Photo by Ggugg, flickr. The sign says "I like my neighborhood: I pick up." Someone has crossed out "my neighborhood" and written "shit." At the bottom is the regulation that 100% of dog owners in Paris disobey, and the alleged fine for this.
Some people think it's provincial to talk about how Paris's sidewalks are the filthiest in the civilized world. Those people either have dogs and don't clean up after them, or don't live here. Parisian dog owners are appallingly willing to let their dogs foul the sidewalks. As I have written elsewhere, in more than twenty years in Paris I have seen people pick up after their dogs exactly five times, and one of those was an Englishman on the rue de Rivoli, a major arcaded tourist thoroughfare.
Paris lovers try not to notice the dog poop everywhere, but they have to be careful anyway. In my neighborhood, if you don't have your eyes riveted on the sidewalk as you walk, you will have a nasty surprise on your shoes when you get home. Hundreds of people a year wind up in the hospital after slipping in the dog poop. One of them was our ancient concierge, who died from the fall.
The mayor has tried to crack down on the dog owners. This sign for example warns of a €3000 fine. That'll be the day! I have never heard of anyone getting a ticket. Right after the policy began, my son's friend Paul did get a verbal warning once but he took to his heels with his father's dog Indy and the contractuel didn't chase him. Since then, the sidewalks have not gotten any cleaner around here. Every day it's an obstacle course. Some streets are worse than others. Once I was visiting an apartment on rue de la Faisanderie in the 16th arrondissement and my friend said she almost hadn't taken the apartment because of all the dog poop on the street. "It's not worse here than anywhere else!" said her neighbor indignantly. As I walked out of the building, I met the gardienne muttering loudly as she swept off a particularly huge, gloppy crotte right in front of the grand entrance.
One of the funniest sights I've ever seen was the elegantly-dressed owner of a very tall dog in the 10th arrondissement. She was trying to catch the crotte in a plastic bag before it hit the ground.
At least her intentions were good.
Posted by: chrissoup | 12 October 2011 at 01:44
Good idea, thanks!
Posted by: Sedulia | 29 November 2011 at 12:47
What if the American expats ALL photographed every poop mound and posted the photos asap and the website went viral? I bet Paris would curb themselves at last.
Posted by: Cleo | 31 March 2012 at 21:38
French people that´s it
Posted by: enric | 10 January 2014 at 07:46
I was there the other day, rubbish and dog shit everywhere, what a disgusting hole its become.
Posted by: basil | 10 April 2014 at 21:28
Dog faeces everywhere and filth==Paris. Way overrated and hyped. Of course, the guide books and happy talkers leave out all the dog crap and trash over Paris/France in general.
Posted by: Wendy Evans | 18 May 2014 at 20:37
Also, tons of crime with rampant pick pocketing/scams from the gypsies (Romanians/Romas), that and dog faeces=Paris and France. Non, non.
Posted by: Wendy Evans | 18 May 2014 at 20:44
I've actually started a blog to catalog pictures of dog poop, funny signs like the one at the top of this post, and other things related to dog doo-doo. It was inspired in part by a trip to Paris I took where, instead of admiring the architecture of the city, I had to constantly watch where I was stepping for fear of stepping in dog doo. The site is http://picturesofdogdoodoo.blogspot.com, but it hasn't gone viral (yet).
Posted by: Flash | 01 September 2014 at 01:38
I got a great name for France and certainly for Paris: Dogshit Nation
Posted by: paul dubois | 28 October 2014 at 12:59
I agree with Wendy Evans comment about rampant pickpockets and Roma Gypsies scamming people. Every time I visit Paris some Roma try to con me. Last time a Roma woman was on the bridge near Musee d’Orsay pointing and shouting excitedly. When I got closer she picked up a brass washer off the sidewalk and pretended it was a gold wedding ring, asking me “is this yours?!?” I knew she was up to no good and instead of paying attention to her I turned around and caught her boyfriend sneaking up behind me to steal my bag. Yeah nice try. I would rather see Paris tackle pickpockets before working on the dog poop problem. I see that crime as a bigger safety concern. Poop doesn’t steal your wallet.
Posted by: Adam Douglas | 07 September 2021 at 08:32
people who care about dog poo on pavements are pathetic beings, there's real problems in the world so get a life and move on
Posted by: kristin | 14 July 2022 at 23:49
People are allowed to care about more than one thing. Are you aware of this?
You sound like someone who doesn't clean up after your dog.
Posted by: Sedulia | 19 August 2022 at 08:17