france vs america: dogs

you should see the dogs here. have you ever heard that dogs look like their owners (and vice versa)? it has never been more true than it is on the streets in paris. smashed face dogs belong to owners with smushed snounts; old, raggedy dogs belong to old men who can hardly make it down the street anymore. and all of their dogs behave like them too. the people walk by without even glancing at you; the dogs mostly ignore you and walk past without so much as sniffing your shoes.

that's another thing. all the dogs here are soooo well behaved. i've even seen some puppies (big labs, too!) just walking down the street alongside their owners. they make delilah look like she's on speed or something.

i think it's because the french treat their dogs differently. they bring them along on shopping trips/walks through town like a companion. in the us, we play with our dogs and love to get them riled up in the park. our dogs jump up all over everyone and want to lick anyone's face they can get.

but maybe that's reflective of how we are, too. us americans like to look up, smile at strangers, and start conversations with the checker at the grocery store. the french would rather get on their own way without any annoyances.

neither is better or worse. as usual, just different.