Muriel & Pénélope
ph. Jonathan Llense
Muriel is a psychologist in Paris. She adopted Pénélope several years ago. They are soulmates and go everywhere together.
Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted a dog. Specifically a dog. I couldn’t have one. I had one as a teenager, but unfortunately he was ill and didn't live long. I waited. I had to wait until I had my own family, my own children, to get a dog again, to get one, like that. I knew that an opportunity would present itself eventually.
It was Bug. Bug was really a dog, well, he was truly a member of the family. He had children. We kept a girl, her name was Perle, we loved her too. So there we were with two dogs without a leash in Paris. Life revolved around them. They were family members, my children's brothers and sisters. Sometimes I was even criticised for favouring them.
And then, when they died, I took Penelope, whom I found on the Internet. I chose her on the website of an SPA. She came from Guyana. I went to get her in Essonne. And now she is truly my dog. It is really the story of both of us. We're very close, we are very connected. There are still so many things to discover about her. She's 7 years old now, and I have to say that when a dog gets older, it is almost like it is becoming more human because I feel that she understands a lot of things about me, a lot of things about her surroundings, a lot of things about people. It's absolutely amazing.
She is a dog who is quite independent, fearful at times, but who has her own life, who decides which way to go in the street, who finds her way around very well. Seeing her, touching her, doing things for her is a continuous joy. Because pleasing a dog brings a lot of happiness. It's really like doing something good for yourself, so we're really in harmony together. Life revolves around her a lot. There's never any sacrifice. It's always very natural. If I can't go somewhere with her, the question arises of going somewhere else. It's me and her.
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