Dr. Kate An Hunter and her husband Mic spent a week in Munich, Germany. They visited Rachel, a veterinary technician who had worked at Carver Lake Veterinary Center, and Arnaud, a veterinarian from Belgium, who worked at the Raptor Center in St. Paul.
Arnaud is now working at a veterinary clinic dedicated to birds, just outside of Munich. Their tour of the clinic revealed a variety of patients from chickens and budgies, to falcons and parrots.
Along with amazing museums, castles, and churches, animals were a big part of the Hunters’ vacation. Rachel and Arnaud’s dogs traveled with them as they toured and were allowed in many places that dogs are restricted from in the US.
Luke, the Border Collie, Vega, the German Shepherd, and Saxon, the Dratthauer, rode in the car, hiked in the palace gardens, and curled up on the floor next to their tables in restaurants! Dogs were found everywhere in the city and countryside.
A few cats were seen too, including one lucky enough to live in the ancient fortress above Salzburg, Austria. Horses were a frequent sitewith riders, or pulling sleighs and carriages. Being winter, with the weather very much like here, they saw little in the way of the farm animals who were tucked away in huge barns.
The group rode in a horse drawn carriage up a steep hill to see the famous Neuschwanstein Castle in the Bavarian countryside. What a way to travel!
Throughout their trip they Hunters saw the presence of animals in the art, architecture, and daily life of the people there. It is clear that the Germans love animals as much as we do!
