By Sarah Richardson –
A couple of days ago, I went to Vondelpark with some friends to do a participant observation assignment. It was a nice day, with many people out doing their thing. I go to an open grassy area to sit and observe. After a good five minutes of staring at pigeons, I see them: dogs of all shapes and sizes, completely off-leash.
This shocked me, as this is not a common thing in my home country. Growing up in the United States, dogs are typically not allowed to be off-leash in public spaces, such as parks and streets. Americans typically take their dogs to dog parks. Or, if you want to get specific to the area I grew up in, people will take their dogs to restaurants with dog play areas attached– that is the most off-leash time any dog in America will get outdoors. Usually, dogs in America are not allowed off-leash due to aggression problems: many Americans adopt dogs from shelters or strays, do not properly train them, and they get triggered and attack someone. This usually results in the dog being euthanized, against the owner’s wishes. I assumed the law went into place after too many people complained about being attacked, for the government not to do anything. After a quick Google search, I was correct! The Responsible Dog Ownership Law in Georgia was passed to prevent injuries to people and other animals; it also holds owners liable for injuries to other animals or people caused by their pet.
After being dumbfounded by my observation at Vondelpark, I decided to walk around the park and go up to the dogs, see how they react. I stood near a huge rottweiler, about forty kilos, which was just walking in circles. Then, it decides to walk towards its owner, who is conveniently passing me. This was the moment of truth, to see how dogs typically act here. I planned to wave at it and say hi, just to gauge how well-trained it is. I waited. As it was coming closer, I formed a small wave and said “Hiiii!” in a high-pitched voice. Andddd–
Nothing.
The rottweiler just kept walking past, did not even acknowledge me, let alone get the reaction I was hoping for. I was bummed. I just wanted to pet a dog. Maybe this was a fluke. I quickly walk over another area of the field and try the same thing with a small golden doodle; I got the same response, or lack thereof. However, this was an insightful observation, as no dog in America could ever resist a high-pitched “Hiiii!” This was when I decided to do some research.
In America, dogs are sensitive to stimuli and lack public interaction. Although dogs interact with other dogs frequently, through spaces like ‘doggy daycare’, they do not get much interaction with humans. Also, remember how I mentioned the dog parks and restaurants with dog play areas attached? That is the most external stimuli dogs will receive, through spaces created for dogs. In contrast, Amsterdam is a noisy urban environment with scarce spaces created just for dogs. Dogs in Amsterdam integrate into city life quite easily; since they are allowed off-leash, many feel as if it is less of a hassle to take their dogs places. Receiving so much external stimuli from a young age helps the dogs behave well.
People in Amsterdam are not perfect with their dogs, however. Earlier today, I was on the tram, and it was crowded to the point of people standing in the middle of the tram. Then, a guy with his dog came on the tram, not sure what breed it was, but it seemed very sweet. I also noticed two things that deviated from the norm: the dog was on a leash, and when I said my usual high-pitched “Hiiii!”, it turned its head and looked at me. Not even a minute later, the dog lunged at someone or something, the owner falling on me in the process, and the dog and owner were kicked off the tram. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but it was quite scary. It was a very good reminder that nothing is perfect.
Although dogs in Amsterdam are not perfect, they definitely have better conditions to be better trained than American dogs. And personally, I would rather be ignored by a dog than attacked.
Sarah Richardson is currently a first-year Anthropology student at VU Amsterdam.