Venice honors Saint Roch and the dog that saved his life by bringing him bread and licking his wounds. Statues and artwork depicting Saint Roch and the dog can be found throughout Venice.
At the Guggenheim Museum there, Peggy Guggenheim is buried beside her 14 dogs. Visit the blog Dog Art Today to read more about Peggy Guggenheim and her love of dogs.
The liberated, off-leash Venetian dogs are surprisingly friendly and nonchalant. Observing their calm natures, I wondered about our comparatively frenetic, leashed dogs in New York city and how we relate to and live with them. The absence of cars and other vehicles in Venice makes it possible for animals to run free. But the cool, civilized personalities of the dogs also seem to be a reflection of their laid-back owners. Maybe we can learn from the serene dogs that run Venice and their human counterparts.
Images: Rachael Grad
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Oh wow, now I want to live in Venice....
Unleashed dogs in Venice look sort of cool in the photos. It wouldn't work here due to heavy traffic, the breeding of aggressive dogs, and the shortage of good training and socialization.
When dogs get enough exercise (as these dogs, who are running around off leash, swimming, playing etc, do), they are always more relaxed and easy-going.
A lot of NYC dogs don't get enough exercise and get little to no off leash time, which is why they look so crazy. Mine gets off leash time in the morning and at night down by the Hudson and she's calm as can be. Give a dog a couple of hours to run around and be a dog, and you'll be amazed at the difference.
Good point about their need for exercise, "A tired dog is a good dog." (That can be true of more than dogs.)
I initially read the title as "The Dogs that Ruin Venice."
I am not a dog person.
p.s.
Who's picking up the poo??
Good question!
Gee, and all these years I though it was the Doge's Palace! ;-)
oops, thought.
I find it hard to believe that Venetians are breeding their dogs to be any less aggressive than others.That's laughable.Most people,the world over,will never buy a 'well bred' dog.
If your dog is sooooo well trained...why would it have aggression issues?
When visiting Europe,I have always noticed unleashed and stray dogs.
The thought of turning my dog loose in the street makes me practically panic, haha. I'd be terrified that she would have a run-in with an unfriendly person. :(
If the unfriendly person is driving, then you should be concerned. My area has the highest rate of hit-and-runs in the country. That's of people, so you can imagine what happens to loose dogs and cats. On the up side, there are some nearby dog parks.
I love dogs, but about visitors that are afraid of them?
Oh, my, and they shower in the river! Now I want to live in Venice and cuddle with all these cute little guys! ;)
In my area, the more local leash laws and poop scoop laws are complied with, the more both people and dogs are benefitted.
Venice just moved to the top of my "must visit" list.
What really makes me daydream is this post's concept of a vehicle-free city. It sounds like it would be quiet, clean, and peaceful. Too bad it couldn't work in a modern city, as opposed to in the separated, theme park-type small tourist shopping areas I've visited.
Check out this post with more on San Rocco!
http://www.touritalynow.com/blog/italy-travel-the-dogs-of-venice-past-and-present
3 million visitors a year in a city as old as Venice mean its not particularly quiet and clean. At least not in the central core around St Mark's. And 60,000 tourists a day in the high season don't all worry too much about putting their garbage in a can. With numbers like that, I don't think the Venetians worry too much about those with problems with dogs, cats, or rats the size of small dogs.
That said, Venice is my all time absolute favourite place I've ever been. It is so beautiful and mysterious and smelly and decaying. There is truly nothing like it anywhere.
Sounds unique, I should visit before it finishes sinking.
Lol @ Nickety. This is a cool insight to something I didn't know much about. I've always wanted to live in Europe...
So it's cats in Rome and dogs in Venice? ;o)
Venice has my heart. We went there for honeymoon and I didn't see any dog poo at all. I, too, love the vehicle free city. However, I am told that Venice is losing it's local population because, in part, it is so very hard to get around even on a bicycle.. much less with a stroller and groceries. Still, if the housing prices came down there, I'd move my family there in a minute!