So, I’m coming back from the shops, and I see a woman ahead of me picking up after her dog. I just can’t hold back – it’s such an unusual sight to see people scooping up dog poop in France.
“Madame, I want to give you a medal for doing that!” I exclaim.
Fortunately, I choose someone with both a sense of humor – and an honest view of the French on this matter.
She laughs and then says, “It’s rare, I know. The question pops up at every public meeting. But still, nothing much comes of it.”
“Why? What is the reason for such resistance?”
She puts it down to “laziness”.
“Quite simply, French people are feignant. Now, we are starting to see some people clean up after their dogs. Simply because the city (hers, posh Le Raincy) is distributing the bags.
“I’ve been doing it for years personally.” (Her dog is adorable, by the way, a Miniature Pinscher).
“You deserve three medals then!”
More laughter.
What a contrast to just a couple of days before, when I saw a blonde woman walking her dog along this very street. Then, without flinching, stopping for it to do its devilish deeds on the footpath. Yep, right in the middle of the elegant sidewalk for people to sidestep – or not. It’s gruesome.
It’s one thing changing canine behaviour. Another, that of their owners. Until that happens, I’ll be trilling the refrain while walking in the streets: Merde, merde, and encore merde!
Dog Poop In France: A Public Health Hazard – And Eyesore Galore
People get injured, for heaven’s sake, due to the dog shit. People even end up in hospital after slipping in it. It’s a public nuisance – and a public hazard. And it’s downright awful. Why do the French live with this? Or don’t they find it awful?
All that because of laziness? I don’t know. Education – or lack of – plays a big hand too.
What happened to Chirac’s bid in the 80s to make dog owners responsible? Apparently, it failed “to persuade them to overcome their disgust at their pets’ excrement.”
So, a century after the dog poop that “plastered” Parisian pavements “provoked embarrassment” according to one study, are the French in dog shit denial? Is it an issue too delicate for French politesse, so they turn their heads instead and let their dogs laissez-faire loose?
Germans, during the Nazi occupation of Paris, were supposedly appalled and offended. So much so they almost turned away in disgust (I know, shame they didn’t). Yet the threat of “sullying France’s international reputation” wasn’t enough to do something serious about it. Either then or now.
French Insouciance – And Incivility – On Dog Poop
For German sociologist Norbert Elias the defecating dogs in Paris were the sign of an uncivilized, backward society. And of a total lack of restraint. For many others from the UK to Ireland, “dog fouling” is an outward symbol of poor governance and urban disorder.
Either way, it’s a shitty affair. Is there finally an end in sight? Just maybe. A couple of crusading mayors are raising the stakes by taking things into their own hands. And imposing huge – €1,000 plus fines – on what boils down to horrendous incivility. One guy even got killed recently for daring to point out such unsociable behavior to one of his neighbors.
For two decades, I’ve been dexterously dodging doggy doings in France.
For two decades, I’ve been dexterously dodging doggy doings in France. Right since my very first day in Strasbourg back in 1996… When I only just managed to duck disaster and step over the biggest poop I’ve ever seen on the Avenue Général de Gaulle. It looked more like a horse had been that way.
I rightly took that as an omen of things to come. Something in that lofty street name – and in the shitty mess I was encountering everywhere – hinted at a chronic connection between the French and a doggy do debacle.
And What About Public Education – And Fines – For Defecating Dogs (Or At Least For Their Owners)
On the way over – on the Air France flight – a rather unpalatable ad showed a man squatting in a garden about to do his business. Right as meals were being served. Then the message: “You wouldn’t do this, so why do you let your dogs?”
That was in the 90s. And barely anything has changed since. That kind of behavioral message has been remarkably absent in every other walk of life. I know some people may take their pooches onboard, but it seemed an odd place to be educating people about this problem. And then, nothing. Until that is, quite recently.
The Shitty Life: Dog Poop In France
Still, in my neck of the woods in the Paris suburbs, I’ve noticed things getting worse, not better over the past months. On the Allée de la Dhuys – an old aqueduct route and the only green space in my area – I’m back to artful dodging. It’s quite nauseating really – having to confront shit everywhere while out for a stroll.
Not that I’m not used to it by now – but should I have to be? Where are the campaigns? Where are the signs? They are absent in my ville.
That said, on a recent trip back to Strasbourg, I was delighted to find the following kind of signs in gardens and parks. And along boulevards and avenues. The Strasbourgeois are not the only ones cleaning up their act. But they are ahead of the curve on green matters generally.
Waging A Battle Against Crottes de Chien: Dog Poop France
In Paris, it really depends which quartier you are in. Chic or pas. When it comes to public education. And which neighborhood too as to whether the police are enforcing fines (I’ve heard that some police target certain ‘races’ and that wouldn’t surprise me, alas).
Not far from my place – in the other direction – I came upon these signs. Another surprise – a nice one if it hints at the way things are slowly heading. Again, this was over the border, into another suburban ville, another local council from mine.
Any progress will be welcome. I was writing about this 20 years ago for the Montreal Gazette. At the time, one guy was so pissed off in Paris, he was popping little French flags in the poops to point out peoples’ ill manners.
Yet, I have the feeling nothing much has changed. That’s six decades after the clean-up Australia campaigns. And decades no doubt after strict fines were swept in in Singapore.
