Ice breaker on four legs

You're never lonely with a dog ... not only is he a great companion but he'll be an ice-breaker as you walk around your neighbourhood.  These three old man - and a Min Pin - are chatting in Beausoleil.

Pull ...

French bulldogs are strong...

Titouf

I met 'Titouf' in Menton yesterday.  She's a dignified older lady now - 13 years - and is named after a French cartoon character.  Isn't she adorable!

Colour match in Monaco!

Colour match in Monaco! 

Meeting in the Mist

Meeting in the mist ... at the Coulée Verte in Nice.  A French Bulldog and a Staffy mix perhaps - or is he an American Staff?

Frenchie

A cute - as always - French bulldog in Nice yesterday.

Bundles of fluff

Bundles of fluff.  These tiny Pomeranians are waiting to go into the ring at Monaco Dog Show.

Rottie

A Rottie pup walking in a park in Aix-en-Provence this morning.  Very friendly he was too.

Lula

 Meet Lula. I met this pup in a market in Aix-en-Provence today. She's a mix of a Border Collie (which you can see in those staring eyes) and a Pyrenean Mountain Dog. Too adorable!

Border stares

These two Border Collies were waiting to go into the showring at the last Monaco Dog show.  Border Collies have the most intense stare don't they? Such intelligent dogs.

Nina

This little bundle of love is called Nina.  She's two years old and was recently adopted by a lovely couple in Gorbio village, Muriel and Doudou - now the family is complete!

Comfy

A cute long-haired chihuahua looking very content in his owner's arms. Photographed on the streets of Nice.

And then there were four!

There's a fourth one hidden!

Balcony dog

A Brittany spaniel relaxing on his balcony in Castellar - an ancient village above Menton.

Best friends

Best friends ... all a dog wants is to be with his owner.

Cutie pie

This beyond cute Pomeranian was waiting patiently for her owner to take her home.  She's at Cap 3000, a massive shopping centre at Saint Laurent du Var, just beyond Nice.

Life-saver

Who doesn't love a Newfie?  This dog was one of many Newfoundlands in Menton demonstrating their life-saving skills in the sea.

Crufts 2016

For those of you interested, Crufts - the biggest dog show in the world - starts tomorrow in Birmingham.  This is what thousands and thousands of exhibitors will be doing in preparation and what I used to do for many years including judging there in 2006.  Good luck to all my friends who exhibit their dogs, and especially the Old English Sheepdogs!

(This is the tail of Sjaak Nelleke's dog when they visited the Monaco dog show one year).

No Privacy!

Grooming salon by the sea in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.

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Salon de toilettage près de la mer à Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.

Daisy, Ricky and a stick

Daisy and Ricky and a stick.  Dogs don't need much to have fun.

Papillon

A pretty Papillon photographed at San Remo dog show.

Blossom

Meet Blossom.  She's a Havanese (the national dog of Cuba) - and she lives with her sister part of the time in the UK and part of the time in Monaco. Here she is thinking life must be better the other side of the terrace railings.

Roxy

Roxy, a beautiful Cavalier King Charles Spaniel sunning herself yesterday. Roxy lives in Monaco.

Let's go shopping!

No dogs allowed in the supermarket ...

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Accès interdit aux chiens dans le supermarché ...

Puppy fix

Monday morning puppy fix!

Bad hair day ...

Bad hair day ...

Thigh Bone

This is one happy German Shepherd who walks around Menton with a thigh bone in his mouth!  Here he is in Place aux Herbes.

Faithfully Yours

This faithful dog wouldn't take his eyes off the entrance to the supermarket as he waited for his owner to appear.

Mia

Sometimes I look through old photos - don't we all!  Here's Mia, a Bassett Ariégeois   - I adopted her from a refuge years ago and she died last year.  She was a lovely dog although always scared of the world because of her past. Loved other dogs though - and me!

Min Pin waiting

A little Miniature Pinscher tied up outside the bakery.  Don't worry, his owner wasn't away for long.

