Dog Loving French: The Life of a Dog and It’s Owner in Montpellier

The French love their dogs – well at least that’s the impression you get in Montpellier, where small creatures scamper behind their master along the old streets of the city and in parks.

In Montpellier as well as many other French cities, you can see the same strange phenomenon where dogs are running free on the streets without a leech. Mainly on the side walks, and incredibly without getting run over by cars. The dogs swiftly weave around humans and other obstacles, and obviously know how to dodge cars too. In other countries were dogs are kept on a leech, it’s impossible to learn such skills. The level of how dogs are integrated to human society is so great that they have learned traffic culture.

But why do the French love their dogs so much? For sure nobody knows, but researchers claim that it’s mostly the absence of company for one reason or the other. For example there are many lonely elderly people in France who want company to everyday outdoor activities and other routines. You can also see plenty of joggers and cyclers that have furry and friendly companions running with them.

The large amount of dogs has brought problems with excrement filling the streets. But the issue has been somehow tackled and most modern day French dog owners know how to pick up the leftovers with a plastic bag. Like in Montpellier the old tile stones are kept clean and in public places there are “poo bag machines”. That’s a big advancement from before, and very smart indeed.

French Spaniel, Great Pyrenees, Basset and Brittany are some of the French dog breeds you can spot in the country.