A dog’s life in Lucca, Italy
In 2008, Italy was named as one of the top 5 retirement destinations for U.S. citizens by International Living. My friend and client Marlene recently moved to Lucca (Tuscany), Italy. Marlene often lets me know how she is adjusting. A very important concern for Marlene was for her beloved pets. How would they adjust? How would they be treated? Below are Marlene’s comments on life in Italy with her two miniature dachsunds.
One of the best decisions I could have made when moving to Italy last year was to bring my adorable miniature dachshunds with me. Ruby and Ginger, ages 4 and 3 respectively, are little red cuties who attract lots of attention here. They are referred to as Bassoto or “short legs.” Because mine are miniature, they are called bassotini.
When I take the girls out for their walks, I get stopped by at least half the people I see so they can pet them, talk to them or just call them “belline” (pretty little girls). The girls are very friendly, so this helps tremendously. Many of the folks I see on a daily basis make a beeline for the girls and I am just the one who happens to be holding their leashes. Ruby and Ginger have many, many friends here who don’t mind in the least if they jump on them and give them kisses. I have tried in vain to teach them not to jump on people, but here it’s encouraged.
There are so many differences in the way dogs are treated and respected here than in America. Now, I know many pet owners in America who consider their dogs their children as I do, but here it is unreal! I regularly take them into any market, coffee bar or restaurant that I frequent. I’ve even taken them in with me when I’m shopping for shoes and clothing. There are very few places where they are not welcome.
It’s not uncommon for me to be walking Ruby and Ginger down a street and have someone in a car or on a bike stop in mid-traffic to gush over them. Little children regularly run up to them and pet and hug them. This scares me a bit because they are animals and I’m always worried that they might be frightened and hurt a child. In America, it seems as if parents encourage their children to ask before touching a dog that they haven’t seen before. In Italy, they just mimic their parents. Last week, I had two men who were coming from their corporate building stop in mid-conversation to pet them and give them hugs.
In America, Ruby and Ginger used their pet door to go outside. Lucca is a city and I live in an apartment so I take them out for their walks regularly here. I am one of those responsible pet owners who cleans up after my dogs. Others, unfortunately, don’t. On more than one occasion, I’ve had an Italian woman open her shutters and scream out the window for me to clean up after my dogs! I usually don’t know what they are saying because my Italian is poor but I can certainly guess. I pull my bags out of my pocket to try to explain that I do follow the rules and they just slam the shutters closed. Lucca has street sweepers who sweep at least once a day, so it’s not something that is too much of a problem but they can’t be everywhere all the time.
Lucca has become very conscientious now and has placed bags completely around the fortress walls at regular intervals to encourage pet owners to keep the areas clean. I’ve definitely seen an improvement.
Even though Lucca is very dog-friendly, there are some negative and distressful things that occur. Many dogs are left to wander on their own and it can be very upsetting when I am walking my girls on their leashes, only to have a loose dog come up and challenge or fight them. There are many strays that rummage through the garbage and run around town all day, but it’s usually the ones who are with their rude owners who cause the problems. Every time a dog has ever fought with one of my girls, its owner has stood several feet away calling him back.
All in all, though, I couldn’t have made a better decision than to bring them. Since there isn’t a quarantine period here, it was great to have lovable company to get me through the first few weeks of being a stranger in a new land. They are truly my best friends.
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