La motocrotte

There are many things that we have been happy to find unchanged in France, for instance, the taste of the muscat grapes in the Fall, the simple pairing of French bread with a slice of "saucisson" and the  never long nor difficult search for a good coffee.

It is also true, however, that no matter how close that perfect espresso is, you best be keeping one eye on the pavement as you walk to avoid any smelly missteps.  Something more distasteful we have found unchanged?  Dog poo on the sidewalks is still a regular occurrence.

I popped down to the front of our building last week to take a picture of the door knocker because I like it.  I would suppose it dates back to a time when this building was all one residence. 

 

What I didn't like was what I almost stepped into.

As our French neighbour from a few floors up said with sarcasm, "Sympa".  

Nice, indeed.  

But, Barry made a recent discovery that there is a man about town who is working to make a difference.

Yes, that's right.  You are looking at a motorcycle that is decked out with two powerful vacuum hoses with easy grips,  one for each side, to suck up "la crotte de chien".   Barry spotted this man and his vehicle in action early in the morning, and literally chased him down several streets to ask him about his job and get his permission to take a photo.  

The official title for this French invention is "la caninette", but apparently the French prefer to use the moniker "la motocrotte".  He explained to Barry that his job was a necessity because French people are just "trop cool" to pick up after their dogs.

They kept their friendly exchange brief.  After all, he is a busy man on these streets.  And well, Barry was only too happy to move on to some fresher air.