Budapest is full of dogs. I mean that in the nicest possible way. Everyone has a dog, on a lead, and almost no dog poop on the pavement. Many people live in apartments so there are loads of Terrier types, yapping and pulling and trotting to keep up. They wait patiently while she has a chat, he texts on his phone, or the old man hobbles along with his walking stick.
And then there are the real dogs. Boxers! Plenty of them. I had several cuddles, and the obligatory Boxer lick and undercut to the jaw. Adorable. Quite a few still have their tails docked. We have got so used to seeing Boxers with a tail, wagging along.
There were a few German Shepherd dogs and one or two Border Collies, but the dog we were most taken with is the Hungarian Vizsla. A dog-shaped dog, bio-mechanically sound and slender, with a soft brown nose. There were puppies and adult dogs, all the same blonde colour, short haired, with a high gait. Beautiful to watch.
And every block has a dog park. A fenced in area where dogs can run and play off lead, while their owners have a chat. These areas were never empty, even at 11pm on our way back to the apartment, there was the office worker letting his dog have a run around. We spotted a few dog parks on our way round on the sightseeing bus too. Dogs are hilarious to watch, when they are just being dogs.
I've mentioned before that I walk Brin the Boxer on lead, because other people are unpredictable, not to mention foxes, deer, badgers, horses and cyclists. And the Farmer would be really cross if we walked across the farm off lead when his sheep are about. We are lucky, though, to have a large garden with woodland space for him to run in. So walks are for intellectual stimulation, just him and me, enjoying a bit of quiet together.
