So, what is with the French and their dogs? I mean, is it really necessary to carry your dog EVERYWHERE? They are in the clothing store, the bank, the post office, and, yes, the grocery store. Can't they just be left at home? Can the French not seperate themselves from their canine friends for 20 minutes to pick up some eggs and milk? One of my first memories from this year was standing in line at the post office and all of a sudden a dog comes in, lays down in the middle of the room, and proceeds to start munching on a bone that has RAW MEAT on it. I was, like, what the hell is that? What kind of country allows this to happen? Have they no sanitary decency?
Heuresement, someone did and the lady at the welcome booth in the post office started asking whose dog it was. Finally we pointed out a lady who kept looking motherly at the dog and the women promptly told her that her dog could not eat raw meat off the floor of the post office. The lady looked incredibly pissed off by this, so she told her kid (always the kid during the dirty work!) to pick it up and hold it until she got through the line. But really, how disgusting!
And they poop everywhere! Aix is like a walking landmine field. Why Aix can't clean up it's act like Paris has is beyond me. They actually built gutters into the middle of the street with dogs painted on the sidewalk pointing to the gutter, indicating that the dog should do his business there but they do it everywhere BUT the gutter, so the gutter is the safest place to walk in all of Aix-en-Provence. Rumor has it that there is a professional pooper scooper machine that goes around town and sucks up all the crap on the sidewalks and in the street, but I have yet to see it and I'm afraid that it doesn't really exist except in the imagination of everyone who has ever dirtied their shoes in the filth of the French dogs.
Ok, speaking of dogs, I took an online test yesterday to determine what breed of dog I would be were I a dog. I am proud to say that I would be a colllie. Everyone can take this quiz at http://www.emode.com. There are a ton of great personality tests and what not; I highly recommend it if you have 10 minutes to kill and you are on the internet.
Again, conclusion de jour: watch were you walk and find out what kind of dog you may be in your next life.