Tina, hunting dog of the future

Meet Tina, she's a three and a half month old hunting dog (she's a mix of hunting dog and terrier) and is being trained to hunt sanglier (wild boar).  She lives with a young hunter in the medieval village of Gorbio.  As you can see she does what all good hunting dogs do - walks along with her nose glued to the ground!

Fanny and Emma

Some of you will remember Fanny, the little poodle, who was abandoned outside my gate nearly three years ago.  She was in a sorry state at the time, an old lady of 13.  As you see, she is in much better health now although she still has problems including a dodgy heart.  She's a happy camper though and now that she barks less, I'm a happy camper too ...!

She's found an adorable friend in little Emma who is the daughter of the family who own Paisley and Raffa, the golden retrievers we saw in the last post.

When they collected their dogs, Emma fell for Fanny and it seems the feeling was mutual.

Raffa

This is Raffa - she lives in Mouans Sartoux with Paisley who we met last time.  Raffa is a dog who half closes her eyes when she sees a camera - don't you just love that expression in the main photo. She'll be 13 in June.

Paisley

 

This is Paisley enjoying a little sunshine.  She lives with her buddy, Raffa in Mouans Sartoux, near to Grasse - famous for perfume.  Paisley is almost 14 years old. Isn't she a beautiful dog?  Next time, we'll meet Raffa.

Maya the Mastiff

I met Maya, an English Mastiff, whilst shopping in Menton this morning.  Maya has appeared on this blog before - 4 or so years ago - but as she is the only English Mastiff in Menton I couldn't resist photographing that lovely slobby face once more. She's now 7 years old.

Click link to see Maya in 2008.

Speed on the Beach

This little Jack Russell pup was having the best time flying around Larvotto Beach in Monaco a couple of days ago.

Beagle time ...

A cute Beagle puppy who was enjoying the late afternoon sun with his young owner in Menton.

He's not at all sure he wants his photo taken ...

Giada - the glamour of Italy

Pink leopardskin coat, pink hair slide - the glamour of winter - she has to be Italian!

And she is. This is 13 year old Giada, whose owners will be selling bric a brac at the Broc Troc in Menton this weekend.

Hémy, the Havanese puppy

Meet Hémy, a Bichon Havanese puppy.  Isn't she too adorable!  She lives in Monaco with an old blind cocker spaniel called Goldy - click to see Goldy's photo.

Hunique - the Restaurant Les Terrasses Dog

Meet 5 months old Hunique.  She's Vanessa's new puppy at the Restaurant Bar Les Terrasses in Gorbio.  Hunique is a long haired German Shepherd Dog and already is such a sweet, well-behaved puppy but is one who guards the restaurant at night.  Look at those beautiful eyes.

Darius

Meet Darius.  He's a 4 year old Welsh Terrier from Normandy, on holiday in Menton. Welsh Terriers are incredibly active dogs - it took about 8 photos to get one where he sat still for a moment. Typical of this beautiful breed.

Lily, the Springer Spaniel

This is Lily, an English Springer Spaniel who lives just along the coast in Villefranche but also spends a lot of time in Paris.  I've been caring for Lily since she was a very naughty puppy - she's still naughty even tho she's now 9 years old.  She's losing her night sight now - in fact, in low light she sees almost nothing.  She has an appointment soon with a Paris eye specialist so hopefully something can be done. 

It's not so easy, on a long-nosed dog, to get the eyes and nose both in focus.  I succeeded in the second shot but prefer the first! 

Click on the link above to see Lily as she was a few years ago.

Titus

You don't see many Australian Shepherds in Menton but I bumped into Titus along by the sea the other day.  His owner was sitting on a bench, studying and he, considering he's only a baby of six months, was patiently waiting.   Beautiful, don't you think?  Titus lives in Menton.

Dora

How adorable is Dora?  She's an English Setter puppy aged three months who lives with a delightful young couple in Italy.  I met her at the Christmas Fair in Monaco.

Empi

Meet Empi.  She is a Rhodesian Ridgeback who lives in Sweden but also visits Menton regularly where her owners have a holiday home.  Empi is 7 years old and is posing here in the Jardin Bioves. Love her crazy ears which she uses so expressively.

Hera, one little boy's dream

All I want for Christmas, tra la ... and it looks like one little Menton boy's dream came true. 

This is Hera, a 2 month old female golden retriever.  The boy's father told me they have had golden retrievers before and know what a perfect breed they are with children. This looks like a match made in heaven.

Billy and Bach

Billy and Bach are litter brothers who live in Menton. They are a Jack Russell X poodle mix - and they look it, don't they?  I met them in Place aux Herbes this morning.  That's Bach in the first photo with the blue harness, Billy with the red one.  They are five years old and you see, bright as buttons.  

The SDF's dog

This lovely dog belongs to an SDF ('sans domicile fixe') which translates as 'homeless.'

The majority of SDFs seem to have a dog and those I've seen are well fed.  The local vets will treat these dogs free when it's  necessary. This dog has a blanket, bowls, even cardboard underneath her so she won't get chilled. Cynically I suppose one could say she is displayed in this way to encourage people to give money.  Who knows?  The truth is that often a dog is the only friend a homeless person has. 

I asked her owner if I could take her photo and he let me but insisted I didn't take his - so of course I didn't.