Je suis Charlie

Je suis Charlie. A little Shihtzu at the march for freedom of expression in Menton yesterday. This following the horrors in Paris over the last few days.

Loki - American Bully

This is Loki - only four months old. I met him in Menton where he lives.  His owners told me he is an American Bully, a breed that isn't yet registered in France.

I thought he must have American Pitbull in him, but his proud owners tell me the breed is a cross between a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and an American Bulldog.  There's a lot of information on line and it's a little confusing on this.

There is a kennel for this breed in the Herault region of France who breed small, medium and large varieties of the American Bully.

Chihuahua in Menton

A cute Chihuahua in Menton.

Rajah

This beautiful Afghan hound poses amongst the ornamental bananas (or are they Strelitzias?) in the Casino gardens in Monte Carlo.  I did ask his name and can't find where I wrote it, but  think it may have been Rajah. Anyway that seems to suit him, don't you think?

Pom in Waiting

Looks like a little Pomeranian (or tiny Spitz) patiently waiting whilst his owner reads a real estate magazine.  Note the orange trees laden with fruit.  Not long now and Menton will be celebrating the Fete du Citron.

Market Dog

This lovely dog is a Menton market dog.  Tied up to the owner's stand and doing his job as a guard.  With the Christmas rush and a busy stall, I didn't stop to ask his name. He's a beautiful deep  brown and is some kind of setter, perhaps an Irish setter but the head doesn't look quite right and the colour isn't perhaps red enough. Perhaps a mix? Perhaps someone knows. In any case, he's beautiful!

Sense of Direction ...

Place du Cap, Menton 

Not quite sure who is walking who in this photo!

Conversation with a Whippet

I wonder how many people know their dogs have private conversations with strangers behind their back.

I met this lovely Whippet in Dolceacqua. 

Indy

Let's have another dose of cuteness.  Meet Indy.  He's a one year old Papillon who lives in Nice.  I think he knows how cute he is!

Abby and Roxy

Abby and Roxy are Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Abby lives in Beaulieu-sur-Mer and Roxy lives in Monaco.

Halloween (2)

Here's another photo of little Halloween, who we met yesterday.  She's with her co-owner Richard (well half of him!) sitting on steps in the medieval village of Gorbio.  Halloween lives in Villefranche-sur-Mer.

Halloween

This is beautiful little Halloween.  She lives in Villefranche-sur-Mer with my friends Tim and Richard.

Next time I'll show you the photo I took of Halloween with Richard and used in my display at PhotoMenton.

It goes without saying Halloween is a star!

Olive and Jack at play ...

On Saturday I had to leave PhotoMenton to go and feed my meter. On the way I couldn't resist snapping these two playing in the Jardin Bioves.  The German Shepherd mix is called Jack and he's 5 years old. The Jack Russell terrier is called Olive and she's six months.

Don't you love it when the big dog gets down to the level of the smaller dog so they can properly play - even if it does look a bit like a fight! It's not!

First Outing for Lola

Dogs are not allowed into the Palace de l'Europe in Menton but much depends on the security guys. On the day this Miniature Pinscher came to visit 'PhotoMenton' with her owners, they allowed small dogs in, provided they were carried.  So meet tiny Lola, only 4 months old and on her very first outing. She lives in Menton.

Black and white in the water

On Saturday the Festival PhotoMenton opens its doors to 110 photographers. This year my theme is 'dogs' and here's one of the photos I'll be exhibiting.  If any of you are living near to Menton, do come along. You'll see so many varied and wonderful styles of photography from so many talented photographers. 

See www.photomenton.com for more info.

This is Joe, the cocker spaniel, along with his co-owner, Emmanuelle. We saw him in a beautiful old car, a 1968 Renault 4L in a recent post.   This was taken at the Coulée Verte in Nice.  Of course Emma is the perfect model and, indeed, she ruined a pair of tights to make these photos.  Thank you, dear Emma! xxx

Haston and Larry

Meet Haston and Larry, two English bulldogs who live in Menton. Bulldogs are such fun and have the most beautiful temperaments and of course are such clowns. Look at the expression on the faces of these two! 

Thanks so much to my friend Sylvie who arranged for me to meet these two and their lovely owner Celine in the Parc de Pian in Menton. 

Lena

This gorgeous dog is in fact a 7-month old  puppy.  She's called Lena and is a Pyrenean Mountain Dog.  She lives in Gorbio which is where I met her at the recent Fete de la Branda. Isn't she fabulous!

Emmanuelle and Joe

Turn right! Turn right! 'Joe, you are not looking in the right direction ...

Meet my beautiful friend, Emmanuelle and Joe, the cocker spaniel.  Joe is 4 years old and lives in Nice with Emma and Guillaume.

In the smaller photo you see Patrick, owner of this stunning 1968 Renault 4L.

My birthday was last Monday but yesterday these precious friends and Sylvie organised a surprise second birthday celebration! How lucky am I? Five of us plus Joe in this car, whizzing around Nice, an enormous bouquet of flowers and of course all our camera gear.  And a great lunch in the Old Town of Nice.  I thought we were all back in 1968!

Thanks so much everyone! I loved, loved, loved the day.

Kiwi

There's something about puppy Jack Russell terriers - that are just too cute.  On reflection, aren't all puppies cute!

Meet 10 month old Kiwi who lives in Menton. 

Ulysse

Meet Ulysse, a beautiful Shetland Sheepdog I met in Gorbio village last Sunday.  He's 11 years old and lives in Carnoles.

Agility Dogs

This beautiful border collie is waiting to compete in the agility competition in Menton.  Alongside, in the cage, is his companion - looks a bit squashed but probably OK when she lies down.

I wonder if either of them won.  Border collies are usually the best breed at agility.

International Talk Like a Pirate Day

Today is 'International Talk like a Pirate Day' - who knew!  So I give you this tiny 'Pirate' who I'm sure can 'woof' in an 'Ahoy matey' sort of way!

In fact, this little sweetheart is called Shelley and is only 9 months old. She lives in Menton but I met her at the Sospel Agricultural Show last Sunday.

Harry, the French Bulldog

French bulldogs have to be one of the most adorable breeds.  Meet Harry, who is 9 months old and lives in Monaco.

Sasha at the Blessing of the Animals

Sasha is a beautiful Irish Setter who I met in Gorbio village.  He had been brought to village by his owners for the Blessing of the Animals.

Sasha is four and a half years old and lives in Menton.

The pup with the cropped ears

This pup lives in the Old Town of Bari in Puglia, Italy.  He would appear to have cropped ears, which I thought was illegal in Europe?

The last photo you see the little boy who owns him.

The Grottaglie Dog

This dog was lolling around outside a bar in the Italian village of Grottaglie in Puglia.  It's a village famous for its ceramics and when I was lucky enough recently to participate in Carla Coulson's fabulous Caravan Travel Photography Workshop, this is one of the villages we visited. We photographed inside 4 different ceramics factories that day - of course they are all very small - a fascinating day - as were all the days on Carla's workshop.

This dog is probably old and perhaps not very well. Perhaps a stray who hangs around outside this bar.

Ipso, American Bulldog

This lovely dog is called Ipso.  He's an eleven month old American Bulldog who lives in Gorbio with his friend Gunja.  We met Gunja before so click on the link to see him. Gunja is taking a nap behind Ipso in the bar in the village.