Cultural Canines and Their Playful Nature

On Dogs

My mom recently observed something intriguing while in London. She asked, do dogs also have cultural behaviors and attitudes towards one another embedded in their DNA?

This revelation once left me quite shocked as well. In the park, everyone walks their dogs off-leash, and the atmosphere is incredibly friendly—people socialize while their dogs engage in playful interactions (in the best way possible)!

What strikes me the most are the dog walkers. In one photo, a girl is managing five dogs of various sizes, all off-leash. They play and have fun; no one is picking on each other, and most importantly, no one runs away.

One day, I called such a service because I needed to walk Lucy a couple of times. They told me, "Sorry, that's not how we operate. We form a group on a permanent basis!"

I thought to myself, wow, is this a private kindergarten or a public one? Are you teaching the alphabet in this group, or does one need to be prepared? Will my dog recite a poem by the end of the day?

It's amusing, yet such a group resembles a kindergarten more than a regular dog-walking service. Dogs are picked up once a day for two hours, usually pretty late, between 10 AM and noon. So, the dog walker’s task is not just to let them relieve themselves and take them home, but to ensure your dog gets quality exercise and a fun time.

Of course, there are exceptions, but overall, the dogs tend to get along. The only ones that consistently terrorize the dogs and don’t allow them any peace—even in the dog pond—are the swans.

Interestingly, today, they chose to harass the male pond instead!