We used to feed raw green tripe to our labrador and one batch made him so ill when bacteria invaded his stomach.
He kept on having recurring problems after that which were so severe that we had to have him euthanised at age 7.
He was an absolutely lovely dog and it was very painful for us that he died because of what we fed him.
Must have been Heartbreaking Jane.
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Im new to the forum and found it as I was researching a move to Franceā¦what is the proper way to say hello and goodbye you refer to?
Thanks, Michael
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Hello, oh just actually saying "Bonjour " when you arrive anywhere, any shop you go to any bar etc and then āmerci au revoirā when you go away.
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Depends a bit on the time of day too, shaking hands, a peck if you know the people/lady (usually), eye contact when greeting, a smile goes a long way too, as anywhere. 
same as Vero said, when i walk in a shop i say bonjour to all and sundry but tend to only say a bien tot or au voir to the people on the till. Walked into a cafe today ive never been in before to be greeted by hand shakes by 8 different people. while struggling to get my french accent recognised a gentleman who understood me tried to tell him in English I shushed him and said oh non! en franƧais sāil vous plait ! which got some laughter and the man said sorry an laughed too.
The effort is what counts though donāt feel you have to be perfect, trying is a big thing for the french and they appreciate the effort.
to note 1 ended up saying 3 shots in 1 cup. triple espresso he was trying to make me 3 shots of espresso. and to note triple espresso is the same in both french and English. he just could not understand i wanted all 3 in one
large cup.
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That reminds me of when my friend Andrea, newly arrived in Germany, ordered a dry white wine. She was surprised when it arrived in three glasses.
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Good one! 
Took me a second or two to work it out but, yes, very good.
Along similar lines I had some confusion telling the neighbour that I was just here for āthis weekā, took a while to get the message over that I meant just one, not seven.
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You are SO right Vero, I arrived here from Japan into Lyon, where there is a reserve to everybodyās manner. I would buy a newspaper or bread and feel frozen to death by their sternness especially as I was still a little in Japan mode, lots of apologetic smiles. Then we came to the SW and I felt bathed in sunshine in by every encounter.
Perhaps also worth mentioning a Thai friend in Japan once commented how she missed the smiles of her home country in formal Japan.
All about perspective!
When I was starting French I would tell people āI have the habitā, friends would whisper āNo, no you must say habitudeā. Took me a while before I worked out why!!!
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Years ago I ordered something from a local engineering firm. It was a simple job so I was surprised when he said it would be ready in twenty weeks and questioned the timescale. Thatās right he replied, Vendredi, fin semaine.
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I sometimes find that a bit of ājokinessā is fine and rather entertaining in āserviceā situations. My ex-wife used to manage a rather romantic restaurant called āFannyāsā and, if couples were not being romantic, sheād confiscate their candles - and if they took too long and were indecisive over ordering, sheād eat their daffodils.
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lol lets go to fannyās for a candlelit mealā¦ where the flowers are daffodilsā¦
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Had another random French man turn up on my driveway yesterdayā¦shook hands over my dog fenceā¦āvetementsāā¦decided I would go have a look in the back of his vanā¦ājāaime les couleursā I said pointing to my tie dye leggingsā¦He proceeded to show me lots of vetements that were neither colourful nor actually anything I would wearā¦ānonāā¦I said on numerous occassions starting to feel quite sorry that I had ever agreed to go have a lookā¦ānonā¦???ā he started saying as if predicting my responseā¦running out of stock to show me he finally pointed to an enormous pair of pants and a gigantic braā¦ānonā¦ā I said againā¦ājāai les brassieresāā¦completely forgetting the right word againā¦lolā¦I shook his hand once moreā¦thanked him for his time and then hurried back inside to my boy who hadnāt stopped barking the whole timeā¦x 
Like this one 
the French are not rude if you are polite and say bonjour , or monsieur, madame when entering a shop etcā¦
the hardest thing for me is the working environment, whereby you have to double kiss (in the south) in the north it is four kisses. Hubby comes from Charleville mezieres in the north east, we live in the south.
Butā¦itās just when you have a problem and you go to the colleague who either caused or can help with this problem
I still do it I really do I rush in like a bull in a china shop with my questionā¦ problem and they say very politely ā¦ bonjourā¦ bugger have to say ā¦bonjourā¦ then rant on ā¦ itās just the unfairness of it because yes once again I forgot my bonjour in the rush seriously though I am always forgiven if I smile and say sorry.
However they can be miserable sods at the best of times haha, but then again we can all do that without being French nāest pas ?
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Thats all rubbish, sorry to be blunt Anne, for example, never been lucky enough to have 4, FOUR, kisses 
maybe my tooth paste??? Must try another 
Rubbish! No it is absolutely not rubbish. 4 kisses in the Ardennes and the Nord pas Calais. This I know for sure, in other departments it can be three kisses. In the south itās two kisses.
I know from experience.
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I find this cheerful post a great help, because as a relative newcomer Iām still very self-conscious about customary greetings, and often realise after the event that Iāve forgotten to shake hands with someone on parting, or that I may have said bonjour twice etc. And it gets to me, so that instead of being normal and friendly and polite, I get knicker-twisted as soon as I step out of the door. I expect Iāll get over it, and I know learning is always not a smooth and steady path. So this post of yours Ann is a great light-hearted boost.
I like the new discipline of ritual greeting despite its ups and downs because it challenges my deep-dyed way of being and being sure I can never change my ways. And SFN is a great resource for the process, and Iām daily grateful to all contributors for what they add, including all those Iāve crossed swords with, and pissed off, and bored silly. So thanks, all of you. Bisous x 2, or x3 or x4, and it seems perfectly OK to perform bisous with lips sealed and no lip-to-skin contact at all, which I prefer myself, and so it seems do most French folk. 
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I was actually talking to family this weekend from the Ardennes and they were laughing at my replies to this post, therefore ā¦they do have a sense of humour hahaha.
Itās difficult I know, walk into the doctors waiting room feeling ill, fever, cold,flu whateverā¦ sit down feeling sorry for oneself , the next person walks inā¦ same symptoms and he ā¦she ā¦ will say bonjour m . Dame, me like an idiot thinking shā¦ I should have done that, so ā¦ smile brightly, feeling lousy and say bonjour to all and sundry who walk in afterwards Lol lol .
Thank you for the nice message.