Paris Proposes Public Potties for Pooches

March 13, 2001 Paris, France

Take a walk in the City of Lights: a sunset stroll by the Seine, or perhaps une petite promenade sur la Place de la Concorde.  But as you're staring up in bewilderment at l'Arc de Triomphe, take care that you don't step in one of the other sights Paris has to offer.

The French people love their dogs, and in fact, they keep more pets than any other European country.  One of the dog-friendliest cities in the world, Paris alone is home to more than 250,000 dogs who produce 25 tons of waste each day.

So it's no surprise that the nation's capital has quite a problem when it comes to dog poop.

Less than half the amount of dog feces is cleaned up, thus leaving a sanitary health hazard—not to mention the average 650 people a year who are hospitalized after slipping on the stuff.  (No laughing, now.)

What has the city done about it? Everything, it seems: 4,400 old-fashioned sidewalk sweepers, more than 200 excrement vacuum cleaners, 70 motorcycle poop patrols (caninettes) and 80 pooper inspectors (who issue on-the-spot fines up to $600 USD to owners who fail to clean up after their dogs); all to no avail.

But this week a bold, new proposal will be reviewed by the municipality.  French architect M. Bertin has designed the world's first public restroom for dogs, the "wawa".

The design is as follows: each wawa will consist of an open space—tastefully landscaped with flowers and hedges—that will serve as the designated doo-doo area.  The wawa itself will be constructed with a new "canine concrete" that prevents sticking while retaining the scent (effectively marking the spot for the dogs).

Once the dog has had it's private moment, the dog's owner will be able to activate the flusher, which will use jet sprays of water to clear the site.

Each wawa will cost about $28,000 USD, and it is estimated that the city will need more than 2000 units, for a citywide total of about $66,000,000 USD.

M. Bertin is confident that Paris authorities will accept the proposal.

(Note: pictured above is "Ponko" who is available for adoption at Le Refuge Spa de la Picoterie, Crogis, France—Mar. 13, 2001).

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