Tess - thrown in a bin at one day old!

About three years ago four puppies - only one day old - were found in a rubbish bin in Grasse. The lady who found them was pregnant, so no easy task to hand-rear the pups but she did. Some members of the British community contributed to the buying of special milk etc and then at four weeks old the pups went to their new homes.

With no mother to train them they don't react quite like normal dogs. I've cared for two of them now at Pension Milou and both share similar characteristics. They are needy, incredibly hyper but adorable, they can open every door in the place (grrrr...) and they bark like crazy if other dogs play but they'll run for a ball endlessly. They have to be temped to eat at first but later they do well. They seem to be a mix of pointer - perhaps there is some whippet with that tuck-up. I don't know about those ears tho and the undershot jaw.

This is Tess, who lives with a guy and his wife-to-be, both of whom work on yachts in the south of France. They adore her. Lucky Tess eh?

Learning to be a French Dog...

Who can resist a 3 month old French bulldog puppy? Meet Chica who is learning to be a real French dog as French dogs are allowed in restaurants - or nearly all of them. Vive la France!

Chica is seen here at Le Balico in Menton on Bastille Day. She lives in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.

The Saint Pierre dog

This little dog took part in the Festival of Saint Pierre recently - St. Peter being the patron saint of fishermen. Above and left he is on a boat waiting to go out into the bay where the priest will bless the fisherman who have died at sea.

In the photo below he's waiting - in his owner's arms - for the procession to arrive. You can follow this topic on Menton Daily Photo.

Dog at Dusk

This golden retriever mix was waiting outside a beautiful chapel in Beaulieu-sur-Mer. It's opposite La Reserve de Beaulieu which is one of the Riviera's great hotels (see below). The chapel is now used as an exhibition space and I went along to see a really good exhibition of photographs. This dog was drying off after a swim in the sea. Presumably he belonged to one of the organisers and was more than happy to accept pats from all and sundry.

Bassia - Hot Dog!

Bassia is hot! So were we all. He was having lunch at Stars n Bars on the port of Monaco - well, actually his owners were...

He sat in the shade with a large plastic bucket of water offered by the management.

Bassia lives in Monaco. He's three and a half years old and he's a mix of a Boxer and a Dogue de Bordeaux and you can clearly see both breeds in him. A sweetie.

Battle of Wills

This photo was on Menton Daily Photo the other day (the subject was 'reflections') but I thought it might be of interest to readers of Riviera Dogs if they hadn't seen it.

The dog had picked up the wing of a seabird and his owner is trying to make him drop it. Eventually he succeeded - with difficulty!

Holly the Harlequin

This adorable little poodle is what I think is called a Harlequin. We met walking around the port of Monaco. Too cute, eh? She lives in Valbonne, just along the coast and is 12 months old.

Skye High

Back to the Monaco Dog show today - even tho it took place in April! This Skye Terrier looks pretty proud he got an Excellent in his class. Isn't he beautiful!

Keno

Will someone please take me shopping like this? It can't be bad, can it? Carried around is a comfortable bag, put down from time to time, loved and fed and walked. This little dog - a long-haired chihuahua called Keno - has got life pretty much worked out. And so has his charming owner. They obviously adore each other.

Jago

Jago is having the best time watching the model boats whizzing past him. Click HERE to see what he's looking at in the small photo - it's fun!

Jago was in Menton but lives in Italy.

'Here's looking at you, kid'

This little shih-tzu lives with Riva, the bling-bling Labrador we saw on Avenue Princesse Grace in Monaco the other day. Look at his expression...would you say he's looking down his nose at me? His name - Berlioz.

Monte Carlo Bling

If you think it's just little poodles and chihuahuas who wear jewelled collars, think again. This is Monaco after all. Meet Riva, the Labrador who was walking sedately along Avenue Princesse Grace one morning. Next time, we'll meet Riva's buddy, Berlioz.

Iroquio

We've gone back to the Monaco Dog Show today, even tho it took place in April!

This is Iroquio, who at the time was only 4 months old. He's a Belgian Shepherd Dog - Tervuren - and comes from Belgium - meaning he lives in Belgium and of course the breed originated in Belgium. His name, by the way, is Indian but I don't know what it means. I do know he is cute!

Wolf

This old dog lives in the Old Town of Ventimiglia. Bare patches on his skin, perhaps he has leishmaniosis or perhaps he's just old - which he is - he's 13.

To see the whole street where he lives - and it's a wonderful Old Town - do click on Menton Daily Photo today.

No High Heels

This yacht was in Menton for the recent Festival of Offshore Racing boats.

See the sign? Do you think this little Yorkie is wishing she'd been allowed to bring her high heels on board?

The Pug and the Baby

Two-tier travel going on here. Baby up top, pug below. And look how hard this young mother is working to drag the pram off the beach in Ventimiglia. We offered to help but she said she was fine. Mothers constantly amaze me with what they have to do each day.

The Handover

This looks like one lucky puppy who has landed on his feet, don't you think? I'm not sure if he's a specific breed or not. Not a pointy enough face for a Jack Russell? And he looks young and will grow somewhat bigger.

This 'handover' from mother to daughter took place during the day of Street Theatre in Menton. Click on the link to see more.

The Peruvian Hairless Dog

A first for Riviera Dogs...this is a breed called the Peruvian Hairless Dog. As you can see he is completely hairless save for a few coarse hairs on his face.

He's called Estrello and is 5 months old. These photos were taken just at the beginning of the Corbusier walk from Cap Martin to Monaco.

Do click on the photo below to enlarge it and really see his skin which his owner likened to an elephant's skin.

Street Theatre - Dog Watch

When your owners are sitting on the Place du Cap in Menton watching Kids' Street Theatre the only place to be is tucked up at the back and ignore the whole thing...

To see more of Menton's Street Theatre please click on the link.

The Monaco Grand Prix Ferrari Dog

You might have noticed that yesterday was the Monaco Grand Prix when the world descends on the Principality. So no surprise this dog did too.

She's called Ebony and along with her Australian owner has been travelling around the world in a camper van for 3 years. She was rescued from the Washington State Shelter where she was one day from being euthanized. She's crossed the Atlantic 4 times so she's well up to wearing a Ferrari t-shirt and posing for admirers by the Ferraris on display in rue Princesse Caroline.

Up in Arms

This little long-haired Chihuahua was in the arms of the secretary of the Monaco Dog Society - at the recent show held in the circus tent in Fontvieille.

The Comfy Corner

Dogs have that wonderful ability to make themselves comfortable in any corner, don't they? This dog is tucked up close to the wall of the bar, near to his owner of course - and patiently waiting whilst she has her coffee and chats to a friend who stopped by her table.

Elios, the Brocante Dog

Last Sunday - a very dull day but happily no rain - there was a brocante in Menton - this happens on the first Sunday in May every year with hundreds of stalls spread out through the town and along the promenade. People rummage through their attics and sell what they don't want - but also there are antique dealers selling their wares.

Little Elios, who is six months old and lives in Menton - well, he thought it the best fun to rummage in his owner's bag of toys.

Tchaou, the cartoon dog

Who loves pugs?! This is Tchaou, which is the name of a cartoon character in Japan. She's 4 months old and lives in Brussels but was on holiday in Menton.

As you can see in the smaller photo, she didn't want to keep still - would you at 4 months? - and so her owner kindly picked her up so I could grab a shot.