It happened. I'm absolutely disgusted. The great news is that the doorman says I'm now officially a Porteño.
This is my excited face.
The city has a massive problem with dog messes. I'm not exaggerating when I say that it's like navigating land mines on most sidewalks. Big messes, small messes, smears from stepping in the messes; it's just gross.
In the 8 months since we've arrived, I have seen a total of 2 people clean up after their dogs. Two. Each time I was so shocked that I wanted to call CNN and then beg Publisher's Clearing House to surprise them. Someone positively reinforce these people, please! The dog mess problem is one of the first things newcomers to the city notice. Since Buenos Aires refers to itself as "The Paris of South America", I'd like to point out that I never once brought a steaming shoe print of anything back when we visited Paris. (I do adore both cities, though, and do see some architectural resemblances!)
The problem here is exacerbated by the fact that many city dwellers use dog walkers. They usually walk 10-15 dogs at once, and at any given time, one is relieving itself in some form as they're being walked. There's never an attempt to push the stuff to the side, let alone pick it up and throw it away. After all, where's the fun in that? If they have to smell dogs all day, apparently so should we.
The sad part is, it's not just relegated to the sidewalks, it's in the streets too. I'll never forget one of our first days here, we found a little sidewalk cafe for lunch, and about halfway through our meal, a lady crossing the street with her dog stopped mid-crosswalk while her dog did his business. In the middle of the street!
This morning was my unlucky day. I am always very careful about watching my step, but it was raining, and a school bus had stopped to let us cross, so I was busy making sure that the city bus on the other side wasn't going to take out my only child. I took two steps and realized I had stepped in something awful, clearly the product of a great dane or small horse. Let's just say that even with my shoe's patented motion control soles, my socks were screaming!
My shoes will never be the same.
3 comments:
Ewwwwww...I hope your shoes are salvageable. Clay spent a lot of time in remote mountaintop Afghanistan villages and he would always have to avoid piles of human waste. Gross.
Bummer dude!! I saw a Ukrainian pick up after her dog the other day and I nearly fainted...I thought us and the Reber's were the only ones. It was a big day in UA indeed! All this to say...I feel your pain...and it's so gross!
OMG Karen, that is just vile. Blech.
Dog poop doesn't seem so bad now.
Tara, sorry it's a problem where you guys are too. What is it with people??
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