Spain, Trains and Planes

By Deborah Taylor-French

Far from home on a business trip, I began snapping photos of dogs on the go. One evening in Madrid dozens of people hurried by. I wondered if Madrid had any dog run parks. Or could this be the hour everyone walked their dogs? Around a corner a triangular city square opened with a few benches. Only a few were letting their dogs socialize. And then, I saw this line. More and more people with dogs keep adding on until the line disappeared around the corner.

A little confused, I still didn’t get what was going on. I asked, “Why the long line?” Of course nobody answered because I spoke in English.

Is this the park? It smells like a park.

The building looked imposing, and unattractive. Words inscribed near the roofline made me guess that I faced a government office.

Next-I felt sorry for the dogs. They were being lined up to get their annual health shots, of course this is a good thing. Kid like, I had expected the dogs might be treated to something enjoyable. Expectations need do not help when traveling. That’s part of the fun of travel, the novel, unplanned, and odd stuff I run into.

I loved seeing how normal it was to see dogs boarding trains. And this little white guy reminded me of our Sydney back in California.

• Want to see one of the Italian dogs I photographed?
• Click this link to Singing in Italian to his Little Dog.

Have a fun weekend!

If you are far from home, would you snap photos of the dogs you see? I would love to share a few on this blog. Just leave a comment so I can connect with you via email.

PS. For those of you who keep copying my blog (without my permission), please, at least, include a link to this source. Dog Leader Mysteries.