No, Pamela, nobody actually does check if any dogs in the CBD have got their CGC. At least I don’t think so! On rare occasions I have seen a person or people sitting outside a cafe with their dog while they have a coffee and I’ve never seen anybody go up to them and ask them to move on.

Beryl wouldn’t mind living in a big city as long as there was somewhere she could go for a good run, preferably every day! Frankie would hate it.

Hmmm, do you find Shiva preferring your better half on those days they slip through the fence and run off leash in the golf course? 🙂

My husband and I have traditionally been avid rule-followers. But as I get older, I wonder if it’s more an excuse to make myself miserable than to contribute to the values of my community.

So while I probably wouldn’t break through a fence, I do try to stick to the spirit of the rule if not the letter. I assume the rules against dogs on golf courses exist so they don’t have to deal with dog poop and people messing up their greens.

Of course, in our area, the golf greens are overrun with Canada goose poop so allowing a few dogs to run them off would probably be a good idea. 🙂

I can certainly understand your frustration.

When I’ve read about groups successful at getting amenities for dogs I’m struck by two things: it took a long time and the organizers figured out how to sell the dog amenities as a benefit to the town.

Don’t give up hope.

That said, our city tries to be dog friendly. For the most part, all beaches, parks, and other such outdoor places allow leashed dogs. In the winter and fall/early spring, the best places to go off-leash walking are the large number of beaches in the area. In the summer, of course, I obey the leash laws, even if another family member does not. 😛

Oh no, Sydney is not dog friendly. In fact, if I compare where dogs are allowed to go, to many places in Europe and the UK for example, we’re shockingly dog UNfriendly as a country. Especially for big dogs. Little dogs get away with being carried/smuggled into some no go areas like public transport, and there are many more choices for them in “pet-friendly” accomodation. Sad really. That concert was a one-off. I vaguely remember reading about it.

It’s true about putting land aside for dogs. Many of us who have dogs in lieu of children and pay our taxes, wonder why some of it can’t be spent on providing better amenities for OUR “children”! In my neighborhood, we’ve been talking to council about putting up 2 gates in just one small area of a park and some lamplights so dogs can play in the winter dark safely and not run out onto the road and get killed. 2 years later, we’ve still to see anything being done. Meanwhile, every single neighbourhood park has had refurbished kiddie playgrounds with brand new play sets and fences. It’s hard not to get annoyed.

I find the truly dog-friendly places like parks are much more fun than cafes. I don’t find my dogs just love being in the city (though they’ve never minded it much). Moving from Philadelphia (5th or 6th largest in the US?) to a small city in upstate NY has given us many more options.

BTW, do you actually have people checking for CGC’s at the outskirts of the Central Business District?

I’d certainly give it a try. But I can’t imagine Honey enjoying the talky, character driven movies that I like so much. I can just imagine the look on her face when we go in to see My Life as a Dog just to realize it was about a little boy instead of a dog. 🙂

Every summer I think about trying to host an outdoor movie night for dog people. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and do it.

I didn’t know that Vancouver allowed dogs on public transit. That’s terrific. Not being able to take dogs in taxis or trains is such a problem when you live in the city.

I’ve always been able to take dogs on ferries. And I’m very thankful. Now if Amtrak would only get on the dog-friendly wagon.

The weather in Vancouver is probably a big plus for dogs. I hear it doesn’t get too hot or too cold.

One of my suspicions is that the more places dogs are allowed the more well-behaved dogs we’ll see. I think it’s interesting that you’re willing to run the risk of being kicked out. I’m a little more timid about that.

BTW, happy blogiversary. Loved seeing Monty’s dance moves. His butt is much cuter than John Travolta’s.

That’s an interesting question to add to my list: what would we do in an emergency. When I go somewhere long distance, I look up the local vet hospitals. But I don’t usually do that for a day trip. Good idea.

I think the Baha’i temple looks like a wedding cake. Our local Baha’i temple meets in a classroom at our local university–a big difference.