C.2: The dogs, and what comes with them....

As I'm sure you've all noticed by now, there are dogs everywhere. Big, small, young, old, hairy, and not. Being a dog lover myself, I am delighted to see that Paris is such a dog friendly place, which is not always the case in the U.S.. For example, it can sometimes be quite difficult to find a good apartment in Clemson that will except pets, no matter how small (my dog is 7 lbs). I find it almost unbelievable to see dogs riding along side me on the subway and to see them on the trains. While I enjoy seeing the freedom pet owners have here, it also raises the questions of 'What if their pet relieves itself on the train/metro?'. Also 'what if the pet owner has no interest in cleaning it up?'. Because as we've notices, most pet owners show no interest in cleaning up after their pets on the street so is the train or metro any different? Luckily I haven't come across this situation, but then again I almost wonder why I haven't. In one of my french cultural books it actually have an entire chapter concerning this very issue. It states that the French government actually made a rather large effort to help solve this matter at hand, and that things used to, (and still could be if not for them) be much worse and we should be thankful for the efforts that have been set forth. In my tip book it also states that the "polite" thing to do for pet owners is to sweep or push the mess into the running water by the curb so it will get washed away into the sewers. I have not seen anyone do this yet for myself and I wonder if people really do or not. I have been fortunate enough to dodge that bullet but it could only be a matter of time if I don't keep my eyes on the ground instead of all the beautiful buildings passing me by.