To everyone their own Gackerl Sakerl

There is a move from a government body in Vienna to make it illegal to allow your dog to foul the pavement and not clear it up. Speaking as someone who, within hours of arriving, had inadvertently stood in a small "deposit", I entirely agree that this is a reasonable request/demand.

The Austrians are a nation of dog lovers and there are apparently enough dogs in Vienna alone to produce 15 tons of, erm, droppings (as they are referred to here) every single month. Judging by the size of some of them though (the dogs, not the owners), this amount of matter could easily be achieved by a relatively small number of the more ginormous sized Hunds after an over indulgent dinner.

So far, this "clean as we go" initiative (sorry Gracie) doesn't yet have any great presence on the streets. The only presence I have seen on my travels (and photographed) so far is this charming little fella encouraging you take a "Sackerl" (small bag) for your dog's "Gackerl" (I'm not entirely sure of an exact translation for this, but I'm sure you get the idea and if you're a bit lost, the pictograms at the bottom should help you work it out). I think it's a shame that Mr Dog doesn't actually have any "Sackerl" attached to him to distribute as I expect he is supposed to have, I fear this may be wanton sabotage.

Being such a posh place, the populace of Vienna (like Nice in France) don't seem to think that such unpleasant laws/directives/initiatives apply to them. Therefore, if you do come to visit us, or this fair city, I'd encourage you to watch your step.