Author Archives: Natalie A

The Best (Dogs) of London in 7 Days

(Disclaimer: every dog is the best dog.)

Throughout my May 2023 Rick Steves Best of London in 7 Days tour, I attempted to subtly photograph the dogs I saw. I saw them everywhere – taking the Tube and busses, going on walks, living in exciting places, and just generally living their best city dog lives.

The following is a chronicle of this trip via the dogs I saw and admired.

Setting the Stage (Corgis Included)

The window of Waterstone’s Bookstore, Piccadilly.

The day before our tour began was the coronation of King Charles II. My mom and I staggered in a slightly jetlagged state across the street from our hotel in Mayfair to Green Park, where we joined thousands of locals and tourists in watching the procession and ceremony on large television screens put up around the city. We even saw the Royal Family on the Buckingham Palace balcony (from very, very far away!). Even though King Charles and Queen Camilla have Jack Russell Terrier crosses, the corgi is still the unofficial dog of royalty, and of royal souvenir shops. I admit I came home with a stuffed corgi from Windsor Castle, as one does.

Statues and Tea

During the first day of our tour, I had to be satisfied with statuesque dogs. I loved the interesting public artwork that our guide, Jeanie, pointed out to us – we all thought the animals sitting down for a meal were a bit creepy but interesting! Loved the dog statues outside of this building near the British Museum.

Are these dogs? I think there was a dog involved. Animals of some sort eating a meal.
Pastries and tea at our afternoon tea at the Montague Hotel
Dog statue near the British Museum.

Dachshunds Guarding the Tower

It’s always fun when you travel to a new-to-you city to see the locals out living their life in this destination that is a bucket list location for you but just home for them but seeing the trio of wiener dogs in matching outfits out for their morning walk in the Tower of London really brought that home to me! Imagine a. living in the Tower of London and b. having three dogs in your home there! I really loved that. After our early morning (loved the Rick Steves tour early access to the opening ceremony and a quick trip through the Crown Jewels!) we went by Horse Guards where I got my obligatory horse photo. We ended the day with a self-guided tour through Westminster Abbey, where the Coronation took place just a few days before!

  • These dogs live at the Tower of London!
  • As long as ravens live in the Tower, the monarchy will not fall.
  • Obligatory photo with a Beefeater!
  • Thrones at Westminster Abbey.

Gardens, Markets and Doggies

Hello!
Can I sniff this column?
Cafe culture.
Waiting with a bowl.
Matching friends.

We ventured into some London neighborhoods today, going from Covent Garden to the East End and Spitalfields Market area before an amazing food tour (highly recommend taking a food tour in any big city!) Going into these neighborhoods we saw more London dogs doing very doggie things like sniffing where they really shouldn’t sniff and admiring the people walking by.

Country Dogs in Windsor

Windsor Castle.
A British Frenchie.
Westie on a mission.
Waiting.
Matching friends.

We took the train to Windsor Castle, and although there were of course no dogs in the Castle proper, the cute town of Windsor was filled with dogs out and about… and we even saw a dog getting on the train as we entered!

Shopping and Riding

We went to the Left Bank, where we found the best dog bowl sign, Borough Market with one very fluffy dog, and ended the day by riding the public bus with a very happy Golden Retriever! I enjoyed going to these places where I felt as many locals as tourists were, doing their marketing and having a very good lunch along with their pets.

Tea and Royalty

We ended our time in London with a visit (from afar) to royalty at Buckingham Palace and the Royal Mews and tea at Fortnum and Mason, where cute chocolate bears will have to substitute for dogs. I’m sure there were dogs somewhere in that massive store! It was an amazing tea experience.

The Best Dogs in London

This little guy and the Liberty dog print pad of paper followed me home as reminders of this trip.

Animals, not people. On disability representation.

So! Let’s talk disability representation and this GoogleDoodle. Like why are there animals, not people? Why do we sanitize the disability experience, making it cute (because yes horse in a curling sled is cute) instead of giving realistic drawings of, you know, the actual disabled athletes we will be seeing over the next week at the Winter Paralympics? SO much to unpack about how, regardless of what is proclaimed, disabled bodies are still minimized, still hidden in favor of cute animals.

It’s like this morning during the opening ceremony, when the International Paralympic Committee president spoke passionately about “not being defined by disability, but it being part of you” – how are you not defined by a seminal chance, thing, genetic fluke? And why is being defined by something that has every right to define you a bad thing? When we speak of things such as representation, this is what we have to unpack.

As you can see, disability sports and the representation of disabled athletes interests me greatly, as a writer and amateur disabled athlete. Such opportunity for change, and also for disability representation pitfalls.

Google Doodle showing disabled animals skiing

Voila, Representation!

I will confess, in a moment of weakness I hopped onto the Voila craze. And I like it, because it’s the first avatar type thing that still looks like me.

I have a long abandoned Bitmoji hanging around somewhere. I have an Apple avatar thingy, unused. I have a Facebook avatar that never sees the light of day. Because these things… just don’t look right.

I am generally a practical person. The statistical number of those of us with unique facial differences is so low that it makes total sense to not have the ability (how would you even do that?) to make an online avatar realistic. And are they even supposed to be?

While all these things are essentially escapism (and who does’t need escapism right now?) it’s nice to have escapism that keeps what makes me there.

Motivation, comparison and all that fun stuff

Clare is unimpressed now that the cookie has been consumed.

