Saturday 29 July 2023

What's The French For 'Tried It, But It Doesn't Work'..?

Dog owners in the southern French town of Béziers are to be required to carry their pet’s “genetic passport” in a trial scheme to reduce dog excrement on the streets.

Sounds....familiar, doesn't it, Reader? I think I know the French term for that..! 

Local mayor Robert Ménard, a former journalist and co-founder of Reporters Sans Frontières, says inhabitants and visitors are fed up with faeces on the town’s pavements. He plans to introduce a two-year experiment to trace and fine those who fail to clear up after their pets.

A noble endeavour indeed! 

“We have to punish to make people behave better,” Ménard, elected on a far-right ticket in 2014 and reelected in 2020, told France Bleu radio. Under the planned scheme, dog owners will be required to take their pets to a vet or ask one of the town’s veterinary specialists for a free saliva sample, which will be genetically tested and a document issued. Those subsequently stopped without their dog’s genetic passport will be fined €38 (£32.60).

'Papeiere, bitte, hund!' 

5 comments:

Macheath said...

It may not have worked back then in Essex, but dog owners in France were softened up for this during Covid lockdown, when anyone caught walking a dog without the appropriate official ‘attestation’ paperwork - including home address, date and time - could be fined up to €375.

Nemisis said...

I have vague recollections of a similar scheme being introduced in Germany maybe ten years ago.
And in parts of Nicoliar's Scotland isn't it an offence to walk the dog without a supply of dog bags?

Anonymous said...

Why do they want a sample of the vet's saliva? :)

Anonymous said...

Considering how "diverse" most of France is (even more so than here) I wonder if this is, in part, to prove that our canine friends aren't the real culprits.

That or a certain mayor has shares in, or a relative who owns, a testing lab.

Being cynical, I suppose you could embrace the power of 'and'.

JuliaM said...

"...dog owners in France were softened up for this during Covid lockdown..."

Oh, yes! I'd forgotten that...

"And in parts of Nicoliar's Scotland isn't it an offence to walk the dog without a supply of dog bags?"

I think you're right. Though I doubt it's properly enforced.

"Why do they want a sample of the vet's saliva? :)"

🤣

"Considering how "diverse" most of France is (even more so than here) I wonder if this is, in part, to prove that our canine friends aren't the real culprits."

Eeeeewww!