Dogs in France

I know that culture always varies and that people from every country are going to be different. However, for some reason I never thought that the animals would be different, too. I mean, dogs have to be the same no matter where they come from, right?

Actually, I find that the dogs in France are just like their owners and follow the same social norms. Weird, but I actually think it's true.

Firstly, on a side note, I should mention that the loyalty of the dogs here is incredible. Most dogs I see here are not on leashes ever, but they still follow their owners wherever and don't come near other people.

That brings me to my next point: they don't really socialize on the streets. In the states, when I'm walking down the streets, the dogs are like the people. They (in the dog way of doing it) always try to say hi to the people crossing the streets, give a tail wag, want attention, etc. Here, the French pets are like the people: they look forward, keep walking, and don't care for strangers. They're not violent or anything. You're never going to have a problem with a dog attacking you here. Sometimes they even approach and look like they want to say hi, but in the end they don't, and they don't even make eye contact. Kind of sad for the dog lover in me, actually.

However, when you visit them in their house (owner's house), I think they're friendly. My host mom from Grenoble's sister's dog, a huge black fluffy Newfie, is the sweetest, most attention loving dog I've met. It could be his breed though, because a friend of mine has a dog of the same breed who is just like him.

One common thing about all the dogs in France though (and in Spain) is that you're not going to see one that's neutered here. It's just not something that happens. If you go to Europe you will see a lot of dog balls. 

It's funny, because even when I lived in Spain, the dogs were like the people, too. Really outgoing and just overall sweet. You'd think animals are the same everywhere, but like people, they have different personalities, too. Animals take on cultural characteristics, too. 

In fact, I vousvoyer-ed a dog I just met the other day, more by accident, but if the dogs are like the people, maybe we should treat them like we treat people...

Although, I think last week when I said pardon to a pigeon that was in my way, I might have been taking it too far...