You Dirty Dog!

Scout on the streets of Vienna

Never, and I do mean never, has Scout been so dirty.

How, you must be wondering (as I did), is that possible in one of the most cleanliness-obsessed societies in the world?

Well, honestly, it’s not the Viennese’s fault. There’s been a lot of snow this winter, and it is a city, with cars and other pollutants. Even though most of the snow is gone right now, dirt pebbles (thank goodness, not salt) are used for traction. Now, as you all have seen, Scout has long, flowing locks of fur in a lovely light shade of blonde, and she stands not all that far off the ground. So every time I walk her, she returns home wet and black underneath. A fair amount of towel drying removes the worst, but she is now a few Clairol shades darker – at least until I bathe her, which right now seems absolutely pointless.

My only solution, so far, has been to give her a significant haircut! So, gone are those cute wisps that hung airily from her legs and all along her underbelly, and yes, the fluffy pantaloons on her derriere. It doesn’t entirely eliminate the problem, but it surely reduces the cleanup time!

And, although it pains me to say it, I think I’ve already found my next political cause:  getting citizens to clean up after their canine charges. I didn’t anticipate this at all, since during my last visit, when I stayed in the third district, and walked all over the first (the main downtown area), I seldom encountered a problem.

So far, I love everything about this ninth district (more in my next post) – except that I really do have to watch where I’m going. It’s not everywhere, but prevalent enough to make you have to be cautious. The strange thing is:  there are doggie bag dispensers on almost every block and places to drop them. What gives?

And honestly, Scout is not impressed either! Her first few days here were all about prancing prissily through the rare patches of dirt to find a place to do her business. (Is this TMI?) I’ll never know the real reason – it might have been nerves, jet lag, or something else entirely – but it took nearly 24 hours and several very long walks to persuade her that, “No, this is not Teaneck, or even Portland, and you’re just going to have to get used to doing it the way Viennese dogs do it – on pavement!”

Well, day four, and I’m happy to report that she’s gotten the picture. All is well in that department! We still go on long walks – there’s so much to see (and smell!) – but not every time. I think she’s even getting to recognize where we live, and pays special attention when we pass by the front door.

Indoors, things are quite fine. Not as much floor space as before, but the outdoor walks make up for that. She knows where her bowls are (duh! What dog doesn’t?), and she has taken her place at night by the foot of my bed. Even though she’d grown attached to her crate, it really would take up too much space in the apartment, and, lucky for me, there is storage space available in the basement. So I just put down the blankets she had been lying on in the crate, and this appears to suit her quite well.

Schlaft gut, Scout!