Book review: The French Dog, Rachael McKenna

The French Dog
Rachael McKenna, Hardie Grant, £16.99

Anyone who’s ever travelled to France can’t have failed to notice how differently dogs are treated there. They are everywhere – in shops and restaurants, hiding under trestle tables at the market and poking their heads out of ladies’ handbags in the capital.

Photographer Rachel McKenna set off on a road trip of France to capture breeds like the Brittany Spaniel and the French Briard in the relaxed surroundings of their natural environment: sniffing the long grass, watching the world go by from a window, playing with pals in a pond…

On her travels, she discovered dog walkers in Parisian parks and was introduced to the dogs keeping watch over their owners’ country châteaux. Rachel shares the names of some ofher subjects and the occasional anecdote about their lives… Elvis is a Jack Russell that likes riding horses, while Lola is a shih-tzu missing her partner in crime. In amongst these photos are French proverbs and touching quotes from the likes of Molière and Coco Chanel on the joy of keeping canine companions.

It is clear to see that the author and photographer loves both dogs and France with these pictures so packed with personality and French charm.

[mrb]

Read more book and film reviews…