He obliged, assuming elegant poses with long-suffering nonchalance, sniffing his way to Paris’ most picturesque locations with the boundless curiosity of an inveterate explorer. A dog of the world through and through, he was in his element in that most sophisticated of cities. For minutes at a time he would maintain his pose, ignoring even the downright provocation of passing cats. It was the districts offering the finest subjects – the skyscraper-strewn La Défense, for instance, or the Parc de la Villette – that most benefited from the mass emigration of the vacation-hungry Parisians. The square and pond in front of the Grande Arche de la Défense were virtually deserted. This arch-shaped high-rise structure, standing at the end of the great central axis running from the Bastille via the Louvre to the Champs Elysées, is one of the city’s most recent emblems. It also marks the gateway to the commercial district of La Défense. Not that Pecorino conducted himself in a particularly businesslike manner here, but he visibly enjoyed his invigorating bath in the pond. The Parc de la Villette in the north-west of Paris harbored a host of photographic subjects: the bizarre shapes of the small bright red structures known as folies. This technology theme park contained everything a star photo model’s heart could desire: innumerable appealing settings for winning poses.
Then there were the more conventional sides to Paris, which Pecorino explored with equal relish. Seasoned sight-seer though he may be, the Eiffel Tower exerted an unfailing fascination, and the Moulin Rouge night club district radiated a magnetic attraction which even a masterful mongrel with his monocle-eyed superciliousness found it hard to resist.
Paris and Pecorino: they had plenty to learn from each other. His presence lent the city’s landmarks a certain sardonic whimsicality, while Pecorino for his part heightened his awareness of his surroundings by pursuing the scents of Paris’ canine population. Again and again, he unerringly tracked down the best locations by following his nose. That he had picked up a tip or two from the inimitable Parisian sense of style was evident from his new-found postural elegance.

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