French People and Their Dogs

[Georgina]

THis morning at school, there was loads of dog do da in the playground.  I returned home to find 5 piles in my garden.

It seems the French just walk past and let their dogs into people's gardens without batting an eyelid. 

Short of getting a very large gate which I don't want to do, not only because of the expense, it feels like I am cutting the world out, what would you do when people pass with their dogs off lead on the road and let them stay in your garden.  If they allow this in the playground, my garden is no problem to them.

I really love the people here but this is one thing I cannot tolerate, I may put my foot in it (literally)

 

Georgina

 

PS I did have a dog who we cleaned up after all the time no matter where

[BJSLIV]

You can get ready for a few more loose dogs in the coming days. TV have just been covering the annual tradition of people abandoning their dogs when they go off for the main holiday.

The idea is you let them loose, and then collect them, maybe,  when you get back from the south. It saves paying for kennels.

The SPA usually expect at least twice as many strays at this time of year especially large dogs that won't fit in the car when theres too much luggage!

[Missy]

[quote]THis morning at school, there was loads of dog do da in the playground. I returned home to find 5 piles in my garden. It seems the French just walk past and let their dogs into people's gardens with...[/quote]

Should do like my Mother did!

She had a spate of dogs doos in her garden and got quite fed up with it! that she sat herself all day long, just out of sight but not far from the offending relief site and waited patiently with a plastic bag and a small shovel.

And reward! the dog-S! Yes 2!! came and absolutely naturally laid their free range barker's eggs!! ...

She pooper-scooped the lot and just as she had finished doing so, she heard this voice talking to her from over the hedge. My Mother looked a little embarrassed, dropped the bag discretly by her feet and carried on the conversation with this lady. Turned out that she had just moved to the area, she was walking her dog-S, pleasant area isn't it and please do come and visit me, so nice to meet new people and make new friends when in a new area etc... etc... etc...

Undaunted my Mother collected about a week's worth of calling cards and duly went to the lady's place for a gossip and a snoop! and dropped her full bag of collected barker's egg/calling cards on that lady's new posh kitchen floor and proudly walked out!...

So that was one less for the Xmas card list in the neighbourhoood and certainly cured the calling cards problem!!!

[Patf]

I used to do a similar thing, but not so dramatic. Before we fenced off our land there would be a few piles from our neighbour's 4 dogs each morning, not from ours which are closed in. So I scooped it up and chucked it back into her garden. Her dogs seem to wander around all night causing mayhem. Pat.

[Logan]

It is a very British thing, worrying about excrement. The French have an altogether different view of it. It is considered a more natural thing to leave poo on the ground and allow nature to fertilise the earth, be it animal or human. They simply don't notice it and if they had it pointed out to them a gallic shrug would ensue. Cultural differences again. After all animal waste does have a beneficial role in the process of nature.  

[Hoddy]

 After all animal waste does have a beneficial role in the process of nature.  

Yes, but not in a school yard or playing field. I know a school in England where the PE teachers first job each day is to go round the two pitches and clear the dog poo that's been left there since school closed the day before. Just one of the many unknown delights of teaching !

It is unhygienic - who cleans it up in the French school yard ?

Hoddy

[Teamedup]

In Paris there is an equipe that are there to ramasse les crottes. They are well equipped to do this rather horrible job. As there are so many accidents and people have been hurt sometimes badly slipping and falling over, it became necessary.

There are some wonderful words in french for poo.

[Jeanneclaire]

I think you will have to install gates or put up with it. Our neighbours have two dogs (farm animals) who usually call at least once a day, but I've never seen them leave anything other than a "water-mark", however we have two or three others who come in the garden and drop. I don't like it but I'm not going to make a big fuss as I don't want to be seen as a "difficult" English person. I think a price I pay for living in France is to accept some things that I probably would not be prepared to tolerate in the UK.

I find it extraordinary that someone would collect the mess and dump it on the dog owner's kitchen floor. I bet this would make you popular in your village.

[Jo53]

It is a very British thing, worrying about excrement. The French have an altogether different view of it. It is considered a more natural thing to leave poo on the ground and allow nature to fertilise the earth, be it animal or human. They simply don't notice it and if they had it pointed out to them a gallic shrug would ensue. Cultural differences again. After all animal waste does have a beneficial role in the process of nature.  

Well you're right on one front, they don't seem to notice it as much. A few times I have seen French children make no effort to sidestep dog muck on the pavement - beurk!! It is absolutely drummed into my kids not to tread on the stuff, as I don't particularly want it trodden around my house. But as for implying it's just more natural and less uptight not to worry about it - what rubbish (although this part of your posting is a joke, right?). Worrying about excrement is an extremely sensible and logical thing to do, given its role in transmitting diseases and parasites. Fertilising is one thing, but not on a tarmac pavement or playground. I mean, why not let the kids c**p in the playground too??

