The Supermodels - Havana and Hopje

Meet Havana and Hopje who are sisters and almost 16 years old. Born in Menton, they now live in the beautiful medieval village of Roquebrune with their breeder, Marie-Hélène, who is a Dutch artist and friend. She is a wonderful source of information on Menton and Roquebrune and often helps me with details of history for Menton Daily Photo.

Marie-Hélène wrote:

'Havana and Hopje had a brother, Hector, who died last December. Their mother was Dufy de Jouxte Boulleng (died 1998) who endured a nuptial ceremony with their father Drill von der Domerhogte in Cabris, near Grasse, early 1992. Their great-grandfather was a well-known long-haired dachshund champion called Richter de Jouxte Boulleng, bred by M et Mme Caron from Normandy (now retired) . In the French dachshund world there is a notion of "la tête de Caron", something about the head which makes them instantly recognizable as descendants of one of the Carons' dogs. I have been stopped in the street by people asking me if they were from "chez Caron". Once at the small airport of Mandelieu, near Cannes, where I went to pick up little Hopje who had made the journey there by herself in a six-seater plane from Switzerland, I saw a dog with a definite "tête de Caron" and he turned out to be their cousin ! Another time in Cannes I passed a dog who had that same lovely head and he also came from Caron.

Havana has been with me since birth. Hopje spent a few years in Switzerland and then ten years in the Hague in Holland. Nearly two years ago she decided to retire to the French Riviera and come back to live with Havana and me. This has been a great success, with the two sisters behaving like a trade union when it comes to food, Bonios etc.. They are the best of friends (I have about 5000 photos of them sleeping with one head on the other's shoulder etc.) and still enjoy the lascivious attention of one or two male dogs, particularly a smooth-haired dachsie from Turin by the name of Gothic, who has always been passionately in love with Havana and now also courts Hopje.

All they do now is sleep and eat with the occasional excursion to the sunlounger!'

Bandit

This is Bandit, a 2 year old shih-tzu from Burgundy. He was on holiday in Menton with his owners and I snapped him just outside the market area. I think he's used to being photographed as he happily posed without moving - look at those gorgeous eyes.

'Sometimes you don't want to talk about problems. You just need your dog's sympathetic brown eyes and silent companionship.' Jo Winter

Street puppy

This lovely puppy lives with some of the Menton street guys. SDF as they are called - sans domicile fixe - without a fixed address. She's 10 months and they told me, in Italian, she is an Irish sheepdog, which I've never heard of - so we'll call her a mix. She was well-fed, happy and the three guys with her obviously adored her. Let's hope she has a good life.

'He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.' Author Unknown

Izzy

This is Izzy, the Yorkshire terrier and his very proud owner. I took it in Menton, today - first day of sunshine for well over a week and everyone and his mother was out walking. I forgot to ask Izzy's age but he looks quite an old dog, wouldn't you think? The land you see in the background is Italy.

The mask shop dog

As you can see in the photo below, this little black poodle belongs to the owner of a stand at the Menton Christmas market. She sells masks and jewellry but at the time I took the photograph, she'd not quite finished her display ready for the opening.

Gilda

Gilda, who is 18 months old, lives in Italy - near Lake Maggiore to be exact but her owners have a holiday apartment in Menton. I met them in the Jardin Bioves when I was photographing the Christmas displays in the rain. Sorry she's not central in this photograph. You try clicking a camera and holding an umbrella at the time! In the photograph below you see her proud owner - Gilda meanwhile is struggling to look at the sheep who are in a pen just alongside. It was so nice to talking to this nice gentleman and his wife, so proud are they of their lovely little dog.

Happy Christmas to everyone and thank you so much for comments on Riviera Dogs. From the dogs and me - woof woof!

'You give a dog food, warmth, shelter and walkies, and in return they give you their heart.' - Jo Winter

Aldo's silver tie

This is Aldo, the Menton Christmas Fair dog you saw the day before yesterday. I didn't know his name then but this morning, there he was again - this time in the rain. And look at his smart silver tie. His owner posed him for me. Quite the dapper little dog. Happy Christmas, Aldo!

