Or poop, as our friends across the pond might say.
I apologise for raising this unsavoury topic but it has been on my mind for some time.
Here in France, I am very impressed by the amount of free doggie poo bags that are available to dog walkers.
In the UK, we have to provide our own. As a conscientious dog walker, I don’t mind that at all and have always cleared up after my dogs.
So why, in France, don’t people USE them? I don’t get it. I have spared you from any photos of the copious amounts of dog poo(p) that decorate the streets and pavements here. Instead, I have photographed the free bags and also the signs asking people to clear up after their dogs.
I am not alone in my opinion. In a brilliant article entitled:
‘Mind the merde: why can’t French cities clean up after their dogs?’ Phil Hoad
of the Guardian echoes my feelings.
http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/apr/12/why-cant-french-cities-clean-up-after-their-dogs
Rant over…
I am linking this post to the very interesting #AnimalTales
Fancying France 
Hey. June. You get no argument from me. If you recall when I wrote about my painful shoes, I WOULD have taken them off and walked BAREFOOT through the streets of Paris’ City Centre, but due to the dog shit, I couldn’t! It’s such a contradiction. Parisians love their dogs and it’s wonderful that they can be treated like humans, but the shit isn’t picked up!!!
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Ha ha! I love the way you get straight to the nitty gritty and talk about dog shit – which it is. Unlike very British me, referring to poo !!! You’re right tho; the French love their dogs. Apparently they’re second to us Brits in terms of European dog owners but… Are you great ‘picker uppers’ – have I just invented a word? – in the States? June xx
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Great post! There must be something about having free bags provided that removes the feeling of individual responsibility. We don’t know how lucky we are in the UK but I remember as a child our dogs pooped anywhere though we used to try to get it in the gutter. There must have been a campaign along the way though I don’t remember it. #AnimalTales
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Thank you! That’s a really interesting thought about the provision of free bags; could well be the case. #AnimalTales
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What annoys me here is that people bag the dog poo then leave the bags lying on the grass or pavement. I am known to shout at people I see doing that and make them pick them up! Bad dog poo habits are awful!! I get your rant!
#animaltales
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I have never understood why people would pick up and bag dog poo and then leave it. Good on you for shouting at people. Perhaps I should try that! Thanks for commenting.
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You’d think Dubai would be free of dog poop, but sadly most people’s dogs are walked by their maids and no one tells them they must clean up after the dog, so they don’t #animaltales
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Yes, I must admit that I did imagine that Dubai would be free of dog poop! Thanks for commenting. #AnimalTales
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Ah yes – dog poo #sigh.
I wonder if the bags are an attempt to change attitudes and to try and encourage more people to scoop the poop although I fear it isn’t working that well. When we were in Paris, a while ago, we walked down a narrow street that was used in a film. In the film the main character sauntered down said street, at night, arriving as the other end with his shoes poo free. In comparison, we had to ziz zag our way down to avoid the mess!
A timely reminder that not all the stories linked up to #AnimalTales are totally clean!
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Thanks for your comment Rosie. I’m afraid that things appear to be getting worse in the UK, too. Often when walking in the countryside near our village, we are greeted with trees, bushes, hedges etc decorated with full poo bags. If people can be bothered to pick up, why can’t they dispose? I hope you didn’t mind me lowering the tone of #AnimalTales
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