Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Paris - It's for the Dogs


Parisians have a love affair with dogs. In fact, the love of "man's best friend" is carried to the extreme. Dogs are accepted everywhere. You may be taken aback when you see dogs entering restaurants and stores, but that’s the Parisian custom, and everyone is accepting of it. Pooch even has his own seat at a restaurant table; no one thinks it's out of the ordinary. But it is far more common to see the owner’s dog on the floor at his feet, waiting patiently for a table scrap. Many waiters even bring a bowl of water for the canine pet of their regular customers.
The special thing that I notice is that the dogs in Paris are exceptionally well-behaved. They don’t snarl, whine or jump, and they greet other dogs with a casual disinterest; and they seldom stray more than a few inches from the feet of their owners, even when off leash. Amazing, but true.