Summary: With the increase in the number of dogs in the cities during the
the 1960s and 1970s, the question of their excrement became
that it has become a classic theme of environment and quality of life.
Even if there is a gap between the treatment, often controversial, the subject
by the press and the reality of the problem for the townspeople, it does not remain
unless it is the responsibility of the municipalities to process this file. This
article presents the result of ten years of theoretical studies and applications
practices carried out on behalf of the French Association of Information and
Pet Research (AFIRAC) by many experts
disciplines: doctors, veterinarians, ethologists, educators, landscapers,
urban planners, architects, in collaboration with engineers from specialist cities
green spaces, roads, urban cleaning, etc. The results of their
work, demonstrated by the success of programs implemented by cities
Grenoble, Le Havre or Mulhouse, have made it possible to identify the principles
which should solve the problem of canine waste in the middle
urban. The article details these principles: the need for a comprehensive approach to
the animal in the city, a permanent long-term program, a
centralized responsibility, appropriate regulation and associated
information and education, etc. ; he then endeavors to present the
sanitary facilities specifically designed to address the problem of
canine excrement in urban areas. Cleaning and general maintenance
of these devices are also described

INTRODUCTION

With 10 million dogs and 7.5 million cats, France is one of the countries
where the number of pets per inhabitant is the highest. This craze
has its roots in the social structures of the country. In half a century, France,
traditionally agricultural, has become urban. The animal followed the man in the
city, to which he has adapted his way of life. This phenomenon, that sociologists
called "urbanimalisation", gradually developed until the end of
Since then, the canine population has progressed moderately in small towns,

remains stable in medium-sized cities and decreases in very large cities.

Each day, the advantages of the animal's presence are more clearly apparent.
in the city. All specialists - doctors, veterinarians, educators,
psychologists - agree to acknowledge his positive contributions:
- balancing role in the psychic development of the child;
- stimulant and vector of communication, verbal and nonverbal (5);
- psychological support for the elderly;
- therapeutic virtues, especially in case of hypertension;
- fun function, cure for the stress of urban life, etc.
All these benefits, starting with the quality of emotional relationships between
the animal and its master (4) plead for the presence of animals in the city.
The pet meets a real need, city dwellers considering his
presence as a fundamental right (1).
Nevertheless, this coexistence of man and animal in
urban environment causes some difficulties, resulting from the lack of consideration
by local designers and decision-makers of the animal dimension in this
middle. In addition to noise and incidents that can cause dogs
wandering, it is clear that the problem of canine excrement is not yet
resolved. However, the presence of the animal in the city is not new: at the beginning of
X X E
 century, Parisians lived daily surrounded by 300,000
and the omnibus problem, and the problem of excrement was then quite different
dimension...
The problem is still relevant. Ignoring it would undoubtedly
tensions between owners and non-owners of animals and a
degradation of the quality of the environment, detrimental to the life of the city. But
what can be the solutions to dog excrement? Repression? exclusion
dogs of the city? Besides the fact that these simplistic answers give rise to
dissatisfaction of the owners and are also disapproved by a majority
non-owners, they show a misunderstanding of the problem and
reveal in all cases ineffective.
The French Association for Information and Research on the Animal of
Compagnie (AFIRAC) has been studying for nearly ten years the method and tools
allow a better insertion of the animal in town. Refusing solutions
partial or specific, the proposals put forward by this association for

to remedy dog ​​nuisance are part of a global policy in the near future