely amazing. If you want to venture out into the countryside, this is the place to stay if you're an animal lover. Poplar Farm is an equestrian farm and has dogs and large non-dogs (horses) aplenty. The accommodations were private, beautifully done, and Anne was so welcoming. Here is the link to her lovely place: Poplar Farms Annex Air BnB

Blue Bean the greyhound

Good evening Govnuh

Scotland

Again, in Scotland, I was again welcomed into the fold of dog-lovers. Walking along the coast in Wemyss, where I stay with my lovely Scottish bestie and hiking buddy, I ran into so many dogs
taking their humans out for a stroll, enjoying the fresh sea air.

I caught this video clip of some playful Border Collies enjoying the local park:

Incidentally they also had this massive playground piece of equipment which for all intents and purposes looks like a giant kid-flinger. Scottish kids must need intense playgrounds.

As I was walking back through town I spied this relief on the side of a re-purposed school building and decided this is why Scottish children need intense playgrounds:

While in the highlands, my bestie and I stopped for a bit of culture at the Scottish Crannog Center (here is the link: Scottish Crannog Center). The anthropologist (just a BA in a cultural subject...so not super qualified) in me geeked out. The Crannog center is a living example of archaeology through doing. By rebuilding this crannog site, anthropologists, archaeologists, and historians learned much about the lifestyle of the Picts and Bronze Age Scotland through the reconstruction itself. The center has a great tour with interactive exhibits. My anthropologist soul was singing at the displays of wood carpentry and weaving.

If you're into historic fiction this book actually features a crannog, set partly in Pictish times:

For those of you who like non-fiction better, this is a book about the underwater excavation of the crannog sites:

Here are some more pictures of the highlands which are not dog-related (sorry) but are gorgeous (not sorry).

The Glimmer Man...random I know

Scotland has some lovely coast and my friend and I are fruit loops, so we decided to enjoy...

I have no survival instincts

I had to buy myself a flower

And then of course, there is Edinburgh. I am in love with Edinburgh. It could be my grandmother's Stewart heritage, or it could be the vibrant history shining throughout the atmospheric city. Actually it could be that the first time I visited Edinburgh was because my British boyfriend dumped me, so I gave him the bird and hopped a plane there to spend the rest of my trip with my Scottish bestie. Edinburgh was therapeutic and I found the city to be a much better choice with which to fall in love. I am also a little obsessed with plaid.

It's a match made in heaven. If only a girl could marry a city...but then I would have to be polyandrist or at least poly-amorous then...right. Enough coffee, Sammy.

Still some family resemblance

Low and behold, while visiting

the ancestral castle, I spotted this lovely piece of canine history. Oh Queen Victoria, you were a gem among dog lovers. There is the whole cousin-marrying thing though...but I guess it worked for Einstein, so we cannot be judgy.