The new and incomprehensible trend of walking an invisible dog

A new trend is spreading through social media, one that's making people lose faith in humanity. Apparently, an unprecedented hobby has emerged: walking a dog without actually owning one. It's not about borrowing a dog or accompanying its owner on their leisure activities. It involves walking down the street or through the mountains with a leash in hand, even though there's no dog attached to the other end. It's called... hobby doggingIn the news footage, for example, a man appears with a vacant stare, his arm stiff at his side, slightly forward of his torso. He does so with an indifferent, everyday air, like those people who have been walking dogs for thirty years and don't even need to look at the dog because they know each other's steps and habits. A leash hangs from his hand, presumably with some mechanism to keep it taut, as if there were an invisible dog walking a little ahead. The scene is straight out of a Monty Python film. You're expecting some gentlemen to appear behind him, riding without horses and making trotting sounds with coconut shells. In other videos discussing the rise of this hobby, a group of women can be seen on a circuit ofagility where dogs must navigate an obstacle course while their owners chase them. The women all carry a leash. They pretend to control an invisible dog running beside them, weaving between flags, balancing on a log, and jumping hurdles. They go one after another, like in military training, watching the lasso that, in their imagination, should be around their animal's neck. Unfortunately, there is no video illustrating the moment of the greeting between two participants of hobby doggingpretending that their respective invisible dogs also knew each other and were sniffing each other's butts.

The vast majority of news reports offer very little information about this discipline. There are no figures for practitioners or training clubs. There are Instagram posts that claim that the hobby dogging It offers the benefits of dog walking to people who don't have the financial means to keep a pet. This way, they save on veterinarians, food, and vaccinations. The theory is questionable because the hobby entails other expenses such as buying a leash or renting spaces.agilityThe perplexity these reports provoke, and especially the cheerful scenes of these motivated individuals, make it tempting to follow the trail. One news story claims the practice is thriving in Germany, specifically in the town of Bad Friedrichshall. An email sent to the town hall of this city, located 50 kilometers from Stuttgart, has gone unanswered. But a more specific internet search reveals the origin and true scope of this trend. The news program on ZDF, one of Germany's two major public broadcasters, has aired a report on the subject. hobby dogging Following the global impact of the trend, an interview with Barbara Gerlinger, creator and trainer of this discipline, reveals that the 65-year-old woman is amazed by the international reach her idea has achieved. She says she is overwhelmed by the number of media requests and influencers People from all over the world want to interview her. The criticism and public ridicule have hurt her. She maintains that hers hobby dogging It's more than walking a dog. It's mental work requiring focus. But above all, what surprises him most is the phenomenon's huge impact, considering—get this—the few applications he's received to participate. Only ten people signed up. hobby dogging It doesn't say much about new forms of leisure, but neither does it say much about the media and networks, which invent trends wherever there is a small outbreak of human eccentricity.