The most ignored sign in the world?
April 12th, 2007 | 
Author: 
Whilst we might complain about the volume of dog poo in France, at least they have the little trucks to clean it up in the towns.But, why is it that this seems to be the most ignored sign in the world? After all, the penalty on this particular sign is £500 and that sum seems fairly typical of the fines imposed in other countries.
I suspect that the simple reason is that the police similarly ignore this sign.
After all, when have you heard of a dog owner having to pay £500/500‚€ in court?
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Posted in Commentary
This dog poop dilemma in France has always baffled me. In the US, at least in the area where I live, when someone walks their dog they carry “poop bags” with them. When the dog poops, the owner puts their hand in the bag like a glove, grabs it, and turns the bag inside out so the poop is inside. There is no need to touch it and there are usually waste cans every few hundred feet to dispose of it. If there are no cans, the dog owner just ties a knot at the opening of the bag and carries it with them until they find a can to dispose of it. It’s just common courtesy to pick up your dogs mess, not to do so would be considered crass and low class. Whereas in France, it seems the French think it is above them to clean up their own mess.
Also, in the US, if someone is walking their dog in the neighborhood and allows them to poop on someone’s property and not clean it up, they may find the mess deposited on their front step (minus the bag) with a note stuck in it that says “You left something on my lawn, now it’s on your front steps.” Or, as a friend of mine told me, a neighbor had been letting her dog deposit his waste on her lawn and even though she approached the woman to please clean it up, her wishes were ignored. My friend saved all her dogs waste for two weeks and deposited it on the offending neighbors lawn. No note was necessary, she got the hint and started carrying those cute little bags in her pocket from then on. Sometimes you have to be creative.
Maybe in France, instead of fining the offending dog walker with a money fine, they should be forced to do “community service” and clean up after everyone else’s dog mess for a week. I don’t mean in a truck, but to walk along the street with a “pooper scooper” and pick up one pile at a time. I think that will make a bigger impression, no?
The culture in the UK has changed and the majority of dog owners do clean up after their dogs. There is legislation in place to fine offending owners but I don’t think it’s used much. I live close to a favourite dog walk along the River Tweed and I’ve noticed that some neighbours only clean up after their dogs if they think there is somebody watching them, rather than as a matter of course. I am not keen to report neighbours who transgress as if they find out I reported them there could be repercussions against me. Perhaps I need to take some hints from Panthere rose and do some transfers to doorsteps.
Maybe in France the people are cowards and afraid to say anything or maybe the French just don’t care which seems to be the case. They are definitely above dog shit. Cleanliness is not really a French attribute for those of us who have lived here for a period of years and have been able to surivive outside the envelope which means little if no contact with the locals.
“Maybe in France, instead of fining the offending dog walker with a money fine, they should be forced to do community service’ and clean up after everyone else’s dog mess for a week. I don’t mean in a truck, but to walk along the street with a pooper scooper’ and pick up one pile at a time. I think that will make a bigger impression, no?”
Panthere rose. You don’t know the French. What counts is time off from work et “il ne faut pas affoler les francais”.
Or as Elton John once said. They couldn’t organize a piss of in a Brewery
May I use the word pigs for certain people
Hello rocket!
Yes, I think you might be point on regarding “il ne faut pas affoler les francais'”
I don’t want to bash all French, I like many of them, just not the ones who think their dog poo doesn’t stink, if you know what I mean. I imagine it also would be a good idea to put up a sign with the silhouette of a man peeing against a building with a red circle and a slash on it. It seems only fair if the dog can’t leave their mess, either should their owners. No?
I’m not sure why they find it necessary to pee in public, there are facilities for that. Of course, that may mean they have to pay to use the toilet, which is another thing that makes no sense to me. Why do they get free health care and free education, yet have to pay to use a public toilet?
Having seen the state of the public toilet facilities in French villages I am sometimes not surprised they prefer to relieve themselves out in the open. I mean, many of those public loo’s are ancient, stinking, and of the hole-in-the-ground ‘squat’ variety.
I cannot see why the local mairies cannot update these facilities – it’s just basic hygiene isn’t it?.
I reckon they charge to use toilets because it is seen as a ‘luxury’ to use one.
But something should definately be done here about the dog poop in the streets. In parts of Perpignan the footpaths are an obstacle course.
I just don’t understand why so many people here don’t care, they are mean’t to be proud of their country, so why don’t they keep it clean?.
Read about this new dog food which is supposed to solve most of the problem:
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=565122007
Wendy,
I repeat again. People DO NOT care. This type of behavior is is the essence of egotism. It’s like the dozens of people who park their cars on the crosswalks really not caring if a person in a wheelchair would need to cross the street at this point. Secondly the police always have been and continue to do limited surveillance of this kind of abuse. For me it all comes down to a question of education. How can you have uncaring people trying to civically educated other uncaring people. So it will be almost impossible to have the solution from the population within.
Are they proud of their country.
Given the current presidentail compaign I’m not so sure.
May I add, that for a nation that prides itself on its ability to reason and think logically, I am quite surprised that for example in my above example with parking on crosswalks, some people who abuse this are not even capable of thoroughly thinking through their action and realizing that they may be encroaching on others rights. They can not even go that deep having been educated by others with the same civic lack of responsiblity. They only care about making their life as carefree and easy as possible at the expense of others.
Now, if you want to discuss cheese, I’m sure they would be thorough thinkers.
As rocket pointed out, it seems that in France there is a problem with egotism, or a lack of respect for others. It seems they think their selfish actions have no consequences, and they wonder why they are labeled as arrogant! Rules don’t apply to them, or at least that is how it is perceived to we Americans. They claim a sort of sophistication because they can quote old, dead philosophers, yet they can’t seem to grasp the meaning of the philosophy. They also claim to abhor nationalism, but try and criticize their country and you are called a bigot. An odd group, to be sure, but they have great wine and their cheese acceptable (not as good as Italian cheese, IMO), so I guess we can let them revel in their arrogance for now.