Ode to the Dogs of Southern France

I love dogs and I love southern France and that the two come together everyday when I am in the Dordogne is an eternal source of joy.

Like French people, French dogs have a strong sense of public decorum and courtesy. The French are polite—saying bonjour and au revoir whenever entering and exiting a store or café and respecting personal space in public while making public life colorful, witty, and engaging. Dogs are raised to behave similarly. They meet and greet, they come and go in cafes, they stop to say hello but they respect personal space at the same time.

In Sarlat there are many dogs who are as free as local humans to wander about town. They have their circuit, their terrain, and their expected meeting points. In cafes and restaurants, many dogs are as regular as the regulars and add to the richness. I am always amazed that they don’t beg, except for polite attention.

Here is a photo essay, a tribute to the dogs of southern France, who make day-to-day life an even greater pleasure in this golden land of caves, castles, and croissants.

Vivent les chiens!