Dogs in Italy: Coats are the norm in winter

The day I arrived in Venice for my “Christmas in Italy” vacation, a couple of inches of snow had turned the stunning city of canals into narrow cobblestone paths of slush, perfect for slipping and falling. The Adriatic seafront wind was bitter, and the cold damp got in your bones.  In Venice they deal with snow by throwing salt on it and waiting for it to melt. Apparently they are not familiar with the concept of shoveling.

Dogs were everywhere in Venice, and every single one I saw was well behaved.  I can’t say that about many cities. I only heard barking twice, and each time it ended quickly.

Most notably, almost every dog I saw in Venice was wearing a coat to ward off chill; only one or two didn’t have one. Dog coats were nearly ubiquitous amongst the canine population. It wasn’t just little dogs wearing coats — even big dogs wore them, including golden retrievers. I didn’t see any dog wearing booties.

Dog coats were the norm everywhere we went, including the much warmer, southern Sorrento. Cold is all relative.

They sported basic coat styles in solid colors. Warmth seemed to be the main consideration, not fashion. I didn’t see a single frou frou coat, such as a pink leopard print with rhinestones; those types of coats now strike me as an American fancy. On the other hand, I’ve never seen so many fur coats on women (all older women) in one place. While Venice isn’t the fashion capital that Milan is, it’s still a northern Italian city in which elegant dressing is a way of life.

As a Wisconsinite, I find the idea of hard-core winter clothing for a temperature that rarely gets below freezing to be hilarious (32°F is the typical low for December in Venice), but there is definitely a wind chill factor. That Adriatic wind chills to the bone, so it’s no wonder that most people put coats on their dogs.

It’s the classic equivalent of your mother saying “I’m cold so you have to wear a sweater.” And like mothers everywhere, that extends to all members of the family.

Photos: Black dog with green coat in Venice; red coat in Venice; dark blue coat in Orvieto

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