Paris: fed up with dog owners

The sounds of nature are not always to the taste of all city dwellers.

In the countryside, there are those who complain about the rooster crowing and in Paris… those who complain about the barking of dogs.

Since the end of June now, owners of bulldogs and other chihuahuas can no longer let their dog roam freely in the garden of the Hotel Lamoignon / Mark Ashton (4th), which had been made available to them as part of a experimentation. For several months, access to this space had been authorized to them in the morning on a two-hour slot and in the evening to allow their companion to stretch their legs without being kept on a leash.

But this area of ​​freedom appreciated by dogs and their owners was not… on the part of the residents who complained on several occasions, complaining of noise pollution and worrying about their children.

“Living with the dogs was not always easy.

Not to mention the lawns that had been ravaged, explains Ariel Weil, mayor (PS) of Paris center.

We tried to adjust the hours but, at the end of the experiment, it turned out that it did not work and that we had to find another site.

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The mayor of central Paris promises a new place

“We were told about a place in Nelson-Mandela Park, in Les Halles, measuring 10 by 10 meters, but without giving us a timetable. The production budget has not even been released, sighs Rachel, ”the founder of the association

It will be 150 square meters, on a large lawn, and we hope to be able to set it up by the end of the year or early next year. The budget is already in place, ”assures Ariel Weil on the contrary. The mayor of central Paris has also asked the services of the Town Hall to think about free spaces for dogs as part of the future development of the banks of the Seine.

The fight of dog defenders in town is not new.

Already in March 2020, taking advantage of the electoral campaign for the municipal elections, they challenged the candidates for mayor of Paris on their plans to equip the capital with dog parks.

Since, according to them, the file has hardly advanced, neither in the center nor in all the capital.

The situation would even become more and more tense.

"The park officers come up to five times a day in certain parks in central Paris to punish us very aggressively", assures this resident of the Marais.

“There was no particular instruction.

But where dogs are not allowed, officers issue tickets, ”Ariel Weil concedes.

Five new dog parks under study in Paris

"In the woods now, it would also seem more and more complicated to walk while leaving your dog free", regrets Rachel.

So, are we witnessing a dialogue of the deaf between the town hall and the dog owners?

“Three new dog parks have been developed since the start of the term of office,” retorts the mayor of Paris, stressing that five others should soon open in the 1st, 5th, 13th, 14th and 18th arrondissements.

Apparently not enough to convince dog owners who are coming together more and more in collectives.

“Maybe if we take a group action, the City will listen to us more?

"Asks the founder of" We, the dogs of Paris ", who is considering future actions to make their voices heard.