Camino del Norte and dogs

[CaminoKate]

Hello Everyone,
I have read through a lot of the forums but cannot see if this question has been asked anywhere before. If I have missed it, apologies. Basically my husband and I would like to do the Camino del Norte in September but I am fearful of dogs. Can anyone let me know what the dog situation is please? Are they mostly locked in, or will we have to deal with them on a regular basis.
I suppose what I am looking for is an assurance that, in general, Pilgrims do not meet too many of them regularly
All and any advice welcome.

 

[newfydog]

We have a lively discussion here! Not much on the Norte in particular, but some of us have been all over Spain and Portugal without an issue.

frequently-asked-questions/topic14286.html

You'll see there are certainly others worried about dogs, but very, very few problems. Hopefully you can come away like the poster who found she got over her dog fears on the Camino.

To me, the dogs are a highlight of the trip. I've made friends with many of them.

 

[Thornley]

Hi Kate,
We walked in 2011 and saw very few dogs.
The ones we saw were behind fences , except for the ones at the cafe's on the board walks in the bigger cities and seaside villages in between , enjoying their water bowl,

They will be your least of your worries .

Enjoy and take your time.
We had a few extra days in Santander , just for the food, it was great.

David

 

[Deleted member 3000]

except for the ones at the cafe's on the board walks in the bigger cities and seaside villages in between , enjoying their water bowl

I think it is safe to say that no merchant will let his dog between your wallet and him! I have found all bar/store dogs to be quite friendly, even somnambulant. Don't let such a dog get between you and your coffee.

 

[CaminoKate]

Thank you all so very much for the information. I feel a lot more comfortable now. As for getting over my fear on the Camino, now that would be akin to a miracle
Thanks again.

 

[oursonpolaire]

The only dog challenges I have had were in isolated parts of Catalonia---- normally Spanish dogs are chained or behind fences. As far as the del Norte is concerned, I am not certain that I saw more than a very few while walking through cities.

 

[MikeJS]

Sorry to say that I walked the Norte in Sept 2012 with a friend and my experience was that the dogs were a frequent problem. Certainly much more than on the Francis. This may well be because the Norte is not so well trodden so the dog are not so use to hikers. Mostly the dogs are just a ‘noise’ problem but there were many that were clearly hungry for a hiker so I was very pleased that their chains and string(!) did not break. Did have 2 occasions when we were actually attacked and one of those was on a pavement! Our raised sticks stopped any real problem but it was a tense time. I like dogs and am not generally afraid of them so ultimately it was not a problem. However, if you have a real phobia of dogs I would suggest that the Francis is a better choice (or see a phobia counsellor before you leave)

 

[mikevasey]

Hi, I have to agree with Mike/Ian, both times I have been on the Norte I have had run ins with dogs, usually they are chained up but on both caminos there has been a couple of occassions when I run into one which was not, walking sticks are adviasable on this camino as form of protection as well.

Mike