An American Dog in Paris

This was our favourite boulangerie for sandwiches and luckily it was right down the hill from our apartment. They don't allow dogs inside but that's OK because you can get the best stuff from a big counter outside. I liked the jambon fromage buerre sandwiches the best. Really fresh bread, crispy on the outside and a little chewy on the inside.

We got ice cream from the window outside. My mom had some chocolate mix, my dad had some melon sorbet, my aunt had cafe, and i had vanille. It was good, but I've had better. And they were mean to dogs inside. They wanted me to lie down under the table but I'm too big.

This was our favourite crepe stand. The men who make the crepes don't smile but they're really careful how they make your crepe - fresh from batter not reheated crepes - and they put lots of good stuff in it. I loved the jambon fromage. My mom and aunt loved the chocolat but they never let me eat chocolate - bad for dogs - but my dad always let me try his buerre sucre.

We like to order whatever's on special at Quick. The cheeseburgers are really good. The cheese is really good. All the cheese is good in France. But I only get to have a little.

Chez Clovis is our favorite bistro. It's one of the last real bistros left from the old Les Halles food market days. We love their chicken and vegetable stew. The owners and waiters love to tell stories about Paris. And they let me sit up in the booths.

The park across the street is really fun during the day. Lots of bushes to explore and pigeons to chase but don't go there at night.

We went to watch the election coverage last fall. It was really crowded. The older men who work there look kind of mean but they are really nice. They pet me and told us where we could go inside where it was better for a dog.

We walked through the whole garden but at the end over by the ferris wheel a mean man with a Rottweiler told us dogs weren't allowed. Duh! What about your dog mister? We guessed that he was a guard and that was a guard dog. But there were no signs where we went in, only where we went out. It was nice with lots of trees and flowers. I ran around and got tired.

Dogs are allowed around the outside of the garden but it's not much fun.

I really like shopping at the Animalerie because they let me sniff and even lick the bunnies in the cages! The nice people who work there thought it was really funny. All the puppies kept barking at me!

It's the best place to buy the same kind of food that I eat at home.

And my mom and aunt bought me a stupid harness there. They said it was better than my collar which sometimes pulled at my neck when I was trying to chase the cats in our courtyard.

There's a dog named Oscar whose dad owns the store. He's a big chocolate lab. He kept wanting to play with me but he's such a dork!

It's a nice store with nice stuff and they have a cafe downstairs with a water bar with water from around the world. I like any kind of water.

POO/PEE
Try to go in the gutter. The street cleaners will wash it out with water. People don't pick up dog poo on the sidewalk. Sometimes a street cleaner on a vaccuum motorbike will clean it up. Sometimes I didn't make it to the gutter and my family always picked up and Parisians stopped and stared. Like it's better to leave it?

FOOD/WATER
You can find most of the premimum American brands at the Animalerie at Samaritaine. Make sure to check out the bunnies! And the tap water is good.

PARKS/GARDENS
Dogs are not allowed in most parks and gardens! You'll see round signs with a picture of a dog and a slash through it that says "chiens interdit - meme tenus en laisse" which means dogs forbidden - even on leash!

But one of the best parks to go to is Champ de Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower. Dogs are only supposed to stay in certain areas but there are lots everywhere especially in the evening when people come home from work. There's a duck pond if you like that sort of thing.

There is not one single squirrel in all of Paris. I looked. But there are lots of pigeons and rats.

SHOPS/RESTAURANTS
You can go just about everywhere except usually big grocery stores and little food shops. But I got to go into Maison Kayser boulangerie in the 5th every day for my madeleine.

Just don't bark at people and boy dogs don't pee inside!

PARISIAN DOGS
They almost all wear harnesses and not just collars.

Every year they all get names that start with same letter. So I met a lot of 2 year olds named Oscar and Otto and Opium. I guess they skipped Q because all the puppies had R names. Didn't meet any P dogs.

They're kind of wimpy city dogs that don't get to play a lot with other dogs. So when I wanted to wrestle with them they got all scared.

VETS
I got sick once I think from something I ate. Had to go to the vet. Yuck. It was OK. Really clean and modern. Nice doctor I guess. Vets seem to be good there. Whatever.