Name: Could dogs be a deciding factor in the Paris mayoral race?
Uploaded: 2026-03-17T16:59:50.000Z
Duration: 2 min 1 s
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Paris would choose a new mayor on Sunday.

With one unlikely issue dominating campaigns alongside the partisan dogs, candidates across parties have set out policies to deal with an issue that voters often rank among their top a lack of space for the capital's estimated 100,000 canines.

Here's Vincent Donagh, founder of the Monsoon Dog Club, the group that has campaigned for more open spaces for pets.

We cannot say that Paris is a very dog friendly capital.

For example, according to rules, all dog owners are required to keep their dogs on a leash everywhere in Paris.

Rashida Dhati, the conservative candidate backed by President Emmanuel Macron, has filmed herself with dogs on a campaign trail.

She said she would create new parks where owners can take their dogs for walks or even let them run free.

Socialist Emmanuel Gregoire, who led the first round of voting last Sunday, said the main goal is to have outdoor spaces where animals can live as comfortably as possible.

Pets have long played a role in French political life.

Every president since Charles de Gaulle has owned at least one dog.

Far right leader Marine Le Pen even studied to get a cat breeding diploma in 2021.

Still, not everyone is convinced dogs will make a difference in the second and final round of voting this weekend.

If you ask me whether a good dog plan is going to sway, I vote one way or another.

I would say no, because I think there are perhaps more important things, let's be honest.