I read a really interesting article on BBC website today; if you scroll below, I took a screen shot.
It's all about the rise of 'dog experiences' and how we are treating our dogs today, in comparison to ten years ago.
It's an interesting read, and I encourage you to hop over and have a look, you can find it here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8ly0191r6geo
In short, it talks about how we want our dogs to be included more - in our Sunday roasts at the pub (there is now a doggy roast), at our weddings (there are dog concierge services), and in other ways too - these are called 'dog experiences'.
Experiences that humans want to take with our dogs alongside us - for them to be included.
Nice.
Personally, I really like the boundaries merging between dog and non-dog families. 'No dogs in here' is a pain, only this morning we sat on the beach enjoying a bacon sarnie outside a cafe as it was a no-dogs-inside place. I get it, though; perhaps the owner is allergic to dogs, but while surfing the net to see what time the cafe opens, the first thing that popped up was a Tripadvisor post begging the owner to make the cafe dog-friendly.
I love that most pubs are open to bringing dogs in - as for their own (dog-friendly) roastie - why the hell not? I wonder if they serve it on the table and set a chair up for the dog? Likely not 😉
I love that we as a society are more understanding of our relationships with our dogs.
I think Covid brought about some of this change: a deep respect for the regularity that comes with a dog, the walks, feeding times, companionship.
Nothing saw this as beautifully portrayed as in Ricky Gervais 'Afterlife' series.
I salute all the doggy service people out there, go you and enjoy your share of this widening understanding of the love between ourselves and our dogs.
Much love
Sam x
