Aurora

Meet Aurora. How beautiful a name is that! Aurora is a professional dog handler from Padua in Italy - visiting the Principality for the Monaco Dog Show. She is such a dog enthusiast and when she realised I was interested in photographing rare breeds for Riviera Dogs she kept bringing more and more unusual dogs into an empty ring for me. 'I bet you don't know this one,' she'd say. And I didn't. She also introduced me to the dogs' proud owners.

Here you see her after the show, waiting for her transportation in Fontvieille with two Pugs, a French bulldog, a Griffon Bruxellois (front left) and a Petit Brabancon (front right). For a bigger and different version of the dogs, please click on the link above.

Aurora is the best sort of dog handler, enthusiastic, loves the dogs yet handles them in a calm and professional manner. Hardly surprising as she's won an enormous amount of Junior Handling Awards. She also speaks perfect English. Click on her name to see her website.

Do I win? Do I? Do I?

The Monaco Dog Show draws exhibitors from all over Europe. It's held in the Chapiteau (circus tent) in Fontvieille. Click on the link to see this beautiful tent from outside. Not so easy to photograph inside tho.

Here you see one of the judges about to assess the qualities of a French bulldog. Did she win? She's doing her very best to impress, isn't she? I don't know if she won or not but as all dog exhibitors know, win or lose, they take the best dog home.

Every day you'll find - on Riviera Dogs - different breeds seen at the Monaco Dog Show. Yesterday: a gorgeous pair of Bloodhounds - today a little apricot-coloured Poodle, prepared and 'Ready for my close-up, Mr. de Mille' moment. Just click on the link to see them and drool ---- whoops, that's the Bloodhounds drooling, not you.

Happy to be...

Here we are outside the Monaco Dog Show, which is held in the circus tent. Exhibitors are queuing for a cup of coffee. Dogs are just being dogs - happy to be with their owners.

Monaco Dog Show

Every year Monaco holds a two-day championship dog show in the Circus tent in Fontvieille. It's part of what is known as the Riviera circuit: Monaco, San Remo in Italy and Frejus in France. Exhibitors can enter their dogs in three different shows in three different countries over a period of one week and so stand the chance of points towards their dogs' international titles. Today and tomorrow the show is on in Monaco.

A little quiz - no, I'm not Isabella, and this isn't Naples, Florida DP and goodness, it's not even Tuesday but I'm borrowing Isabella's brilliant quiz idea (just for one day, Isabella?) to ask if anyone knows what breed of dog this is. Woof woof.