I would point out the problem to the school and ask if anything could be done to stop dogs getting in.

Jo

[Georgina]

au contraire... my French friends are horrified at this also, especially about the playground.  I wonder if it depends on which part of France you live as to the attitude to this. But this is also if you have children, if I did not I would not be bothered as I would not be bringing it into the house on my clothes and shoes after a good runabout like they.

As regards the fertiliser, I thought that dog do da has no benefit on grass or anywhere else, now if it was a horse, well it would be big enough to see.... and I could put it straight on the veggie patch ha ha.

No I could not contemplate being rude to people about it (only felt like it) and that is why I am asking what would you say to them.

 

Georgina

[Christine Animal]

There are two sayings in France, one is:

La vie est comme une échelle de poulailler, trop courte et pleine de merde

(Life is like a ladder in a chicken run, too short and full of *****)

 

The other is:

La vie est comme une chemise de nuit d’enfant, (encore) trop courte et pleine de merde

(Life is like a child’s nightdress, (again) too short and full of *****).

 

It is also supposed to bring good luck,

So « Bonne chance ».

Christine

I edit:  I have been censored on a certain, what I thought was pretty innocent, word, so it looks as if there is a problem with "excrement"!

[Logan]

This aversion to merde by the Brits must have something to do with your victorian ancestors who built all those wonderful sewage systems in British cities. Excrement is something unspeakable and never to be seen. It belongs in some subterranean world where lies everything dark threatening and foreboding. 

I would not recommend speaking to your neighbours about the subject unless you want to attract incredulious derision. It's true some French regard it as good luck. I remember as a child being told the same when I bird dumped on my shoulder.

You could of course volunteer to clean the school playground every day and be regarded as an eccentric Brit who is slightly off her rocker. Otherwise, may I suggest you accept France as it is, merde and all.

[Missy]

[quote]au contraire... my French friends are horrified at this also, especially about the playground. I wonder if it depends on which part of France you live as to the attitude to this. But this is also if ...[/quote]

Tell them to Take their rubbish home! in NO uncertain terms! These free range barker's eggs are the same trash as an empty packet of crisps or bottle of pop which you do not want on your property ...

Don't stop being rude to them - they started the being rude! by allowing the pooch to do it on your patch and not theirs!! You go and look at their gardens/lawns and you will be SO jealous that theirs is in pristine condition and the pooch IS NOT ALLOWED TO EVEN SET A PAW ON IT!!!!!!!!!

Your garden will die with that 'manure'. Has anyone noticed where the barker's eggs/watermarks have been deposited there is a burnt dead patch!

Apart from the fact that these deposits carry a worm which once in the bloodstream can work its way to the retina and render a person blind!....

Do you allow your kids to poo on your neighbour's lawn?... Well then!... People should train their dogs just as they train their cats! just need a bigger tray in the garage for the oversized faithful hound! If you want the pooch then take ALL the responsibility of this excrement churning machine on your own territory not someone else especially when that territory has children on it!!

You'll guess that I am not much of a coochy-coochy nice-doggy person!!

[Hoddy]

"This aversion to merde by the Brits must have something to do with your victorian ancestors who built all those wonderful sewage systems in British cities. Excrement is something unspeakable and never to be seen. It belongs in some subterranean world where lies everything dark threatening and foreboding. "

Those wonderful Victorian sewage systems were built by our ancestors in response to repeated outbreaks of disease which resulted in many thousands of deaths of men, women and children caused by water contaminated by merde. I don't think we're obsessed by it - it stinks and spreads disease. What more reason do you want not to have in your schoolyard or garden ? 

Hoddy

[Missy]

[quote]au contraire... my French friends are horrified at this also, especially about the playground. I wonder if it depends on which part of France you live as to the attitude to this. But this is also if ...[/quote]

Tell them that

>Je ne suis pas un employé municipal conducteur de crotinette!<

(I am not a municipal S-H-One-Tea collector !)

I am as appalled as anyone else as to how some people teach these 4 legged things NO manners and think they should be treated better than their own kin!!

These 4 legged things don't vote! and certainly don't pay any taxes to have their messes cleaned up!!

Sorry!!!!

I am going for a sundowner to calm down and inspect my property for offending calling cards!!

Picture : Mad woman, whisky one hand, pooper-scooper the other, bent over garden/lawn !!

If only my computer had these little logo heads... you would now have a line of the laughing, winking ones!! but you will have to make do with what you read!!SORRY!!

