Garde de Vénus

What a cutie!

For four days this past week, I was entrusted by one of my coworkers to dogsit her 9 year old Cane Corso (a type of Italian mastiff) named Venus.  She had to go on a detail assignment and needed someone to watch the dog.  Unfortunately, the breed is on a list of banned breeds in Geneva.  If the police see a person with this kind of dog, they will take the dog on site and have it killed.  Which is terrible.  And, the list of banned breeds vary across cantons and cities.  So, my coworker needed someone willing to come to France for a few days (where the breed is allowed) to care for the dog.  Since I miss my own Great Dane, I happily volunteered for the job.

Of course I converted her to a Spartan.

The dog was the sweetest thing ever.  When I first showed up and entered the door, she looked at me and then started wagging her stub tail.  But of course, because she has a stub tail, her whole body was moving back and forth.  Then, she brought me her toys.

"Please play with me!"

She has this little Pumba squeeky toy that she will carry around in her mouth, toss into the air, snatch it up off the ground, and shake it.  She then brings you the Pumba to show you her accomplishment and get you to join in the fun.  I did not know how a large breed, 9 year old dog would handle long walks, so I took it slow, but she surprised me by keeping up most of the way.  It was a lot of fun to be around a big, lovable dog again, and only in Geneva do you get the chance to say that you moved to France for four days.

She's gonna eat me!  Nope, just a kiss.

Posted in: 3L,Cane Corso,Dogs,English,Ferney-Voltaire,France,Geneva,J-Mad,Switzerland