Basel, Switzerland
An Introduction to Dog's Life in Switzerland
Summer 2006
Basel, Switzerland
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Harry moved to Basel, Switzerland in June 2006.
It was sad to say good-bye to his friends in New York. But it was time for new world adventures! He travelled by Swiss Air this time. He had to stay in the closet when taking off and landing. He did not mind it at all. |
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Harry and his family had to stay in an apartment-hotel first.
Then they went and looked for a house they liked to live. Meanwhile Harry was satisfied with the apartment-hotel. It was much larger than his old apartment in Manhattan. He could play with his toy in the long corridor. |
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It took for a while for Harry to realize that he is not on holiday.
After a week, he started sensing this is his new home. Cleaning ladies came every week to clean the rooms and change linens. They were from Portugal and spoke no English or German or French. But it was not hard for Harry to make friends with them. As he always welcomed the ladies with lots of hugs and kisses. |
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All dogs need to be registered at local authority in Switzerland.
So Harry went to the nearest Hundekontroll (Dog Control Office), and paid the dog tax to get registered in Basel. The dog tax is CHF165 a year (CHF1=USD0.80) The Basel's Crest is engraved on the lisence tag. Harry thinks it is cool to wear the tag. |
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Harry had a rabies shot.
Then he received a beautiful Swiss pet passport. Harry is now officially a Swiss dog! With the pet passport, Harry can freely travel between Switzerland and the EU countries But clipped-ears or docked-tail dogs cannot be imported to Switzerland. Harry's family has been wondering if his tail was docked or not. His tails looks short, but not too short. So Harry's tail was examined by a cantonal official veterinarian. But even the vet could not really tell if it had been docked or not. Harry is mixed-breed. He might be born with a short tail. Who knows? The vet kindly gave endorsement about Harry's tail to his passport. So Harry can travel abroad with no worries. |
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In Switzerland, even Australian Shepherds or Boxers are all wagging
a long tail. Dobermans look very cute with naturally floppy ears and a long whip-like tail. Ears and tails are both important communication tools for dogs. Many European countries started banning ear-clipping and tail-docking. (The photo shows a Doberman with floppy ears and a long tail.) |
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There are many old buildings in Basel.
Some of the paveways are made with stones, that Harry likes very much. The entire city looks as if they are just popped out from a fairy story book. |
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There are also many springs like this in downtown.
The water is potable. The base of the spring often has a little bowl for dogs. So both people and dogs can enjoy the fresh water. |
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The beautiful River Rhein in the evening.
The summer in Basel can get as hot as in New York City. So people enjoy swimming in the river. Actually most of them are not swimming. They are enjoying being flown in the water with a float wheel. Some people enjoy jumping off from the big bridge on the photo. That must be called Basler Bangee!? |
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Harry enjoying swimming in the River Rhein at about 9PM.
The sun is intense in Basel because of the clean air. Harry rather wants to stay home and sleep during the day. Fortunately it does not get dark until around 10PM here in summer. So people and dogs go out for swimming in the evening. |
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Small rivers are running through residential area like canals.
So there are many bridges like this. All bridges have a different design and they are very pretty. Children and dogs can also enjoy playing in the small rivers. |
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Harry joined a local agility club, Fun Agility People.
The club members are all very friendly. They are a kind of people who just want to enjoy agility, whether their dogs are good at agility or not. The agility field is surrounded by a forest. All he can see from there is the green nature and the blue sky. Harry was very lucky to be able to join such a nice club. |
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Harry walks through a forest from the tram station to the dog sport centre.
It is about a 10 minute walk. Harry always feels it is much shorter than 10 minutes, as the walk in the forest is very relaxing. Harry meets many dogs in the forest. They are not on lead, but they are very well-trained. So there is no need to worry. It is a great place for Harry to socialise with other Swiss dogs. |
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There are green boxes like this in the city as well as in forests.
They are "Poop Boxes". Free poop bags can be pulled out from the side of the box. Switzerland is an agricultural country. They are very concerned with contagious diseases from dogs to livestock. So everybody cleans after their dog in Switzerland. |
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