The Wall

It is fifty years ago to the day tomorrow, that East Germany started to build the Berlin Wall. Officially, the East Germans said some workers started to build it on their own initiative. Officially, the East Germans called it the Anti Fascist protection wall. The real reason to build the wall was to keep citizens of East Germany from fleeing to the free world, of which West Berlin was a part. East Germany was a communistic dictatorship, while West Berlin was, in practice, part of the democracy West Germany.

Fortunately, the wall was torn down in 1989. In 1990, Germany was reunited, when the provinces of East Germany became part of what was until then called West Germany. The Berlin Wall was a symbol of the Cold War between the democracies in the West (and Japan) and the communistic dictatorships in the East. Fortunately, the West won, thus, there was no need for the Berlin Wall anymore. There are just a few parts of the wall left, for us to remember.

It is not until the fall of the dictatorships in East Europe that humans and dogs have been able to travel freely across the borders. This is good for all of us, not least the dogs. Dog breeding requires open borders to make use of all the different great dogs there are. Dogs are also taken care of better after the fall of the dictatorships, because when humans get better lives, so do their dogs.

Remember the Wall tomorrow, and be happy it is not there anymore.