Sunday, February 28, 2010

The News from Pooland

No, that's not a typo. There are many things I love about Poland, and there are some things that I have adjusted to and have come to appreciate. But there is one thing that I am not going to miss. Polish people love their dogs. Something that is very different here than at home is that everyone has at least one dog. And dogs are being walked all the time. There are always dogs outside of stores tied to a tree or a metal pole waiting for their owners.

I am not a big fan of dogs in general. I don't hate dogs, I just don't really care one way or the other. I'm just not a love me, love my dog kind of gal. What I am not enjoying is the massive amount of doggie doo doo that is everywhere.

This week the temperatures have been above freezing and the snow has been melting. What is being uncovered is the months' worth of dog droppings. It's hard to enjoy the beautiful, sunny 43 degree day we had today when we are having to watch every single step. And even being watchful does not always do the trick. We have some awesome winter boots that we bought here in Poland in the fall. Our boots have made it possible for us to get through this winter. These boots are well made and warm. I had planned on bringing them home because I have never had boots this great in the US. But after this week, there is NO WAY I am putting them in a suitcase and packing them with the rest of my things that I can't live without. They will be staying here with whatever remnants are left on them.

We walk everywhere, so this has become a big issue for us. In Germany, Scotland and Ireland there are signs everywhere reminding people to pick up after their dogs. I can't remember if there are signs in Hungary or not. At home people all walk their dogs with their little plastic bags. (That is another issue--the bags should be biodegradable, but I digress). But people here do not clean up after their dogs. I don't like that.

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