Sitting at his lover’s feet, Bibou becomes impatient during the interview at a café on Rue Brittany, a mecca of creative gastronomy and fashion boutiques. She pulls on the leash to approach the chicken and fries served at the next table, not without impeding the coming and going of the waitress, annoyed but understanding. Beppu with pointy ears and a tail twisted into a corkscrew, Bebo is a two-year-old dog from Japan, similar to a small domestic fox, related to the so-called “primitive” breeds – due to a more pronounced animal instinct. …with a peculiar irony of urban modernity, these beasts that had their looks that summoned a wild imagination had dissolved, in the span of a few years, into the young, trendy neighborhoods of the big cities.
After leaving the first reservation, Marie Delaney, 37, chief financial officer at an insurance company, took her day to travel to Paris-Toulouse by train, rent a car at the station, and drive to the breeder, near Albi (Tarn), who gave him baby Bebeau still a baby. For €1,800, including a €200 deposit to keep the animal two months in advance. “It’s a little cheaper than the current price, because the Bibou is all white, a color quite far from the breed standard. As we get closer to Paris, and if it’s a suitable color (‘sesame’ or ‘black and tan’), the puppies will cost €2,000 to €2,500. . »
“We have moved from a rural area of France, where dogs were a utilitarian aid, to more urban France, where they are full members of the family.” Alexandre Balzer, President of the Société centrale canine
Like the Bibou and 7.4 kilograms, the small dog population (under 10 kilograms) represents 41% of the French workforce, according to figures recently published by Société centrale canine, the organization that keeps the book of assets updated. LOF), a genealogical record of pedigree dog births, and as such behaves like true Insee dogs. Alexander Balzer, her new boss, who works as a veterinarian in Vichy, confirms the trend towards urbanization and the miniaturization of dog numbers: “In the annual ranking of the French’s favorite breeds, there are very young dogs, such as the arrogant King Charles, the Stavesi, the French bulldog, the Chihuahua or the Shih Tzu, which are mainly urban animals. We moved from a rural area of France, where dogs were a utilitarian aid to humans , like hunting dogs and guard dogs, to the more urban France, with completely different dogs, which became companions and, in fact, full members of the family. » As a testament to this shift in the center of gravity of the dog world, in January 2022 cable manufacturer Royal Canin opened Le Lab, a concept store located on rue de Turenne, in Haut-Marais, in the heart of the Bibou and Friends province.
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