Au Revoir

This may be my last post from Paris.  Tomorrow Mom is going on a tour of the Opera Garnier and I can't come along; after that she says, except for a couple of walks in le Jardin du Luxembourg, I'll be pretty busy packing up my bunnies.  I have quite a bit of canned dog food left (Mom had to buy it by the case from the vet), so I think on Tuesday we'll go around and give it away to some of the homeless dogs here.  There are quite a few of them and I feel bad that they don't have a warm bed and proper care like I have.  And bunnies.

I've enjoyed sharing my experiences in Paris with my pup pals and Mom's friends - thanks for the comments.  Mom says this experience has helped me grow a lot.  I'm not as fearful as I was before - I can walk down a busy street with lots of feet around me and it doesn't bother me.  The loud noise of traffic doesn't scare me - I've had BIG buses come right by me on the sidewalk and I'm cool.  I can ride on buses, subways, trains and strollers and I stay cool.  I've ALMOST gotten used to people and kids sticking their hands in my face because they can't resist touching me.  I can stay in the apartment alone for about four or five hours without getting desperate and howling (but I'm still head-over-heels happy to see Mom come home!)  I can sit on the floor under the table in a restaurant if I have to without begging (much).  I have savoir-faire when meeting other animals (usually).  I have proven myself to be a number one, no-holds-barred, par excellence traveling companion.  And I have provided Mom opportunities to meet and talk with people that she has never had before.  Here is a composite of all the friends I met in Paris:

Mom and I can't believe our trip is nearly over after planning it for over a year.  She started talking to me about it in the spring of 2010, wondering if it would be possible.  Then I had to go on my diet and do fitness exercises and swimming for months.  Then I had to get used to the carrier little by little, starting with in, turn around, and out for a treat; then in, zipped up for the length of time it took me to eat a carrot (remember I was on a diet), then after many weeks, staying in it zipped up while she carried me around, and, finally, we took a drive in the car with me zipped up in the carrier for about an hour.  Months later and 7 pounds lighter, came the real test - the real thing - flying here in a plane.  And that's where it all began.

Now I've been in Paris longer than in my new condo.  I wonder what it will seem like when I get back.  Well, I've been a lot of places in the last four months - as long as Mom is there, it will be home.

Bastille Day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FRANCE!  Today is Bastille Day, France's independence day, as well as the bi-centennial year of the sapeurs-pompiers - the French firemen.  The day began with a military parade down the Champs Elysees from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde, the very place the guillotine stood during the revolution of 1789.  For anydog who is interested (there were some dogs in the parade) here is a link that has some photos and description of the event:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/8637246/Bastille-Day-2011-military-parade-in-Paris.html

The Bastille Day festivities actually began on the evening of the 13th, with the fire stations in all the arrondissements holding open house and hosting a firemen's ball.  Music and drinks were provided free of charge to everyone who "behaved."

In the afternoon we went out to see if the shops were open, but most were closed for the holiday so we went to lunch.  Mom says she's going to stuff herself for the next week (we're going home next Wednesday) because she won't get to have French food again for a long time.  We stopped at two bakeries so she could compare the croissants.  Problem is, croissants have a shelf life of about two hours, so by late afternoon, neither one was very flaky.  On the way back we saw this restaurant, called Le Chien Qui Fume (The Dog Who Smokes) which I thought was offensive, but not surprising, as almost everybody here does.  The neon light of the smoking dog wasn't lit, but if you look carefully, you can see him.















We tried going out at night to see if there was a good place to view the fireworks show at the Eiffel Tower that wasn't too far away from the apartment.  The best place would have been in the Jardin du Luxembourg, but it closes at dusk.  We walked all around the Jardin, about a half an hour walk, but we couldn't get an open view, so we ended up coming home and watching reruns of the festivities on tv.  There were concerts in the afternoon at the Champs de Mars and Trocadero, on either side of the Eiffel Tower, and elbow-to-elbow crowds - a human swarm not for the faint-hearted or anyone over 40.  So ends Independence Day in France, 2011.

Almost Famous Dogs of Famous People

During the three months we've been in Paris we've been especially interested in the dogs - not only the ones we meet on the street, but the dogs who have been companions to painters, writers and kings.  For instance, in one of the first blogs I mentioned Henri IV whose statue could be seen behind me in the background.  Henri IV was the king of France from 1589-1610 during the wars of religion until he was assassinated.  He built the Place Royale, now called the Place de Vosges and added the 400 meter-long Grande Galerie to the Louvre.  King Henri is said to have had papillons which he carried to court in a basket.  He, being an avid hunter, also specialized in breeding the barbet, an ancient breed dating back to Charles Martel.

"The breed gained ground during the reign of King Henry IV in the sixteenth century. The prevailing philosophy in France at that time regarding dog breeding favored hyper-specialization. The Barbet's natural inclination toward water, and his latent abilities to point (though he is not a true pointer), were selectively bred to create a dog ideally suited for use as a waterfowl gun dog.

References abound as far to the Barbet's intelligence, and his fearlessness of very cold water. The dog was used for water fowl hunting to such a degree that a saying of the day was "Muddy as a Barbet", referring to the dogs appearance after hunting in the marshes. However, from the first this specially bred dog exhibited a loyalty and friendliness that made him a companion dog of choice.

In 1587, Henry IV's mistress, Corisande, was reproached by Monsieur de Bellieure Chancellor to Mari de Nedici, for attending church in the company of "a fool, a monkey and a Barbet". Though his comments had political overtones the mention of the Barbet has it's own significance. We see the Barbet was a hunting dog with a difference. Centuries later Madame Adelaide, King Louis XVI's aunt, wrote about her Barbet in a letter. She says "I have for a friend a large white Barbet, Vizir, extremely intelligent, who accomdaine me on walks". She adds that the dog assumed some packing duties on these walks as well. Her reference to the dog as a friend is touching, coming through the years as it does and linking present day dog lovers with those from so many years ago."  http://www.champdogs.co.uk/guide/french-barbet