2023-09-30 11:21:00
Adopted by parliamentarian Carla Dejonghe (Open VLD) via Dyadis, the Belgian association for the allocation of assistance dogs to the disabled, this jet black Labrador, barely nine months old, already knows the Brussels parliament like the back of his hand. “When I’m in committee, she sits next to me and waits quietly. Most often, she sleeps,” says the MP.
©Jean Luc Flemal ©Jean Luc Flemal
Problems ? “There are almost none. She never barks. Sometimes there are small incidents. The other day, for example, she stole a bailiff’s banana.”
In Wallonia, assistance dogs are now welcome in public places
Charles Picqué had given his agreement, Fadila Laanan not very comfortable at the start
This is not the first dog the MP has brought to parliament. “This is my sixth.” For the socialization and learning of this type of dog, it is essential to take it everywhere and accustom it to all situations of daily life. Hence the presence, sometimes surprising, in workplaces but also in supermarkets, at the theater and on transport. To recognize its usefulness, the animal wears a specific jacket.
The liberal remembers the steps taken, around ten years ago, to bring her dog into the hemicycle: “I went to find Charles Picqué, at the time president of parliament. I explained the process to him. And I told him that the presidency of the VGC had already agreed. He accepted… then retorted: ‘but the president of the VGC is you!’ (laughs).” The condition imposed at the time by the Saint-Gillois: always keep the dog on a leash. “It only lasted a few days.”
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The regulations were therefore adapted and enthusiasm was immediate in the regional parliament… except among certain deputies, who were quite fearful. “But quickly, when they see that the dog is nice, the reluctance disappears. For example, Fadila Laanan at the beginning was not very comfortable. Now she even comes to pet the dog.”
“She loves the De Croo family”
The protocol services also had to adapt to this canine presence which shakes up the fixed decorum of parliament. “Before, I also took my dogs to the Senate. During Christine Defraigne’s time, it was really great because she loves dogs. ”
Vicky is also used to long meetings of the Open VLD party office. And within the liberal family, whose unity has often been undermined in recent times, she has her preferences: “She loves the De Croos. Both, father and son.”
By spring 2025, Vicky will probably leave the MP and the formal atmosphere of the Brussels Parliament. “This dog might, for example, be useful to a person with an office job. She has a habit of remaining calm for hours. One of my former dogs even assists a guide at Antwerp Cathedral.”
More than a pet, Carla Dejonghe has made her dogs a political fight. In particular, in 2019 she wrote a book regarding her first assistance dog: Itch, a dog like no other. The moving story of a service dog.
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