Europeans don’t seem to have the fear of dogs in public places that we do and they definitely don’t have a Department of Health and Environmental Control restricting dogs from restaurants.

It is such a pleasure to walk into a restaurant and see dogs sitting calmly with their owners.  Yesterday, I was on a large outdoor terrace where several dogs were enjoying the sun while their owners ate and drank.

And these dogs didn’t just arrive there by car.  

This place was halfway up the mountainside where everyone had to walk for at least an hour uphill to get there. No wonder these dogs were well-behaved after getting plenty of exercise.

But at one point a huge St. Bernard started barking at a spaniel nearby. Then all the dogs started barking. You never saw an owner escort his dog out of a place so fast and so calmly. This type of unruly behavior is not accepted, so the owner of the St. Bernard gently scolded his big canine in German and walked him off the terrace.  Everyone settled down quickly after that.

A few minutes later a man in lederhosen and a felt Tyrolean hat, complete with a feather, came up to the restaurant, his herding dog following about 5 feet behind him.  The dog looked around before following his owner into the building as if to make sure all was well before he entered.

There are lots of herding dogs in the mountains around here. The other day I watched a teenager move cattle to a greener part of the ski slope with the help of his black and white border collie. While I slogged up the slope, the herder and his faithful dog moved like they belonged there. It was a beautiful site.  

Of course I am partial to border collies, as my aging Makeba is mostly border collie, so whenever I see them, I want to say hello.

But it is interesting here that, unlike in America where having a dog is an ice breaker, it is not OK to just bound up to someone’s dog and pat them.

It was described to me like walking up to a baby and patting it on the head without first getting to know the parent.  I have to restrain myself from first petting a dog and then asking his or her name.  It just isn’t OK here and people look at you like you did something wrong.

The other day while hiking on a mountain peak, a beautiful young border collie came bounding up the rocky trail.  When I stooped to take a picture of her, the owner scowled at me.  Oops.

But I got a really cute shot of this dog climbing a peak that requires fixed cables to assist humans to the top. It was impressive to watch the agile animal climb.

All grocery stores have leash hooks and water stations near the door.  Apparently it is not OK to bring your dog into a grocery store, but it is expected that you have a place to tie him or her up while you do your shopping.

The beer gardens in Bavaria all have watering stations for dogs. Many of them have three bowls, one small and low, one medium sized and on a middle step, and a big bowl on a high step. How cute is that?  

There are dogs on trains, ferries and busses. Some-times they are required to wear a muzzle on public transport, but this doesn’t seem to bother anyone.

I know the dog is just happy to be going along.  And, these dogs aren’t spoiled. They don’t beg for attention from anyone, they don’t beg for food and they stay in an owner’s lap or just under the seat.  Getting this type of obedience requires a lot of training and this might be why it is not condoned to have strangers giving them lots of attention, as this can undo much of the obedience training.

I have to say that the funniest dog spotting was in the Innsbruck Ikea. We were following the arrows around the maze of a store and just ahead of us was a little Bijon on a leash trotting along and looking at the furniture as if he cared.  

I’ll bet that little guy was tired after making it all the way through the miles of Ikea isles!  I know I was.

(Dr. Katherine A. Saenger, DVM, owns Bees Ferry Veterinary Hospital and Boarding Kennel (www.beesferry.com) and is a former board member of the Charleston Animal Society (formerly John Ancrum SPCA.) If you have questions about pet behavior or health, or suggestions for column topics, e-mail her at vetsaenger@bellsouth.net, and watch the column in coming weeks for her responses.)