Description:

Sally Stone takes an alternative look at integrating into the local community.

Perhaps the very first thing I should say is that for years now, when I’ve spoken to people who are thinking of living in France, I’ve promised them a spot-on tip for easy integration. As they sit waiting for some clever and sophisticated pointer, I say:  ‘If you are too old to have a baby – get a dog!’

When we arrived in France in 2002 my daily walks around our village, dog firmly in tow, made me many friends and led to a wonderful morning ritual of discussing the weather, gardens and wishing each other well for the rest of the day. People who might otherwise have passed me by with a quick ‘bonjour’ became real friends in a short space of time, with invitations to aperitifs following shortly behind. 

This fact aside, I still believe having a pet is an excellent way to bridging the gap between cultures.  If you would like a pet now you are in France, why not go to the local branch of your SPA.?  It is so rewarding to have a rescue dog and the staff at these rescue homes will be thrilled at your interest.  In fact, you could do worse than offer to help as a dog walker if you want to slowly assess your future pet! 

After we lost our first dog, it was only a few weeks before I realised just how much I missed the daily contact that walking the dog had brought.  Off I went to the SPA, where we found a young dog which had been there for eleven months, badly beaten before she was abandoned, but complete with her documents to show she was a French sheepdog from the Pyrenees with that typical shaggy French coat (have we invented a new word?  Is there such a thing as shaggy chic?).  She is now not only bi lingual but five years on, our constant companion who returns each annual open day to the SPA and they marvel over her as one of their great success stories. 

Most SPA centres are open each afternoon, and you can go and look around. Cages are numbered, and once you have made a short list of dogs who appeal on first sight, you can speak to the staff who will have the animals known details in their files. This varies from a complete history because the owner brought the animal in themselves, already vaccinated and tattooed with its ID (meaning you can take it home that very day if you adopt it) to the more common ‘found in the street outside the Town Hall’ so it will only have an estimated age and will not be up to date with all vaccinations. In this case, to save funds the SPA will undertake all this, but only once there is a definite potential new home) so you would wait a few days. 

My advice?  It’s best to choose a dog young enough to be able to train and enjoy for some time and, if you have a family, an animal with at least some known background. A true ‘unknown’ can be a risk in this situation.

You will pay just short of €100 to take your new pet home, and will be instructed by the staff on the relevant do’s and don’ts.  The staff take a lot of care to make sure that as far as possible the match is right between animal and new owner – although in our case they made no ‘home visit’ to check us out. 

So – go along to your local SPA   - and let me know how you get on.  You will find a bewildering choice, a real welcome – and quite likely make some friends as well.

PS: if you’re a cat lover, they have cats too.

SPA Toulouse information

Les Amis des Chats information

Sally

More about Sally Stone

Sally is MD of Les Bons Voisins, heading up a successful franchise network of property managers with a presence in seven regions of France, from Normandy to Languedoc, and of course including the Midi Pyrénéees.  For further details of the services provided by Les Bons Voisins, contact Sally at LBV France.

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