Dreampacks: dogs in Germany and the Netherlands by Patty Wolter

Fellow blogger Patty tells how dogs live in Germany …

Dutch expression:“Zo eerlijk als een hond zijn.”

English translation:“Being as honest as a dog,” meaning that a dog does not lie. Either he likes you or he just doesn’t.

Hello dear neighbors, readers of the beautiful blog of Daal.

Daal asked me to write a post about our customs regarding pets. Since that is a broad subject, I narrowed it down to dogs. Let me first tell you a little bit about me 😉

I’m a Dutch soul living in Germany due to my husband’s work. I live with my Dreampack, my hubby and two dogs, in our Dreampack, a farmhouse with a garden and a closed yard.

A Dreampack, is for me a way of life.

One in which, in a respectful manner, the natural needs of a living being is fulfilled in the 21th century.

A Dreampack, are for me also the souls who, together with me, form ‘my’ Dreampack.

A Dreampack is for me also the place where I realize ‘my’ Dreampack.

I strongly believe we are all connected through energy, and I like to call my fellow little creatures (human beings) my neighbors. That doesn’t mean I like all my neighbors, but I think we should try, at least, to live alongside each other if differences are to huge to overcome.

Enough about me 😉

Two of my best friends alive on earth are our two dogs. Daal was curious about how we treat dogs in the Netherlands, since in her surroundings, a lot of people treat their dogs as if they were their kids. Well, in the Netherlands there are a lot of people who are doing the same 😉 In Germany ditto by the way.

As a human, I like to think of my dogs as my friends. However, I would never treat them as little people on four legs. As a human, and as an animal therapist, my heart bleeds when I see dogs wearing jackets, dogs eating ice cream and dogs ruling their he households.

A dog is a dog and is best served with a dedicated family (one person together with his or her dog is also a family), healthy food, clean water, and the right care (structure, regularly and enough walks/exercise, and housing).

Unfortunately here, like in the U.S., puppy mills and a lot of illegal import and export of dogs takes place. If I understand correctly, the U.S. has stricter legislation regarding dog abuse, and it has strong pro-dog organizations such as the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). Here, in that are, our country is behind. While we do have organizations that try to rescue dogs from threatening situations, it’s only for a few years people can get fined for neglecting or abusing animals.

There will be always be differences in opinions regarding how to live with a dog in a Dreampack. There are people who only see as dog as an animal. There are those who only see a dog as a small human on four legs. There are people who fall between those two ways of viewing pets. Even those in that last category, people maintain their dog(s) differently.

Living between farmers, most of my neighbors employ the harsher method. A dog is, accordingly to their way of living, merely an animal who needs to protect their belongings. They are physically well tended to, yet aren’t allowed to live indoors.

Due to our being Dutch, my husband and I differ from our neighbors in some ways anyway. One (for me, big) difference: we let our dogs walk freely in our house and keep them only at night in a kennel, or if we are both away, for their own safety.

I have to bite my tongue (is that a similar expression in your language?) a lot 😉 Respecting their customs and don’t share, how I really feel about their way of tending their dogs.

Note from Daal: Ok, readers, its your turn. What are your views about dogs as pets? Got any favorite dog expressions?