Shehan & Jonie
ph. Laurent Champoussin
Freelance photographer Shehan dedicates a large part of his days to his children and his dog Jonie (better educated than some uncivil Parisians whose master is exasperated!).
Satisfaction
"I live in a 55 square metre flat in the Marais with my children, my partner, my dog Jonie and two cats. Some people say to us "It's strange to have a big dog in a Parisian flat" but everything works out fine: it's not the space that counts, it's the time you devote to your pet! I walk Jonie between 4 and 6 hours a day. I exhaust her so she's not in demand: a dog is happy when she doesn't need to ask for anything else, and she obeys when she's been exercised. I took a dog, I give it what it needs.”
Well behaved
"We took Jonie back from a holiday on the border of the Landes and the Gers; as I was getting out of the car I came across a beautiful female Beauceron protecting the 25 hectares of the property and she then mated with a Visla who passed by. I have two children: I didn't want my dog to be timid, so I waited until Jonie was three months old before I took her home, as I wanted her to be weaned properly and to obey me at a glance!”
28 kilos of peace
"My dog is an extension of myself, just as phones are an extension of some people. So I take him with me everywhere: if I'm not allowed to do so in a bakery or a supermarket, for example, I don't go there. Likewise, every morning and afternoon I can be seen at my children's daycare with Jonie. When you have a dog that looks like a Dobermann, people are on the edge of their seats, there is a kind of fear-fascination; I want people's view of animals to change, so I educate my dog but also the people around me. I consider that part of being an animal owner: I show that animals are good people!”
