Goodbye Helsinki, Hello Rome

This past weekend marked a full month of having lived in Rome! It's been quite an eventful month. We've settled into our new home in Montesacro; we've traveled to Naples, Sorrento, and Positano; we've hit all the tourist spots and tried some great restaurants; and we even managed to squeeze in the wine festival of Marino. But before we get into all of that, let's start with actually getting to Rome.

Before leaving Finland, I had a mini panic attack about everything that could go wrong when traveling with Wauwa. The horror stories of dogs being put into the wrong cargo area that isn't temperature controlled or being left in the scorching sun after landing really didn't help. I was also terrified that Italian customs would turn me around and make me send him back because of some bureaucratic mistake. But eventually I got it together and did some research. Turns out traveling with a dog within the EU is ridiculously easy. All you need is a pet passport and to make sure all your pets vaccines are up-to-date. A quick visit to the vet took care of both requirements. I also asked for a tranquilizer to help calm him on the flight, which seemed to work well.

Booking a flight also required some research. Most importantly, call the airline before booking your own ticket. Only one dog is allowed in the cargo area of each flight, so making sure a dog hasn't already been booked for your flight is crucial. I flew with Finnair because of their good reputation with handling pets and I was not disappointed. Other tips before flying: make sure your pets carrier is IATA-approved, find out where the oversized luggage is taken at the receiving airport (yeah, it took me a while to find Wauwa...), and for the over-packers like myself, make sure your carry-on has enough room for your dogs leashes, etc. because they aren't allowed to even have a collar on during the flight.

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From the moment we stepped out of the airport, moving around with Wauwa has been a breeze. He is allowed on all public transportation (dogs should wear a muzzle but this is rarely enforced) and even taxis allow him on board, even though he is not a small dog. Italians seem to really love dogs. Wauwa gets ear-scratches, "ciao bello"s, and even kisses from strangers almost daily. However, all Italian dogs aren't as nice. In Finland, training your dog is taken seriously. Although it's normal to come across aggressive dogs in Finland too, people usually have the common sense to keep their aggressive dogs on a short leash to avoid fights. In Italy, however, we've unfortunately had a few close calls with dogs trying to attack Wauwa. Dogs here are often kept off-leash, which is great if they all get along (and don't get me wrong, most of the time they do all get along!), but when an untrained/scared/aggressive doggo runs up barking and growling, it can be a little nerve-racking. Luckily, most off-leash dogs are well trained. It is more common to come across mean pups on-leash so, although I prefer letting Wauwa greet other dogs, I have learned to step aside when other dog-human duos approach.

Speaking of off-leash dogs, another concern I had before moving was whether or not there were any dog parks in Rome. Google didn't help me with this one, so as soon as I got here, I started exploring. Within the first few days I had already found three gated, off-leash dog parks (more on these later). Since Wauwa has been going to dog parks all his life, this was a wonderful surprise (see video). And the cherry on top: all parks have water fountains, so there is no need to drag a water bottle around with you on hot days. All in all, Italy is turning out to be a very dog-friendly country!

#dogs #travel #rome #italy #travelingwithpets