[letrangere]

Have you ever watched a Parisenne walk down the street?  Tight skirt, Euros 200 shoes, keeping an eye on her man, her Kelly bag, her cigarette and every item in the windows she's walking past, she STILL manages to skirt all the dog mess on the pavement without even consciously looking at it.  I tell you, if they had a competition for it in the Olympic Games, avoiding dog poo, the French Women's team would win a gold every time, it's a joy to behold, and quite a skill too...  M

[alnmike]

To discourage visitors using your garden as their toilet, you can sprinkle lion dung (available from garden centres); worked for me in Manche!

[Patf]

I've found it different here with french attitude to dog dirt. The neighbour with 4 dogs sniffs"yuk , crottes" when she sees one on her garden paths, and sends them out to do it elsewhere. Our other neighbour complains about the dirt on her drive and says it's disgusting ( in french.) Pat.

[Iceni]

The worm eggs in dog poo can and does cause blindness - there have been many recorded cases of blindness in both eyes after children played in areas which dogs frequented. Cats also leave some very nasty things in their poo and these eggs can get into the unborn child and I have seen the outcome of this - not nice at all. I think that the French test pregnant women for some of these things as they are so nasty, I know the UK did not last time I was pregnant.

Unless we feed our children this sort of brown matter without worrying, we should ensure that they do not easily come into contact with it in their areas of play. It is easy for a child to step in it, take their shoes off and touch something which gets into their mouths. Be vigalent (? sp) and if necessary, return to whence it came - this is a health hazard we are talking about not just a nasty smelling pile of harmless brown stuff.

[Sprogster]

Iceni is absolutely correct, in that worm lavae in dog faeces can cause illness and sometimes blindness in humans. Children are especially vulnerable.

The disease is called TOXOCARIASIS, whereby a human becomes infested with the larvae of Toxacara Canis, a small, threadlike worm that is prevalent in the intestines of many dogs.

Mild infestation in healthy adults usually causes mild fever and malaise, but can trigger allergic reactions and asthma. Furthermore, in some cases of heavy infestation in humans, pneumonia and seizures may develop.

Another known complication is loss of vision, which may occur if a larvae enters the eye and dies there. 

Infestation of humans occur through coming into contact with soil or any other matter contaminated with dog faeces, or children playing with an infested dog.

These worms are prevalent throughout Europe in the dog population, and that is why regular worming of dogs is so important.

In warmer areas other nasties such as hookworms can be picked up by humans walking in sand contaminated by dog faeces.

In summary, dog faeces are a serious potential public health risk and to be fair to the French authorities, they accept this and are now cracking down on the problem. That said, dog faeces in a children play area is totally unacceptable. How would you feel, if it was your child that lost their sight? 

 

   

[opas]

I don`t think it is a British thing, being paranoid over dog do! Our Belgian neighbour had a right barny a while back with the French neighbour en face because the French lady let her dogs out to Poo. The French ladys response was along the lines of that it wasn`t her dogs pooing in the Belgians front court.....as dogs do not dirty near their own homes! Thats all right then,   Whats French for NIMBY?

I would deliver the poo back to its owner(If it was a regular thing) .I did that once when we were first married, we lived in a terrace without a garden and one of the neighbours used to walk her dog a few times per day past our home. It would pee up the paintwork and drop its daily doo da on my doorpost! After realising where this regular mess was coming from , I scooped it up and put it (without a bag) on her doorstep....As somebody else posted , take a look at the ofending owners house,you could eat your dinner off any surface of this womans home....except that one time!!!

Mrs O

[Teamedup]

I'm pleased Iceni brought this up to.

Our dog has been sick recently and we have spent much time at the vets. The waiting room has a tv which shows a vets info show for pet owners. Part of the program is about these worms and children's health and general personal hygiene when one is around dogs. At least the vets are trying to pass the message on.

 

[Georgina]

I think the only thing I have to put up with is the ignorance of people generally, looking at one or two posts, I consider it is not only the French.

Luckily, the majority of people, French or English do not think this is polite or hygienic.

Georgina

[Loopy Lou]

Dog merde is completely revolting and does not rot down quickly or properly because it is 90% meat.  It is not recommended for composting.  If you have ever tried to use those dog loos that you sink into the ground in a pit of gravel (a la fosse septique!) and fill with poo and a chemical disolver, you will know how long the vile stuff takes to disperse.  You almost need one for each day of the week, so I gave that idea up after a while.  I own a dog and have owned cats and they are always regularly treated for all infestations - ticks, fleas and worms.  I clean up after the dog and have a litter tray for the cats.  That is what responsible owers do.

Loopu !!

[chicfille]

[quote]To discourage visitors using your garden as their toilet, you can sprinkle lion dung (available from garden centres); worked for me in Manche![/quote]

Does this stuff work for cats too?

Our neighbours' cats are constantly depositing their nasty gifts in the middle of our lawn.