“Comparison is the thief of joy”

Teddy Roosevelt

So, it’s strange. As a rider, especially as a rider with a disability, I work hard to not compare myself, my progress, what I’m working on to others. But, making the barn switch has exposed me to more. More people. More horses. More higher level riders. More expectations. And, apparently that is super motivating to me? Today as I tacked up for my lesson, I watched as an elderly horse and his mature rider tackled their canter work in the indoor while a jump clinic continued in the outdoor and something in me just said why not try.

Cantering is a tricky thing for me, a combination of something that’s physically hard and mentally challenging because I know my inability to put weight in my legs and disastrous coordination in general makes something I have to really concentrate on. Combining that with a prior horse who did not have the best canter, it’s a combined block. But, today, after some good sitting trot work I was asked what I wanted to do… and I said canter. And I did, walk canter transitions. 2 of them, one lap each.

Clare got all the cookies for being the schoolmistress I need right now, mentally and physically. So lucky to have connected with her and to be able to learn from her at the end of her career right now.

Season Finale Worthy

Screencap from the 2020 season finale of Grey’s Anatomy

So, it happened again. Moebius syndrome ended up on television! Actually it did not end up on television, a really bad imitation of it did. It puzzles me that writers and medical advisors will go out of their way to “discover” these wonky diseases, then do a terrible job at them.

See her eyes? They would disqualify her from a diagnosis stat. One of two absolutely necessary diagnostic elements is the inability to move your eyes laterally, for heaven’s sake!

If you’re going to do it, at least do it write. Don’t exploit it then fail it.

And this doesn’t get into the question of… what does it mean that my rare disease is season finale worthy? Is it the weirdest, the worst, the most sensational someone thought of? Having lived with it, I have context. Others do not, I guess.

Next week is Face Equality Week. At first I kind of scoffed at that, because burnout, quarantine etc etc – but then I reassessed. I like it. I’m a bit perplexed as to what I’m supposed to do to “raise awareness” on all these various awareness days/weeks, beyone “hey! I exist!” – Face Equality is simple, powerful, meaningful and does a great thing in spreading the challenge. Yes, those of us with facial differences are in a position to advocate – but the challenge is also with everyone.

It’s just how we, as people, should treat each other.

You need to bounce to sit

Riding Piggles, August or September 2019

The sitting trot is not a passive action. You can’t sink into it, you push into it – that rhythm, than down action – it’s percussive, it’s powerful. And weirdly enough, it’s now doable.

But first. Piggles and I had a kind of embarrassing failure of a last outing in June, he planted his feet at X and nearly didn’t move, then we were called off course when we weren’t, and decided that collection just wasn’t happening. Oops. But the judge (David Schmutz) was super kind and encouraging and it wasn’t a total embarrassment (that’s saved for when Radar ducked me off, damn pony!)

Anyway. We had a great August, he was going great. Decided to aim for early September show… and then was told they wouldn’t shorten the court. Got it, that venue is out! In September Piggles got a bit ouchy and life changes meant that he’s now partially retired and enjoying his life at Mar Val.

So, where does that leave me? At a new barn, with a new horse to sponsor and riding with multiple trainers for the first time.

Selfie with a bay mare with a white strip.

Meet Claire! She’s an aged Morgan x Thoroughbred (my favorites!) and is teaching me so much. It’s not easy, hello anxiety! But she makes it worth it. I’m learning how to take my riding to the next level, pushing myself for more, working on moving instead of being quiet, of asking for more. It’s fun! She probably isn’t consistently sound enough to do any rated showing, but for me that’s okay for now – especially now.

She’s teaching me how to bounce, how to push, how to become more secure.

Dressage-ing

Spent this weekend spectating at the Golden State Dressage show and CPEDI, watching all kinds of wonderful horses and riders, and making my paradressage classification permanent!

  • SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

I also tried my hand at some equestrian photography, I love photography although with fine motor and vision issues… my results may vary! I clearly need to figure out if my point and shoot has a sports mode and would want a tripod if I were to do more, but it was fun to try.

Classification was interesting, as usual (wait… I’m supposed to be able to move that way?) and literally nothing changed numbers-wise. We got looped reins added to my dispensation, which will be nice moving forward as we try things out.

The riding – in the CDI, CPEDI and Classic show – was generally inspiring and is giving me things to think about (FORWARD! FORWARD! PUSH into that FORWARD!).

Year of the Pig

Goals are funny. I’m really not a competitive person, but I certainly am goal oriented. I think it helps me… focus? Or something like that.

So goals: Piggles and I are aiming to ride the Grade II Novice A test at the ginormous Rancho Murieta CPEDI 1* in June. It’s big, it’s fancy… and the little Morgan and I (and Team Pig) are going to play with the big boys. Or Warmbloods, whichever you prefer.

In order to get ready, I’m riding a lot, and doing a few shows in preparation, 4 in total. Show #1 at the UC Davis barn was a fun, low-key affair, turning it up a notch with my first rated show at the end of the month. I’m excited, for rated it seems pretty solidly low-key (waived coats etc). Then 2 shows in May, one an “away” show where I’ll test out the hotel and riding multiple days.

Should be a fun spring, with enormous thanks to everyone in Team Pig for making it all happen.

Horse & rider

Post-ride posing
He now thinks every show setup must include a grazing field.

Bridle with pigs
Pig. Brow band. Need I say more?