One thing you know I had to have noticed is dogs in Italy. When dogs are such a big part of daily routine, it is hard to be away for any length of time without experiencing pooch withdrawal. You begin to look for furry surrogates to pet and you can usually work up to the occasional snorgle. Here in Italy, the snorgle has been elusive and even pets do not seem to be encouraged. So far, I have only experienced one pet that turned into a half snorgle with a French Bulldog outside of a restaurant. I don’t know his name and we have never seen each other again.
There are many breeds here in Italy. Smaller dogs seem to be the norm. We have seen quite a few Pugs, Poodles and Dachshunds. We saw a pug with long hair like a Pomeranian. On the larger side, we have seen one Dalmatian, a Golden Retriever and an Afghan Hound. Curiously we have only seen one Italian Greyhound.
There is no grass in Rome unless you go much farther afield. The dogs here learn to do their business on the cobblestones of the city. Despite that, the streets are kept quite clean due to diligent dog owners who follow along with bags at the ready. Dogs being slaves to their instincts, they still try to bury the evidence by scratching the cobblestones. Perhaps I could offer to pick up after a dog in exchange for a snorgle.
In Naples, stray dogs of all types roam the city. One particularly tenacious pair was staked out at the food court in the train station. Looking for scraps of food, they barked and snapped if you tried to move past them without the proper offering of a morsel. In Pompeii, stray dogs were given the run of the ruins. You would think that stray dogs would be the perfect quick snorgle. They don’t get a lot of affection and there are no owners to be concerned if you approach their precious Gigi with outstretched hands. This is not the case. We think the dogs in Pompeii had recently been fed because all of them were stretched out in a patch of sun sleeping. One in particular who looked a little like Monty with similar markings was sleeping in the flower bed at the entrance. It was difficult not to wake him to see if he was friendly.
So, I keep looking for a sympathetic owner who will recognize the tell tale soft liquid look of a fellow dog lover in distress and let me have a pity snorgle with their furry friend.
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