dogs – Natalie Abbott

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.

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

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

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.

Books and Dogs

So the perils of a busy life with a chronic illness is that I:

Do absolutely nothing extraordinary and blog worthy besides work-dog-horses-volunteering
Am totally using my creativity to do those things and have nothing left to blog with.

So that’s good and bad. Doing too much is better than doing too little, although my body sometimes objects to this assertion!

BUT! I actually took a day off this weekend and did something fun for myself! Yay!

Amazing hildren’s book author Laura Numeroff (of If You Give A Mouse A Cookie fame) wrote a simply adorable book called Raising A Hero, about a young boy raising a Canine Companions for Independence puppy.

She is doing a series of book signings throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and of course I had to go to one and fangirl a bit! I think Cassius enjoyed her as well. I’ve been connected with her on social media for a bit and she not only remembered me and was excited to meet Cassius in real life but was incredibly gracious with everyone!

On Saturday we had our yearly Northwest Graduate Seminar, lots of useful info and workshops (including a wonderful presentation by a PTSD graduate) – and Cassius and I passed our recertification and got a snazzy new vest and leash!

We did the requisite pose by Snoopy.

And said hi to Ada, the campus kitty!

It was a really good weekend.

Dogs Just Gotta Have Fun

It’s actually quite surprising how often I hear “does your service dog ever get to have fun?”… common sense would dictate that of course he does, but apparently his serious working demeanor (wiggly tail aside) leads people to believe that he doesn’t get to be a dog.
I assure you, this dog has more toys than any one dog needs, 3 beds in a one-bedroom apartment (not including the couch and person-bed!) and a ridiculous amount of attention and spoiling. Of course he deserves it all (and more!)

Dog parks are a no go for my particular situation, so getting to go to the humongous Gittinger Park after a chapter planning meeting in Santa Rosa yesterday was a treat. He only ran around for about 5 to 10 minutes, but it was a very happy run with some of his assistance dog and breeder friends.

“Cashie, HERE!”

Chapter Workshop

Yesterday the East Bay and South Bay Canine Companions (note to self: not!CCI) held their annual Chapter Workshop together. This is the first one I’ve attended for some reason, and I’m so glad I did!

You know the day is going to be great when one of the first people you (and the dog) see after getting out of the car is James – Cassius’s trainer and now the Puppy Program Manager for the Northwest Region. Cassius momentarily turned into a goofy wiggly happy puppy, but mostly contained himself and did a somewhat respectable greeting. I love how much he loves all his people, even after many months of not seeing them.

Now to sessions: these included the over-managed and under-managed dog (which reminded me of a few handling errors/shortcuts I tend to make and how I need to be better about them – imagine that, Cassius is a lot less likely to forge when hurrying when I ask him to sit beforehand!), things about loading and unloading from the car (James made me feel better about how we do that/car-riding in general).

We had a little time to visit and say hi to people and dogs alike, including the cutest black fluffy puppy I’ve ever seen. They need to breed more black fluffies! Then we had a session outside on appropriate play and encouraging dogs to play appropriately using rewards without expectations – that was a new concept and it made a lot of sense.

An update on some of the programs going on – PTSD study (including the best video ever of one of the dogs showing off the Search skill!) and the fMRI study – was followed by one on the breeding program, loved hearing about that as I don’t follow it too closely. Apparently there is a huge long waitlist for a dog in the NWR, which is a good problem to have although not good if you’re waiting for a puppy!

We ended the day with more visiting of humans and dogs, and I left as always – inspired by the people and dogs I am privileged to work with.

Wordless Wednesday: Will Work for Sticks

Trying to channel the dog and not think too much about plans/goals/where I think I “ought” to be… and encouraging myself to be satisfied – for the moment – with my proverbial stick.

(Cassius, however, is quite pleased with his actual stick!)

Wordless Wednesday: Meeting Santa

Had our annual Canine Companions for Independence – East Bay Chapter dog holiday party! Met Santa, played games (and won toys!), said “Hi” to new and old friends, and survived being dressed up in a Santa hat!

Pondering Grumpy Cat’s Appeal & Facial Paralysis

Grumpy Cat Unveils 2014 Macy’s Holiday Windows | Union Square

So Grumpy Cat helped open the season for the Macy’s San Francisco SPCA windows yesterday – one of my favorite holiday traditions ever, I remember when they used to be in the old Gump’s – and of course got all kind of attention because, well, he’s Grumpy Cat.

And I admit, he amuses me. His nonchalance is endearing. But then I wonder… is being amused by this slightly morose-looking feline the same thing as laughing at someone for the way they look? Especially for me, the idea of being laughed at because of his dour expression rubs me the wrong way. Granted the cat has no perceptions of being teased, but what kind of precedent are we setting.

But then I look at the persona his “people” have crafted… and it’s really not that different from what any of us who look different have done, using what we have to the best of our abilities and compensating for our weaknesses. He is catty (no pun intended), hilarious, and scathing… but all in the spirit of fun. He demands to be looked at and respected, which I think is a good lesson for anyone in taking charge.

I guess I end up rather equivocal about Grumpy Cat, but admit to finding his marketing strategy hilarious and – in a bizarre way – inspirational.

Thankful

I see those things pop up on my Newsfeed like clockwork every morning in November, people listing daily what they are thankful for. I’ve never really done that, mainly because I don’t know if 3/4 of the people reading my newsfeed really even care what 30-something things I am thankful for, and maybe because it just feels a bit too invasive and self-serving for me.

But today as I watched Canine Companions Graduations on breaks at work and when I got home, I felt I should state the (very) obvious: I am so thankful for my dog. Cassius doesn’t make the hard stuff go away or all the painful ness of having a disability go away, but he sure is a help.

I dropped my earbuds on the floor today when I was trying to put them in my drawer after a break and missed. When you are like me and have the combination of eye issues and balance/mobility problems, honestly finding what you dropped is a challenge in itself! But not for CassiusThe Retriever. Picking up things and carrying them places is FUN!

So with Cassius’s help, I got myself out of that annoying situation and got back to work with minimal pain and frustration. For that I am ever-so thankful.

Canine Companions Graduate Workshop & Halloween Costume Fun

This weekend was the Annual Canine Companions for Independence (I said it right! Trying not to say CCI, at their request, is tough!)

We had a great day and a half saying hi to new and old friends (and when you’re a well-trained Labrador/Golden, everyone is a friend), getting training tips, learning about new programs, and just socializing.

Of course, the highlight of the day was the costume contest! I decided that Cassius had to be something (someone?) literary, and wanted to re-use his costume… so he was Curious George! He was a good sport about it, and won Best Dog Costume! I will enjoy the water bottle and Cassius will undoubtedly appreciate the toys and treat!

That bit of Canine Companions goodness will hold us over for the workweek ahead, which for us starts tomorrow afternoon – No rest for the weary, I guess!

One Year!

I could write a long-winded post… but this picture speaks for itself.

Spent a wonderful day at Canine Companions for Independence Northwest Region Graduation/Matriculation yesterday, watching ten new teams graduate and catching up with people including Cassius’ puppyraiser. I love how much Cassius loves “his” people, no matter how long it’s been since he’s seen them. If you love him, Cassius loves you. The ceremony always fills me with renewed hope, and a passion to volunteer and spread awareness of the amazing things this community does.

But really, Cassius has made this past year and my life so much better. He’s an awesome sidekick, a wonderful help, and will always bring a bit of levity to my life. You can’t help but smile when confronted with 70 pounds of wagging goofiness. Here’s to many more.