Walking a dog from the Animal Shelter

Frau A and I have walked dogs at the main animal shelter in Munich and recently went back.  It's in a suburb called Riem and is reacheable by train plus a 15 minute walk - a little farther than the English Garden or Nymphenburg.

The "tierheim" (literally translated: animal home) opens at 09:00 daily, at which point you can sign out a dog and take it for a walk.  They ask that you walk your dog for at least one and a half hours to get them a lot of exercise.

There is already a line of people waiting at 08:50! Many arrive early to make sure they get their favorite friend.  We just asked for any two dogs that needed to get out.  While we were waiting, Frau investigated the small pond where all sorts of birds were starting to wake up. (Geese, ducks...)

Included in the mix around the small pond are hens!  We wonder how they got there, and if they lay eggs...

The queue eventually got to us and we received two dogs, then headed out onto one of the trails in the area.

Riem is the place for horse farms and riding areas in Munich.  There are lots of walking & riding paths through woods and along the farms here.  We paused on our path at a creek to give Frau A's dog a drink and relax a sec.

This guy is smaller than we usually get, but he was very sweet and had a lot of energy.

Also along the path was a small childrens' playground, with one of the longest playground slides we've ever seen!

The quaint farmer's houses along the trail had lovely flowers in a warm morning sun.

The horses and colts(two of them right here!) were out grazing peacefully too.

It's a great way to start the day, for both us and the dogs.  We'll go back to make more friends soon.

Cats and Dogs

Though it would be an appropriate description for last night's weather, this time the topic is literal.

I’ve been cat-sitting a sweet baby Russian Blue and Herr J and I walked dogs this weekend at the animal shelter, so it's been a couple of weeks of cats and dogs.

It's been wonderful having animals in our lives again, even though it's temporary. They really do make life better....albeit more complicated.

When I moved to Munich, I had to face the difficult decision of leaving my cats behind. I fear the flight would have greatly traumatized one of the inseparable pair. They're much happier anyway, living with my parents in a house with many birds and creatures outside the big windows and with two people to give them treats and loving.

my sweet kitties, Gus and Loki

It took some adjustment for me to get used to not having to consider the cats in every action...african violets typically got beheaded, other plants eaten; leaving laundry out or the closet open was inviting destruction; and having anything breakable out in the open was a recipe for disaster.

Now I find myself adjusting again...remembering that the cat will drink out of any open container and attack anything hanging down invitingly. And I'm afraid to open the windows to let in air, lest he test the theory that cats always land on their feet.

But it has prompted lots of interesting conversations. Herr J is a dog person (not that he dislikes cats, just never spent much time around them); whereas I grew up with cats and fish mostly.

We've been comparing notes and observing similiarities and differences. Trying to explain to Herr J what is normal cat behaviour is surprisingly difficult. Perhaps impossible, actually. Are there typical cat behaviors? Perhaps some…running amok early in the morning, sleeping most of the day, then coming out at night to loudly knock things off any high surface…that seems very common among all the cats I've known.

life is rough!We have realized that while dogs seem to want human company without exception, cats want it on their own terms. At a distance, and usually at inopportune times or from the person in the room who least likes cats. But they often do want to be around people, contrary to popular thought.

Of course, as soon as you think you have cats figured out, they’ll change things up and keep you on your toes.

It’s been fun having little Smokey around. He’s definitely livened things up and has a really good disposition.  He’s exactly the right mix of loving and aloof. As he's gotten used to his new surroundings, he's been incredibly sweet and wants to be in the same room as me. Whether it's napping or running around, he wants to be with people. He'll follow us from room to room.

Initially we were worried that my speakers would frighten him, as my parents’ new speakers are NOT beloved by the cats. However, he’s done quite well. I actually think he enjoyed District 9, as the prawns made a subtle clicking sound that probably is attractive to a cat (or sounds like food). 

I'm definitely going to miss him when he goes home in a couple of days. However, it's getting really warm and I'm ready to open the windows!  

Look at those gorgeous eyes!

Herr J will post more about the Munich Tierheim (animal shelter), but we did meet one of the sweetest dogs there. Here are Lilly (black) and Romeo (brown), who we walked for a couple of hours Sunday morning. Despite an unhappy start in life (he was part of a major dog rescue led by the police), Romeo's just a bundle of love and extremely well-behaved.  It was really hard not to take him home, or the gorgeous black and white Great Dane we saw on the way out. So far, I'm resisting the call of the animals, but my strength is being greatly tested!