'...a dog...never makes it his business to inquire whether you are in the right. You are his pal. That is enough for him.' Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927)

Give a dog a bone...

This Brittany spaniel wasn't really interested in looking at the camera. He wanted to concentrate on whoever or whatever is inside the door below. It's the kitchen entrance of a restaurant in Menton and presumably his owner is working inside.

'A good dog deserves a good bone.' American Proverb

The Christmas market dog

This gorgeous little dog sits outside the shop you see below. The shop is part of Menton's Christmas market that runs from the sea to the market area. It opens every day at 10 a.m. and every day this dog sits there. When I took the photograph above no one was in the shop but it seems our hero is resigned to the several weeks he must sit here each year.

'For fidelity, devotion, love, many a two-legged animal is below the dog...' Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887)

Conan

The Cane Corso is an Italian Mastiff and massive he is too. This boy was standing just in front of the market building in Menton. You can read about the Cano Corso Italiano by clicking on the link.

'The best part about owning a dog is the way he doesn't care about bad hair days or overdue bills.' Author Unknown.

Avoiding the paragliders

This lovely golden is taking a walk, with his stick, on the Plage du Golfe Bleu at Roquebrune-cap-Martin. This is the beach where the paragliders land after their flight from Mont Agel, way up up up in the mountains. You'll see in the third photograph the dog's owner is gently holding him as a paraglider lands so he is not scared. I'd imagine any dog would be terrified if a man suddenly arrived out of the sky. Click here to see the paragliders and click here to see the landing.

'You know you're a dog lover when you think the paw prints on the hall floor make an interesting mural.' - Mae Somers

Church walk

Really I'm not sure what breed this is. He looks a bit like a Pyrenean Mountain Dog but the tail carriage is wrong and so is the gait. Colour appears wrong for a Maremma sheepdog - could be an Anatolian Shepherd dog? If anyone knows, I'll happily delete these worlds and list him under his rightful breed.

He was having an early morning trot in Fontvieille, which is the area of Monaco reclaimed from the sea. Here he is walking past St. Nicholas church. Click on the link to see this relatively new church in Monaco.

'This honest sheep-dog's countenance I read:
With him can talk; nor blush to waste a word
On creatures less intelligent and shrewd.

William Wordsorth (1770-1850), from "The Pastor"

Energy!

This bundle of energy lives in Belgium. His owner explained that his daughter lives in Roquebrune village - this photo was taken on the way to the 1000 year old olive tree. I'm not quite sure why he is wearing a coat as the sun was shining - perhaps because there was a little bit of wind.

'The one absolute, unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world...is his dog.'
George Graham Vest (1830-1904. from "Eulogy on the Dog."

Yuky

There are cross breeds and cross breeds but how cute is this! Only two months old and much travelled already. This little bundle of cuteness lives in Majorca, Spain but is here on holiday with his young owners, and visiting the medieval village of Roquebrune. These photographs were taken fairly near to the entrance to the Xth century Chateau.

Celia

This little angel was being carried around the Christmas fair in Menton. Her owner happily posed her for me, with the rest of the family calling to her to get her attention for the camera. She's a baby, of course - 11 months old and heaven in a little bundle.

Peggy and Dotty

Peggy is just twelve weeks and Dotty, of course, is older. I don't normally publish photographs of dogs I look after in my home but couldn't resist this. And anyway they are indeed Riviera Dogs. These two live in Monte Carlo but you see them here on my step. Pugs often sit in the position that Dotty is in. Too funny. Do you like pugs?

Milly and Biba

I bumped into these two labs in the walking street of Menton. Milly, at the back is 11 and Biba, at the front is 2. They live near to Cuneo (not so far from Turin) in Italy. As you can see, they like to flop down when their owners are in conversation.

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.