After the party

The parade is over, confetti and streamers litter the ground - and just a touch of sun remains on this lovely Brittany Spaniel on his way home from the Lemon Festival in Menton. 

Feet ...

Feet, feet, feet ... thousands of feet, human and canine, walking to the Lemon Festival (Fete du Citron) parade in Menton.   These two French bulldogs look as if they don't want to miss it...

Gucci

This dog is a real character.  Meet Gucci - a Welsh terrier who lives in Gorbio, a hill village near to Menton.

Hémy and Rosie

This is a photo I took about three years ago.   Hémy, a Havanese is on the left and Rosie, a Llasa Apso, is on the right.They live in Monaco. At the time I was looking after them for their owners and they had the best time playing with each other.

Gypsy and Halie

Look at the cuties I met in Gorbio village yesterday.   On the left, Gypsy, a Papillon mix and on the right Halie, a Miniature Pinscher.  They are currently in Menton for the Fete du Citron and come from the Cantal region of France - where the cheese comes from!

Dachshunds Rule!

Dachshunds rule! Especially dachshund puppies!

Blue Plastic

Don't you just love the home-made dog walker?

Barilla

This is Barilla - she's a terrier mix and is sometimes cared for by my friend Sylvie in Menton, when her owner goes away.  Note: her partially blue eye. You see this sometimes in dogs - even with half a brown eye and the other half blue.

She's named after the Italian brand of pasta!

Emmanuelle and Joe

So proud that this photo was awarded 2nd place in the '7th Regard Photographique 'Concours Photo de La Rue - Club Photo St. Laurent du Var. Thank you to the judges and congratulations to my friend, Philippe Chiodi, who was awarded first prize.

Congratulations to the Club Photo St. Laurent du Var for the superb exhibition at the Hotel de la Ville, St. Laurent du Var - and for the warm welcome extended to us.

And thank you to Emmanuelle Deleuse and her dog Joe, without whom the photo wouldn't exist. Big hug, dear beautiful Emma. Woof woof to Joe. x

Scaredy cat

'No chihuahuas were hurt in the making of this photo!' 

Ears back,  this little cutie is a bit scared.  But come back tomorrow and see her in a totally different frame of mind.

Conversation

'Please stop texting... I'm trying to talk to you!'

Charlie

This is Charlie, a Griffon Bruxellois or Brussels Griffon - also known as a Monkey dog.   Charlie lives in Monaco and is a totally adorable character.

Japanese Chin

Here's a breed you don't often see - a Japanese Chin.  It's a type of toy spaniel and was well-known to the Japanese nobility. It's also known for have a 'strabismus' of the eye. And no, I didn't know what that meant either! Apparently it means it has a squint! I met this little cutie in Menton.

Armful of Dogs

An armful of dogs!  On the left a chihuahua and on the right a Tibetan spaniel, a breed you don't often see around here.  I bumped into them in Menton yesterday and had to take a quick photo.

Blow Dry

This old shih-tzu has just been bathed and is in the drying cabinet at a friend's grooming salon in Menton.  Behind the glass, the warm air blows her hair dry.

Billie and ball

Billie, the Shih-tzu.  She was named after Billie-Jean King, the tennis player so no wonder she is guarding her ball!

Ted, the market dog

Ted is a market dog.  His owner sells eggs on a stall outside Menton's municipal market. He's a two-year old French bulldog wrapped up against the early morning chill.

Hector

Beautiful Hector, a Weimaraner on a visit to Gorbio last year.  Hector lives in Marseille with his two Daddies, good friends of mine.

Begging Bouchette

This is Bouchette, the Bassett Hound who belongs to the Restaurant Beausejour in Gorbio.  In fact, she's sitting on the terrace of the bar opposite, Les Terrasses, hoping for a morsel from the table and not getting it ...!

Can I? Can I?

This is one little dog who adores his owner and just wants to please.  We've met Mr. Mojo before and I know we'll meet him again. Mr. Mojo lives in Monte Carlo with his owner, my friend Nicky.