Strolling the East Coast Park in squeaky clean Singapore, you can’t go 10 meters without a rubbish tin. From memory, I don’t think the government even provides the bags. It’s BYO there. But they do provide fines, education, and lots of other things. Including dog parks, run areas, and – shock horror, haha – dog washing areas. A bit like drive-in car washes, only they are walk-in and for dogs. Not sure if the owner gets washed in the process too, but how fun.
So you need incentives, disincentives, education, civility, infrastructure, and a political will. A bit of all of those to guarantee a dog shit-free world. And a bit of all is missing in France.
I don’t know where my mayor is in all of this – but he needs to get cracking – on cracking down on shit.
Getting A Scoop On The Poop: And The DNA Too
There’s a chance that the groundswell among a few mayors and the public will lead to significant change. And eventually, a merde-free world in France.
Or will it again amount to nothing much? As other places including New Delhi take tough action – with hefty fines – on this filthy problem?
The move to ID-dog poop technology might be a real game-changer too. Already in Israel, the US, and some Spanish cities, there’s a move to identify – and hold to account – the irresponsible dog owners by the DNA of the dog poop. Clean (er), green (er) Bordeaux is one French city thinking of venturing this way.
Perhaps it’s going to be up to the younger generation too. The town of Buhl in Alsace called on kids as part of its awareness campaign among dog owners. The results – their works of art – are being displayed around the city. Here is another to end with. (Thanks to Tim for his poster featured on the banner of this post).
They seem to come with a cleaner mindset when it comes to expectations – and responsibilities – on the urban environment.
It’s one thing changing canine behaviour. Another, that of their owners. Until that happens, I’ll be uttering the refrain to myself while walking in the streets: Merde, merde, merde!
Please join me as I write more French Letters. Some are sweeter in subject. Others not.
Hello Tamara! You wrote a piece of information. It is noteworthy that if you are living in the street, area, and city, it is your responsibility to make people aware of keeping the city clean and safe and follow the rules of the government. Thank you for sharing.
Ms. Thiessen, I am an American(dual national)(-I-) residing in Alsace(Kembs) since 1992. Here there has always been a challenge with dog owners not picking up their dogs poop. Since the pandemic, it’s worse. Behind our house, is a man made canal and nature path owned by the Voie Navigable de France. I don’t even enjoy walking with my dog there anymore because every 50 meters is dog poop. Via email, I have contacted the mayor and requested assistance. When I didn’t receive a response, I phoned again and an appointment was set up. When I arrived, the Adjoint Responsable for the Environment, Ms. Rotti, explained that she has been fighting this challenge for 20 years.😱She has personally distributed huge trash bags in the forest and discovered that within the contents of the collected trash bags is Swiss and German trash. Restaurant owners in Germany and Switzerland come to Alsace and discard their trash(trash dispensing is expensive in the aforementioned countries)….that’s another story. Getting back to the dog poo….Ms. Rotti explained that there are a few(approximately 10) dog poop dispensers(including sacs and trash bins) in locations in Kembs. I personally have seen only one. Yesterday, I also noticed that dog poop appears to be purposely distributed at the base of this one dispenser(smh). Ms. Rotti also explained to me that she has confronted a neighbour who allowed his dog to empty on their street. His response was that he pays taxes and if she wants to pick it up, she’s welcome.😱 She also witnessed a small child taking handfuls of plastic sacs from a dispenser. When she asked the child why he was doing so, the child answered that his Mom bid him to bring the bags home (maybe for food preservation). Ms. Rotti corrected the child and told him one or two bags is the limit……I have personally ascended the hill adjacent to our property and tied dog poop sacs(in bright colors) on the branches of a few trees, along with a huge trash bag for the used sacs’ disposal. I also placed a huge tree trunk on the ground, sprayed it with repellant, planted a few plants in the area, and placed repellent gel in plastic containers. However, I noticed one man jogging with his dog yesterday, and he purposely stopped exactly at the location of my sac distribution set up and appeared to coax his dog(huge German shepherd) to handle his business. I immediately opened my window and bid him to remove his dog’s excrement if needed, that I had spoken to the mayor and the Voie Navigable de France, and I reminded him that his failure to do so could result in a fine. He mumbled something, bid me a “Bon Jour” and continued on his way. I went to see if excrement was there and was surprised to find there was not. So, my shovel was unnecessary that day. Recently, this particular area I have created his poop free, but a little further down the pathway, the disaster begins again(Gee whiz)…I have spoken to a few neighbors who feel that dog poop on the natural paths is okay(smh)….The Voie Navigable de France Director, Mr. Schulthess, has given me permission to forge ahead with my prevention plan. However, if I desire to officially mount signs on their property, I would have to pursue this via official documention(timely), and pay Voie Navigable de France a yearly fee for my use of their property.😳…Even though my efforts are to solve a challenge that would aid to keeping our environment free of dog litter(which is confirmed to contain bacteria, spread diseases to other dogs, children, and humans) hazardous when next to a body of water, and outright unhygienic and disgusting, I would have to pay. ???? So….. My next plan is to mount wooden posts with No Dog Poop signs or “Pick up your dog poop” in intervals along the canal nature path with dispensers of dog poop sacs and trash cans…This is all at my expense. I am a warrior. Maybe, in time, folk will respect the effort, exercise diplomacy and follow suit. Thank you for your article.