Had a bit of a scare last night. I let Axel out from upstairs yesterday to go for a last minute wee in the backyard before OH and I went out for the night. I then went downstairs and opened the back door and called his name, then I heard his tags on his collar jingle but they weren't running towards me. So I assumed he must have thought I was at the gate. So I called him again... nothing. What the heck... so I walked over to the side yard to see that the gate is wide open (OH forgot to close it) so I went running up the side yard and through the gate, terrified he would get hit by a car. I didn't call his name either in fear he would hear me and bolt in front of a car to get to me. I stood in the drive way looking every which direction. Couldn't see him. My heart was pounding. I then yelled 'Axel', then thankfully I heard his tags, and he came running from all of 10 feet away from me. Sweet boy was waiting at the front door to be let in!!! I never thought to look there he was sooo happy to see me and I to see him Oh my. I was shakey for a good 10 minutes.
There's never a dull moment in your life, is there?! On a sadder note - I know that there are Manchester forum members here. I hope that none of you had friends or family caught up in today's attack.
While I was in the UK, Luna met my brother. It's the first time I've seen him in 9 years and he's grown a massive beard (think Seasick Steve). She jumped straight on his lap for cuddles, then grabbed hold of his beard and started shaking it! She obviously thought it was a toy. Whoops!
I'm late to the party and still catching up on this thread, but thought I'd answer this from a "service dog" vs. "guide dog" angle. In every country I've been, there are laws saying that SD/GDs are allowed nearly everywhere and in every country I've been, the reality is that it depends on the person letting you in the door, so to speak. In the US, everyone seems to know rules on GDs and I got zero flack from anyone anywhere. In Germany, where the laws are approximately the same, Brogan was not allowed anywhere where normal dogs were not allowed. Now, in Bavaria normal dogs are allowed nearly everywhere, so it was no big deal, but for example we were not allowed into museums or churches. In Italy, we were happily welcomed into the same (including getting a Swiss Guard escort into the Vatican!). I've not been in the UK enough to know where it falls on the spectrum. I suspect it is closer to the US. For accommodation, I simply stopped trying for non-dog-friendly places as they just never worked out. Most people said "no" straight off or found some other excuse to cancel the booking once they knew there was a dog involved. I quickly determined that simply booking with dog-friendly accommodation from the get-go was a much better strategy. If she's not already answered, would be great to get @Boogie /Mags' take on her experiences. I know that some places there is a distinction between GD and SD, so maybe her experiences are much different from mine.
Ha! Me too! Or at least a swanky scarf made out of those multicoloured striped uniforms. Italy was the best for SD access - and with a smile. I was taking my cousin around to all the sites in Rome and each place I explained I'd be happy to wait outside if Brogan wasn't allowed in. I'd visited the main sites many times whereas it was my cousin's first trip. Every single place (Vatican, Colosseum, Forum, etc.), we were given a cheerful personal escort past the queue and free entrance. Though I said I didn't want either the queue jumping or no charge entrance, in every case the guards insisted and couldn't have been nicer. Brogan was also invited to visit the pilots in the cabin of our last Air Dolomiti flight - so maybe it's just something about big handsome dogs and big handsome Italians having a kinship. Brogan inside the Colosseum
I lived in northern Italy for a year, and yes, remember seeing dogs allowed everywhere. But only little spoiled lapdogs, often carried around in designer bags...
What was equally great for me is that with Brogan I could climb everywhere on all the steep steps in the Colosseum. I hadn't been able to do that since before my accident. SD doggie power!
