Just Keep Saying "Hello"!: Day 113

As you know, we like to walk. Every time we walk, we encounter people with dogs and Phil (who was a dog in at least several previous lives and probably will be one in the next) has to chat with all of them. He often says that the only thing missing from our walks is a dog to run along beside us.

The Brits love dogs....there is at least one dog in almost 1 out of every 4 homes you pass. The average number of dogs in a house is 1.1 in London (at the low end) and 1.5 in the East and West Midlands. At one time, the Queen had 13 dogs (she currently has 3)...but then she does have a big house.

As Canadians, we actually have a higher percentage of households that include a dog (about 41%). What's different is that Brits take their dogs everywhere...on the trains, on the buses, into pubs and some restaurants...even to dinner parties and weddings. As a result, you rarely come across dogs that aren't socialized to be around other dogs. People don't seem to get very upset when a dog is running off lead ... unlike most places in Canada where dogs running off lead risk a nabbing by the dog catcher.

We recently watched a television show called Britain's Favourite Dogs, that counted down the 100 most popular dogs. The number 2 dog was the mutt, and in first place...wait for it...the Labrador! Yes, a dog with it foundings in Canada (from the the St. John's water dog, to be precise). Here's the link in case you want to see where your favourite dog landed.

What is amazing is to see the interesting mixed breeds that pop up here. We have seen some doozies! So, for your further amusement, a few pictures of the cuter mixes: