Holly

This is Holly, a beautiful Japanese Chin, the first of this breed to appear on Riviera Dogs. Pretty Holly may have Japanese origins but she lives in Denmark with her very nice owner, who kindly allowed me to photograph her here sitting near to the beach, in Menton.

Lody

Lody's most helpful owner posed him for me several times but the sun was bright and the shadows were difficult. I hope, tho, you can see what a very smart Labrit he is. Yes, that's what they call a Berger de Pyrénées in France and Monaco. You see him here crossing Boulevard Albert 1 in Monaco below.

Honey

I met this Shiba Inu at Cap 3000, the big shopping centre just outside Nice - beyond the airport. They are originally from Japan, although her owner told me that Honey was bred in the United States. Inu is Japanese for dog. The Shiba Inu is the smallest of the Japanese native breeds of dog and was originally developed for hunting by sight and scent in dense undergrowth. There are more Shiba Inus in Japan than any other breed and it was in 7000 BC that the ancestors of today's Shiba may have accompanied the earliest immigrants to Japan.

Bichon or bichon?

We at the Saturday market in Menton today. This market is held outside the main covered market. This little dog is a Bichon Maltais, I believe - what is called in other countries, a Maltese Terrier. It's hard to tell - perhaps it's a Bichon Frisé but with rather a straight coat. Anyway she's cute.

Market dog - 2

This black cocker spaniel is often sitting here outside the main market in Menton and near one of the outside stalls whilst his owner works. He looks resigned - 'Okay, I'm here for the morning and I'd better make the best of it.' Dogs are great, aren't they? So long as they are with us, they are happy.

Jumbo

I nearly called this dog The Metropole Dog because I met him in the Metropole shopping centre in Monaco, asked his owner his name and then promptly forgot it. Fortunately I bumped into her again at the cash desk in FNAC, asked her again and then wrote it down! When I first met Jumbo he was being made a great fuss of - and thoroughly enjoying it too. Isn't he a handsome chap?

Benny

This old Spitz-type dog suffers badly from arthritis so his Italian owners have made this trolley for him - and look how happy he is being pushed along the seafront in Menton. Sometimes the extremes to which people will go for their dogs astounds me - but that's love of a dog, of course and provided the dog is not in pain, why not?

Street dogs

These dogs are tied up, waiting for their owner, outside a supermarket in Menton. You can see another photo and read more about these street dogs at THIS LINK.

Décontracté

This Hungarian Vizla didn't move a muscle when I photographed him. He was tied up to a bench in the shopping centre of Fontvieille, Monaco - outside the Carrefour supermarket - patiently waiting for his owner to finish shopping. And as I inched closed to take the shot below, this laid-back dog simply closed his eyes!

Buddha the Boxer

Meet Buddha, the 4 month old Boxer puppy, playing here with a piece of string. He was attached to one of the market stalls in Menton (not the main market, but the one under the bridge on the way to the autoroute). His young owners proudly told me his father is a French champion and his grandfather is a World champion. I chopped the top of his head off in the photo below but I love it anyway. So forgive me. Scroll down and you'll see Buddha's French bulldog friend - 'don't take my bone' you can hear him say! Isn't he too adorable?!

Charlie at the Coffeur

This lovely cocker spaniel, Charlie, is waiting with her owner at the hairdressers. No, not for herself but Mum needs a hairdo. It's quite normal for dogs to go to restaurants, hotels, hairdressers, shops in France. They are not supposed to be in supermarkets but you often see a little one in the trolley. Everyone turns a blind eye. C'est la france!

Intensity

This couple very kindly posed with their dogs in Gorbio village - it was the day of the Fête de la Branda. Don't you love the intensity of expression in the dogs' faces?

It's a dog's life

Can't be bad being a dog, can it? This little chap looks so contented, he's fallen asleep in his master's arms under the old elm tree of Gorbio. Old indeed - it was planted in 1713.

If you want to see a photo of this Cavalier King Charles Spaniel awake please click HERE.

Little Old Man

This little Spitz was walking very slowly with two ladies near to the port of Monaco. I asked if I could take his photograph and we talked about him. His owner told me, amidst tears, that he is 15 and not well and she really doesn't know how much longer he will live. She adores this little dog. The sadness is our dogs normally go before us but then if we went first, what would happen to them? We can only take joy in the short time we are privileged to have them.

A big black and tan baby

This gorgeous creature is only 3 months old - lots more growing to do yet. Seen here outside the main market of Menton on a sunny Saturday in October - proudly held by his young owner. I say 'his' but I forgot to ask - somehow he looks like a 'he' to me, but I may be wrong.

Waiting for the bus?

I've listed this dog as an Old English Sheepdog although it's certainly only partly that - near enough tho for the purposes of this blog. I don't know if it's a he or a she but what a lovely dog - patiently waiting for the owner inside the Menton bus station, on a rather hot summer's day.

Black and white

These two adorable French bulldogs were waiting to see the vet. Don't you love that they are looking in exactly the same direction and with the same expression in their eyes?

The White Collar

There's a lot of Jack Russell's about. More of this type - broken coated. This little chap was very perky, sitting alongside his owner in a Menton square. The white plastic collar, put on by his caring owner, is a Scalibor collar - against Leishmaniosis which is rife in this part of France.

The 'Doriana' Dog

This perky little wire-haired dachshund is a Very Important Dog and lives in total luxury on a beautiful classic yacht currently moored in the harbour of Monte Carlo . You want to see him aboard his boat - then please click on THIS LINK.

Ol' blue eye

Isn't this the bluest eye you ever saw? Is it real? Could it be a glass eye? I've seen eyes as blue as this in Old English Sheepdogs but I've never seen it before in a Shih-Tzu and apparently it's not acceptable in the breed standard. Perhaps his eye was damaged as this can result in it turning blue - I suspect this is the case here. Owner and dog are taking a rest outside a pharmacy in Menton.

Interdit

These two little Yorkies are patiently waiting. Dogs are not allowed in the beautiful Japanese Garden in Monte Carlo so their 'mother' is enjoying the gardens, whilst their 'father' waits outside. Later I saw the couple walking along - one Yorkie in a basket, another on lead.

Ricky, the blind dachshund

This is Ricky, a totally blind 6-year old wire-haired dachshund in one of the squares of Menton. He was blinded by cruelty. Although the photo doesn't show it, his eyes are green and opaque. His lovely owners are in the photo below and at the point I took the photo, see how proud the wife is of her beautiful dog. The husband was telling me how impressed he was that as a French person I spoke such good English! I'm English of course so perhaps he was having me on! Meanwhile, I'll pretend he thought I spoke really good French at the beginning of our conversation...pass me my French grammar book!

Athos

When I've the time I like to shop in Latte, which is just across the Italian border from Menton. There's a big and very good supermarket there called Conad and outside is a bar/restaurant. A good place to have a cup of real Italian coffee. The other day I bumped into this gentleman - it was a warm day (read hot) and he was a Hot Dog, even tho he and his owner sat under a shady umbrella. Some breeds, particularly bulldogs and pugs, find the heat difficult. French bulldogs do a little better but they can still have problems if they are not kept sufficiently cool and only exercised in the early morning and evening.

By Le Lido

Menton: a busy summer evening. Our hero sits with his owner on the wall right by Restaurant Le Lido. In the photo below he stands by a tree in the square near to the restaurant - presumably waiting for someone - his Mama I expect?

Jules et Jim

Jules (the labrador who is 6) and Jim (the Golden Retriever who is 13) live in the village of Gorbio and had come down to the main square for the Blessing of the Animals. Below you see their owner telling them to look at the camera. In the background is the archway leading to the medieval village.

Bébé and the Blessing of the Animals

Today is the Fête patronale de la St. Barthélémy in Gorbio, a village near to Menton. The day began with the blessing of the animals and today there were several horses and many dogs present. This beauty - see below - is called Bébé which is what he was called when his owner took him from the SPA Refuge de Monaco. She told me he is an American poodle, which (unless you are referring to Mr. Blair!) is apparently a mix of a white poodle and a black poodle but my understanding is that when you do this mating you get either black or white poodles, not a mix like this one. No matter, he is a beautiful dog with a lovely presence. You can see more photos of today's blessing on my Menton Daily Photo blog.

Dogs at Dusk

This photo, plus another of the same dogs, has been published before on Menton Daily Photo but I felt I had to put it on Riviera Dogs. This is taken on the beach in Menton - at dusk - where this lady is exercising her dogs - or are they exercising her? She has a belt around her waist to which are attached three of the dogs and on the Menton Daily Photo link (above) you'll see they are pulling her along the beach.

Taking a break

Taking a break from the heat, this Bassett Hound is watching the world go by in the Casino Gardens of Monaco. The small towel is presumably to keep his face dry - bassett hounds have a habit of drooling!

Easy Rider

This golden retriever is riding the escalator of the Parc Palace shopping centre in Monte Carlo. I always worry when I see dogs on escalators: worry they will catch their paws or coat in the mechanism as they get on or off. However, this isn't an unusual scene - you often see dogs, large and small, on escalators in the Principality. Happily his owner has a protective hand on him, so in this case, I'm sure he'll be OK - and indeed he was.

Disgusted of downtown Carnoles

Can't you just see the disgust in this dogs face? Catsan! Perhaps he's waiting for his 'Mum' to come out of the supermarket in Carnoles with something a little more interesting - like dog food!

Pinky

This dog is very much a sheepdog type. Her so nice and so proud-of-her-dog Italian owner said she is a mix - 'pastoral' she said. I don't speak Italian and she spoke only a little French. I understood though that Pinky is hot in Menton (aren't we all, at the moment?) - and that she prefers living in the mountains. A couple very much in tune with each other.

These photos were taken near to the main market of Menton - above, you see the bay of Cap Martin in the distance.