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Irish-French-American Sasha Piton has travelled widely outside the US but has recently settled in Dublin. In her new series for The Journal, she shares the insights of a new arrival on a country she’s trying to call home.

I’VE NOTICED THAT whenever I tell people I have pets, my two dogs, their first question is whether I got them here or if I brought them across the pond with me.

I have had my dogs for seven and eight years of their lives and can’t imagine a life where I didn’t bring them with me when going anywhere. Even in the States, I relied on sarcasm whenever someone asked if I was taking them with me. I would look at their stroller or child that they had with them, and ask if they considered leaving their kids behind on their last move.

Everyone was always relieved to know just how strongly I loved my dogs. Don’t get me wrong, I have a niece and nephew in the US who loved and adored babysitting for me when I travelled out of town, so since living here, it’s been tough to find a sitter with the same devotion as two kids who feel like these are their dogs as well. And because of my line of work that doesn’t require me to go into an office, these pups have had me at home for most of their lives. We come as a group of three; this is my family.

There are many of us who have dogs that might be small in size, but mighty in character, bark and perhaps separation anxiety.

Source: Alamy Stock Photo

Covid did a lot of things to the world, but it definitely made so many dogs happy to have their owners at home remote working. Many companies realised that people could do their jobs from the security of home, and what a win for the pet community. A much more sustainable family life was born, where dogs didn’t have to be left alone for long periods of time while humans faced the commute to work. I’ve never understood how that was considered OK, to be honest.

Leaving the US for Ireland and selling up everything was a huge change, and not just for me. It was a big upheaval for the dogs, too. I thought they were well-adjusted to their new life in Dublin, because being here, let me tell you, no one loves a sea breeze and a snooze in the garden like my dogs. They hang out in rooms that I’m not in, and in many ways, I’ve never seen them so relaxed as they are here in Ireland. The Irish air suits them!

But it turns out the stress doesn’t kick in for them until I leave the house. Any time in the past when they’ve struggled, they just need a minute to cry (read: cocker spaniel howl) it out before they head to their toys or naps.

But as it turns out, they were taking a bit longer than I realised to adjust to a new way of life here. So the crying had endured.

I discovered this when the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) came to my home to inquire about a complaint they received about my dogs being abused and neglected.

I was shocked and mortified.

Immediately, the inspectors who came were so kind and great with my dogs. Their glances at each other, followed by a bow of their heads, with “oh, we can see they’re not starving”, put me right at ease.

Then one of my dogs approached them, tail wagging with a toy in her mouth. A huge compliment.

The inspectors said, “We are so sorry we have to do this, but we need to follow up and check on every complaint that we receive.”

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that the whole experience upset me, big time. The idea that anyone could think I wouldn’t move heaven and earth for these two fur babies is a real kicker. But the reality is that people in this community don’t know me here yet, so maybe it takes time.

I am, however, grateful to know that in this country, people will make sure to check on pets if there is a concern, and don’t allow them to live through dreadful circumstances.

The whole unpleasant experience did one thing for sure: it focused my mind, because it turns out my babies are crying for longer than they ever have when I leave, and this particularly concerned neighbour (read: our community ‘Karen’) heard my dogs’ cries and chose to imagine the worst-case scenario and pursue a plan of surveillance and reporting. Instead of chatting with me about her concerns, she said she was trying to document my dog walking schedule, and had concluded that I must never do it, since I never walked in front of her house.

That fact is true; we’ve always gone the other way since there’s a park in the other direction. What can you do?

I explained to the NSPCA inspectors that my vet and I are working together to help my anxious babies adjust to their new lives in Ireland, with their puzzles, sniff mats, butcher bones, medication and switching up our walking routes. I told them I was open to any ideas they may have had as well.

We shared a good laugh at the chance of creating a mannequin friend dressed in my clothes as a possible solution. Where does one buy a mannequin in Dublin?

Anyway, they were very personable and helpful, and you can tell they care about animals. Based on the evidence, they found no truth to my neighbour’s claims, so moving forward they said they’d mark any complaints she sent in as “malicious.”

A relief, to be honest, but it’s not a great feeling when you sense someone is monitoring you, particularly in relation to the most precious of your everyday companions.

But maybe that’s just life in my new city? Can one even feel at home if there isn’t an incident with a neighbour? I’m a proper local now; I feel like a real Dubliner. Community tension, here I am.

After the DSPCA visit, another neighbour popped by to see if I needed anything. She offered to take the dogs and me to the beach if I wanted, and I may or may not have burst into tears when she asked, because just 36 hours earlier, the reality had hit me that I didn’t have anyone here who could help. When someone is kind like that and not thinking the worst of their new neighbour, it’s a welcome reminder that small communities can be the best.

My recent experience with the first neighbour has been just one of those moments where, although myself and my lovely dogs are settling really well into our new home, in a new country, you realise that you still have a way to go to truly bed in. And that’s OK, that’s part of the process. I will be doing everything in my power to help us all get there.

Yes, we can occasionally come across someone who can make mountains out of mole hills, but we also can have a neighbour who assures me that there are worse things than dogs whining for 15 minutes here and there. And maybe this is just the motivation we needed to get us to a different beach, a little further down the road.

Sasha will be back with more insights into her adopted home and city next week.

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