Dogs!

People love their dogs here. They bring them everywhere. On the subway, on the trams, into shops, into restaurants, everywhere. You rarely see a “no dogs allowed” sign. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one…

So, the dogs poop everywhere. And their owners don’t bother to clean it up. The sidewalks are littered with poop. People step in it all the time. There’s always someone dragging one of their feet across the cobblestones. They're not disabled – they just have some poop on their shoe.

Yesterday, in class, I had my students debate whether or not dog owners should be fined if they’re caught leaving their dog’s droppings on the sidewalk. Clearly, no such law exists at the moment. It was a very lively and spirited debate – about poop. We didn’t use the word “poop” though. *wink, wink* (This blog has been rated PG. Hiding the children won't be necessary.)

On Thursday, I went to a little bar with some friends. The owner of the bar had three miniature dachshunds. They were cute, until one of them started barking incessantly at the people at the table next to us for no discernible reason. Then, we noticed the poo – directly under our table. And the other, messier, poo – about a meter away. Mind the ground – even indoors. Poo is everywhere.