Our Holiday in Corsica… Sea, sun, rest, and of course, dogs!
The entire family agreed about our destination: Corsica. « Whaou, this is the Beauty Island. You’ll see, so beautiful overthere. You’ll love it. »
The people there were so enthusiastic and wonderful that we even thought for a while that maybe it would be nice to share our life between Corsica and Toulouse. But as soon as we said it people reply: « Oh no, not for you, Corsicans don’t like dogs, they poisoned them». So we went there happy but little aware about the everyday life of dogs over there.
So I do confirm, this is a beautiful island, marvelous! The Corsicans are very nice people, always welcoming you nicely whenever you meet them.
About the dogs, first surprise, tourists and their dogs are more than welcomed everywhere: on the ferry, on the beach, in the restaurant, in the store, in the hotel. You can meet a lot of tourists with their dogs having good holidays and walking around because it is so easy and simple: you are admitted everywhere with them. Good point.
First thought, we cannot say the same about the continent, dogs are allowed almost no-where during holidays and certainly not on the beach.
Second surprise, a lot of Corsican dogs roam at-large, their owners are around but the dog is free to manage his day as he wants. In a town where we stayed few days, enough to see everyday the same 5 or 6 dogs walking around, meeting and hanging out all together, lying down on the ground waiting for their owner working in the store next door, being petted by tourists thinking « Whaou so cool to see dogs like that, this dog must be so smart».
I saw one Labrador taking all his time to try to manage how he was going to cross the street to meet his friend with so many cars in both lanes: watching him was a lesson. He did very well but had to try several times and being very careful observing both sides. And yes, he made it. I was almost ready to help him and show him how to deal with this dangerous part, well, no need, he could manage by himself… He could of said to me: « I am big and smart enough. Give me a break you are being so condescending to me ».
And I suddenly been thinking of all of the dogs I meet for bad behavior in France just because they are waiting hours and hours behind a fence or indoors that their owners get back from work . « Hellooo, Surprise today! iI is going to be boring again: no meeting, no play, no exercise, no distractions. »
Most of the tourist dogs we saw were on leash and few of them could barely even move, having the leash tight to the beach under an umbrella, waiting. But for sure, their owners has good intentions for them by bringing them along on the holiday.
So maybe the Corsicans sometimes poison the dogs but do you know a place in the world where stray dogs are not treated poorly?
So I’ve been thinking, maybe yes, Corsicans eventually poison dogs more easily that in the continent if they are not happy about the population but all the animals we saw over there pigs, cows, dogs, were free ranging: pigs free to play all together in the middle of the road, nobody around, no fence to unclose them, cars waiting for them to move or cows who suddenly appear walking on the beach between all the tourists or living in the mountain free to go.
And all I know is that I saw free dogs, in good shape, using their mind on their own to solve daily problems, meeting people and other dogs, walking on the beach free to go and to come back, lying down in the middle of the passage taking the sun and nobody having the idea to tell them to go away, nobody to tell them what to do and how to do it… And guess what? All the Corsicans dogs we met, weren’t jumping on people, they were very very calm and nice with people and dogs. And I thought, maybe this is a very nice dog life.
So, I do not know what is wrong or what is right, it just makes me think about it.
