I lived in Paris for a year and found it surprisingly clean (and never really encountered the now infamous "piles"). It seemed the the guys in green were always around (in fact my consistent thought was that their budget for the sanitation department must be huge) Maybe the above respondants visited during a sanitation workers strike (Parisians seem to love strikes!)Now,if you want to talk about dirty cities how about New York City or even better, New Orleans? not Paris.

If you think Paris is dirty, just try Athens. Its easier to try to avoid doggy-do than to avoid rabid dogs.

In the 1930s there were thousands of cesspools in central Paris and indoor plumbing only became popular in the 1970s. Even today a goodlooking flat in a decent arrondissement will have charming public rooms but kitchens + bathrooms will be bizzarely plumbed and can usually be found in a cupboard.A century before, we would have been horrified by the state of our cities and the common brutality prevalent then.

Reviving a thread from 1998! And reviving what I think are very out of date opinions.

Fun stuff. Especially the rabid dogs comment.

We were in Paris in April during a very warm spell. No hairy legs, no BO and no Dog doo were encountered. Didn't even see any public urination (is that a word?). One of my pet peeves. LOL

the situation used to be much worse! Surprised at this post as in my recent sojourns in Paris I thought the problem was largely solved with Vespaschiens - doggie toilet pits and many street cleaners but I guess not!

Pal, this thread is from 1998. Things have changed, as you note.

I have never stepped in doggie doo in over 30 teips but I do look where I am going. THe little green men do a fantastic job! ANd the are doggie pick up bagas all over the city. Hope this old post does not turn anyone away from Paris

How do people even find threads from 1998?

the OP also mentionrd Toulouse (albeit 13 yrs ago).

Sadly, that has NOT changed. The town smelled of ammonia and old piss. And i dont think it was just dogs. We were "eclomed" back to France by a huge pile of dog poop right outside our nice hotel, in a nice street nr Pl du Capitole.
I agree, Paris has changed for the btter in this regard. Now, on to the rest of the country.

The Paris poop problem is not over. I stepped in a pile two years ago. Keep one eye on the ground.

kerouac: >><i>How do people even find threads from 1998?</i><<

Not only that -- Why does someone register just to top a 13 year old thread?

<i>
janisj on Sep 10, 11 at 5:11pm
kerouac: >>How do people even find threads from 1998?<<
Not only that -- Why does someone register just to top a 13 year old thread?</i>
Her SIL probably told her to do it.

<i>In the 1930s there were thousands of cesspools in central Paris and indoor plumbing only became popular in the 1970s.</i>

That's an exaggeration.

wow this is a very old thread! I wonder if there are any members here on this forum who had accounts from '98.

"<i> I wonder if there are any members here on this forum who had accounts from '98.</i>"

No one had 'accounts' back then since there was no registration/ accounts.

I first posted on Fodors about two months after this OP. I don't remember my actual first post but know it was in the summer of '98.

See how the screen names are all gray - they don't have profiles and aren't clickable. People could use any name they wanted and we had a LOT of zzz, xyz, etc and one could change names at will. But it looks like most on this thread used legit names.

Meant to add -- registration/accounts started in early 2003.

I think a lot of the doggie doo issue is attitude. I had a French hairdresser and when I came back from my first trip to Paris several years ago, I asked him why people let their dogs go on the streets without picking it up. He said that was the job of the street cleaners and he was serious. He felt that no honorable Frenchman would be seen picking up dog poop.

This past Feb I was in Nice staying in an apartment. The second day we were there, we walked outside in the morning to be greeted by a huge pile right in front of our gate. WE had to clean it up so that we didn't have to step over it night and day. I'm sure there were street cleaners but the fact is that they can't be everywhere and we saw plenty of piles that had been left (and many stepped in) for some time.

Lots of other dog friendly cultures are now acting responsibly with regard to the call of Mother Nature. Hopefully the French will as well one day.

<<How do people even find threads from 1998?>>

I want to know that too. And WHY?

For the record, I think the Paris street cleaners do a masterful job. I don't know if the average French person with a dog cleans up on his own or assumes the street cleaners will do it, but I sure haven't EVER had a problem with dog doo in Paris, and I've been going there regularly since long before this poster first posted.

Whilst the street cleaners may do a good job, that in itself is not tackling the problem. We were in Paris in July and walked from the Gare du Nord down to Notre Dame, the Hotel du Ville and across to the Tuileries. There was a decided problem if you didn't watch where you were stepping and dog owners don't seem to be educated at all to picking up after their pets.

Even in the small rural village I live in, in the UK, we always pick up after our dogs. Perhaps Parisians need a lot more education as it's always been a problem.