Introduction:
In July last year, I abandoned Australia in search of dogs. While I encountered many good boys and girls, I have chosen just a fraction of them to showcase in this report to answer a controversial question: what is the best dog in the world? At this stage, I would like to note that all the other dogs I met were also excellent, and very deserving of treats and pats.
The Method:
- Leave country
- Find dogs
- ???
- Happiness
The Results:
25/7/17:I awoke in my hostel in Ho Chi Minh the first morning of my trip. When I came down for breakfast it turned out it wasn’t the food my soul needed, but this fluffy cloud. The first of many good dogs to come.
26/7/17:I was sitting in the Central Park of Saigon when a young girl approached me with her new puppy, appropriately named Đen Đen (translates to “black black”). Upon returning to the park that evening, I was thrilled to find Đen Đen there again, along with lots of other dogs and their humans. This was my first popular post in the Dogspotting Facebook group.
13/8/17:While walking down the streets of Ayutthaya, I came across a teddy bear somebody seemed to have lost.
27/8/17:A bear loose in Paris. Stay vigilant.
31/8/17:No shopping scene could compare to Quimper.
23/10/17:My host city of Leeds was pretty disappointing in the dog to human ratio, but luckily the nearby town of York delivered.
29/1/18:It is important to stay both warm and stylish during the European winter. Doggos from Venice set an excellent example.
4/2/18:In Bern, a very apologetic woman asked me to keep watch of her nervous dog while she ducked into the supermarket. Little did she know that she was really doing me the favour.
1/3/18:Met an excellent tall boy in Brussels. He may not be shaped like most dogs, but he is shaped like a loyal companion.
11/3/18:While enjoying the emerging Cherry Blossoms in Ueno Park in Tokyo, I spotted a man walking a relaxed shiba inu. The pair sat by the lake, where the shibe took some time to reflect. This got over 4000 likes on Dogspotting, which remains the greatest accomplishment of my life.
17/3/18:This. This right here was the holy grail of dogs.
After visiting Himeji Castle, I encountered this duo. The man was riding a bike, cradling the good girl with one arm. We were both heading in the same direction. After watching from afar in the hopes that senpai would notice me, I finally mustered up the courage to approach and ask for a photo.
This was the peak of my happiness in the whole trip.
The Conclusion:
At this stage, I cannot conclude that there is a ‘best’ dog in the world, as every single dog I met improved my day. However, my personal favourite was the dog I met on 17 March, 2018 (featured just above). I frequently bring her up in conversations and show photos of her to everybody who will look. Her human has also given me inspiration for what I could achieve in my old age, and the future’s looking bright.
