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The Dog Poop Dilemna
As you walk throughout the streets of Venice you almost see as many dogs as you do people and more than half of these dogs will be running free without a lease. In their defense the dogs are very well behaved and most tend to follow their owner closely and don't venture too far off. In either case though, leased or unleashed, the dogs have grown accustomed to going to the bathroom in the streets and some even as their owner continues to drag them along, which is a clear message that the owner does not intend to pick up after their pet. As a result the streets are littered with feces that cause an awful stench, are quite the eyesore, and can create quite an unpleasant, or in some cases hilaious, reaction should someone happen to accidently step in them. As an example here's a conversation that actually occurred after someone stepped in dog poop. For anonyminity purposes we'll call the two people involved Student 1 and Student 2. Student 1: "I think I stepped in dog poop" Student 2: "How do you know?" Student 1: "Because I can feel it, and I'm sliding!" As you can tell, in this case, the reaction was quite comical but this is a rare occurrence, unlike the appearance of the poop which seems to quite frequent throughout the entire city.
What's Being Done?
In some obscure areas throughout the city you will find signs that read "Keep Venice Clean" and the same phrase in Italian "Tieni Pulita Venezia." Though hard to find if you do find one and stop to take a look at it you will find that it says "Administrative Fines from 25 - 500 euro for anyone who does not clean up after their dog in public," and it is cited as a city regulation. I have yet to see this law enforced and also yet to see more than two of these signs in the entire seven weeks I have been in Venice. So the answer to What's Being Done seems to be nothing at the moment but hopefully soon that will change.
