Camping

Camping is good. Going on holiday with you dog is also good. Before there were not many places you could take you dog with you on holiday with you, but now there are more holiday destinations that accommodate dogs and their owners. I’ve even heard of a Cat Café, where you can go eat and have a coffee and the place is overran with cats! I love cats but not that much! But pets are very dear to their owners.

Where I live a homeless man has set up camp outside a restaurant with his very large dog! The man has his sleeping bag there with all his belongings including a very large umbrella to keep off the rain or the sun. The huge dog most of the time is placid but when he barks everyone takes notice! Some people come up and give the man money, he seems to get a lot of money. He seems quite popular. People sometimes stand and chat with him and stroke his dog.  

The man has set up his ‘home’ just outside the door you have to walk right past him to get into the restaurant. I’ve watched as some people while talking to each other in a group when they get near, and see the huge dog, they stop dead, and do not go into the restaurant. I’ve seen that myself at least 5% of potential Customers turn away and go elsewhere!

 Personally, I think it is not good for Health and Safety reasons. I went in  a few times and I did mention that I’d seen a few people turn and walk away when they saw the dog living outside the front door of the restaurant, and someone in the restaurant said to me, “One of his friends said to us, ‘If you move him on, we’ll go to the Media and tell them you have been cruel to the homeless man,’ he sends friends inside for us to give him free food and drinks, we have to give it him …..”

It does seem unfair, as I’ve seen people go up to him and ask him what he wants and they come out with food that they have bought for him plus all the people of all ages and colours give him money.

Only one thing I saw, that made me smile, one day as I walked past his camped ‘home,’ there on the ground was a pack of dog biscuits, even though no one was ‘home’ at the time, but we all knew it was for the dog.

I don’t resent the man for he in general, doesn’t ask for money like some of the others, who ask for, “Small change,” “Money for water,” “Money for bus fare,” He’s certainly picked a good spot there, for none of the other homeless people ever sit there, for that’s his ‘home.’

I wouldn’t be surprised one day if he got his post delivered to him there!