The Story of a Dog and a Cockerel.

There are so many thrilling aspects of life in France, that it would be impossible for me to list them all. Many of these things I was already aware of, having visited France regularly over the years, from the age of sixteen. But once we had come to live here, other things became apparent, and not all of them pleasing. But then , any stranger on new shores must expect to find differences. We must learn to adjust. That is part of the challenge of adopting a new country, after all. However, as my story will reveal, this is not always easy. This is the story of a dog and a cockerel.

The story of the dog began at least two months ago. Generally, we feel rather smug about living in the middle of a forest. The peace and quiet that we can enjoy are invaluable. Not for us the local village where there is a 'meute' close by. This is a kennel where hunting dogs are kept together, and where, at certain times of the day, the dogs start barking in unison. But this, I was reassured by our local vet, is not a sign that they are unhappy, for they have companionship . Not for us either, the village where houses are tightly packed together. Woe to the person who lives next to a yappy, or barking dog. But alas...this happy smugness was recently shattered when we heard a dog howling from somewhere in the forest. Periodically, throughout the day, it would set up a mournful howl. By evening we had convinced ourselves that this dog must be injured and alone, so we set off in the car to find it. The noise seemed to be coming from the valley close to the maison forestière. Perhaps the occupant had suddenly acquired a dog, or maybe their neighbour close by had left a dog alone. Alas, when we arrived both houses were empty, but all inside was silent. Slowly, we made our way back up the hill, stopping from time to time to listen out for the dog. But now all was quiet. Peace reigned! Intermittent barking continued over the next few days. When we heard the dog howling and moaning, we would sometimes set off to try and trace where it could possibly be. At least, after this time we knew that it couldn't be injured. A week or so later we set off for our trip to Italy, still puzzled about the whereabouts of this dog.

When we returned home over two weeks later we realised, to our horror , that this dog had not gone away. Sometimes we would hear it howling in the morning, at odd times in the day, and even in the middle of the night, but we were at a loss to know where the noise was coming from. Eventually, suspecting possible animal cruelty, we contacted our local mairie. Two or three days later we passed a large pick up vehicle in the forest. They had been to our house to speak with us. From the box on the back of their vehicle we heard that familiar howl. It was clear now that this was a hunting dog , and its owners had been contacted by our local Maire. They apologised for the disturbance, assuring us that from now the dog would be calmer. If not, we were to contact them. But where, we asked, is the dog kept? Just ' en face de vous,' we were told. The owners themselves live in the village. Further investigation with our binoculars revealed a wooden kennel in an isolated field. Although it was some way away, it was immediately opposite our house , and we were the only ones who would hear the barking.

At first all went well. The dog was certainly much quieter. Unfortunately periodic barking and howling recently resumed, and we are considering contacting his owner to let him know. But herein lies a dilemma. Had we been born in France, and brought up with the hunting tradition, maybe we would accept this nuisance. But even after well over twenty years here, to some, we are essentially 'outsiders.' On the other hand, we have to ask why is it that this dog is housed , on its own, quite some distance from the owners? Clearly, the local Maire is on our side.

Maybe you are asking what a cockerel has to do with all this. Well, in a way this is a similar story. It involves some 'newcomers ' who recently came to live in a village in the Auvergne region of France. When their neighbour bought a cockerel which annoyed them with its crowing, they brought a court action. The court ruled against them and ordered them to pay damages for the 'préjudice morale' or psychological damage that they had caused their neighbours. They also had to pay their neighbours' legal expenses. All in all, this amounted to €3500. I remember that, at the time , I rejoiced in this verdict. After all, I thought, if an 'outsider ' chooses to live in the country, surely they must accept country practices. Now, as we continue to be disturbed by this barking dog, I am wondering where, exactly, I stand.

Cock a doodle Doo!