Why is Europe more dog friendly than Australia?: Sydneysider responds to glaring difference in treatment

OPINION — If you’ve ever been on holiday in Europe, chances are you will have noticed a few glaring differences to life in Australia – and we don’t just mean the weather.

While travelling certainly broadens the mind, and can leave you feeling lucky when you return back to our shores, at other times it makes you realise just how far we lag behind the rest of the world when it comes to other things.

Case in point: Just how un-dog-friendly Australia is when compared with other countries.

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While Australia is starting to catch up, with some dog-friendly holiday accommodation, updated strata laws to allow dogs in apartments and some workplaces, in general, we are still nowhere near as dog-friendly as other parts of the world.

I recently returned from a four-week holiday that took me to England, Scotland and France, and let me tell you, there were dogs everywhere. And I don’t just mean walking the streets on leads.

They were staying in hotels, visiting supermarkets, dining out in cafes and restaurants, living it up in pubs and bars, snoozing in workplaces and even rushing through airport terminals to catch a plane.

A co-worker also noticed the trend during a recent trip to Italy: “I was in quite a fancy restaurant and turned around to see the two women behind me eating with their French bulldogs in their laps.”

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I am and always have been a dog lover. I grew up with dogs, but then had a long period after I left home without one of my own, until eight years ago when we got our beloved miniature schnauzer named Max.

I have joked that I should have kept the baby carrier I lugged my kids around in so I could put Max in it.

Luckily for me, I work from home, so I no longer leave him for long periods during the day, but I do have to leave him if I want to go out for a meal, pick up a few groceries, visit a shopping centre, or go just about anywhere else.

But after my recent trip to Europe, I find myself wondering why this is the case, as it just doesn’t seem fair, even if the idea of dogs in restaurants and the like doesn’t come naturally to me.

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Despite my dog-loving status, I must admit, seeing a dog in an unfamiliar setting does sometimes catch me off-guard.

What if they pee or poop, jump on a table, or do some other doglike behaviour? Is it sanitary? Are they spreading germs? These thoughts usually run through my head.

But after seeing numerous dogs in social settings over several weeks, I can say I never saw a dog behaving badly.

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In fact, while enjoying lunch in the famed Café de Flore in Paris, I wasn’t even aware there was a dachshund at the next table until his très chic owners stood and carried him out.

I also saw less dog poo on the ground than I did back in Australia.

And there other pluses. Seeing a dog was comforting when I was missing my own pooch while I was far from home, while on more than one occasion, the presence of a dog helped my daughter regulate when she became dysregulated.

A comparison of dog-friendly countries compiled by online insurance company and reproduced by media outlet The Scotsman in 2022 found Italy and France topped the list of dog-friendly countries, while the UK was fourth behind New Zealand.

Australia was nowhere to be found, despite us having one of the highest rates of dog ownership per capita in the world.

In the lead-up to Take Your Dog to Work Day, which falls today (June 20), PetSafe and Kurgo compiled a mini office etiquette guide for dog owners, including tips such as scheduling bathroom breaks, respecting shared spaces, packing essentials, such as treats and snacks, keeping barking to a minimum, being mindful of colleagues who aren’t dog people, and keeping your dog at home if they are too anxious or otherwise not ready for a day in the office.

Yes, it’s about time

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Someone who was ready was Australia’s ‘First Dog’ Toto, the toy cavoodle owned by Australian PM Anthony Albanese and his fiancee Jodie.

She was pictured lapping it up in the PM’s office in an Instagram post he shared to mark the day.

With friends in such high places, maybe it’s time for the PM to get to work and make Australia a bit more dog-friendly.

After all, if it is good enough for Toto, it should be good enough for Max as well.

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