French village's bureaucratic clause on 'officially approved' geese honking

According to local lore from a village in southwestern France, there existed a curious bureaucratic rule dating back to the 19th century concerning the use of geese as property guardians. The regulation allegedly specified that geese, esteemed for their vigilance and loud honking, were permitted to make noise solely during certain officially designated hours. The wording of this local ordinance was reportedly very precise, dictating when and how the geese could vocalize to prevent unwarranted disturbance to neighbors while still maintaining their role in alerting property owners to intruders. While the exact origins and enforcement of this rule remain somewhat uncertain and are mainly preserved through oral history and fragmented village archives, it serves as an illustration of how even animal behavior was subject to detailed bureaucratic oversight. No official national legislation corroborates this, but the anecdote highlights France's tradition of meticulous municipal regulations and respect for both social order and local custom. It remains a charming example of administrative specificity tackling everyday life, even down to the timing of a goose's honks.