Moomin Puppy

Remember Sidney - the cutest pup in London of 2007? Well, it's 2008 and there is a new star in town.

Meet Moomin - a 12-week-old whippet puppy. I spotted this little cutie in Islington's Farmers Market, sitting by one of the stalls at the entrance. He was wearing a lovely checkered woollen coat and chewing on a stick that was nearly the same size as him.

Moomin is a new addition to his owner's family. They always wanted a whippet and Moomin seemed like the dream dog. One glance at this little beauty and you understand why. He is absolutely tiny, with white socks on his paws, an amazingly shiny and silky steel coloured coat and, better still, matching luminous grey eyes. He kept bouncing around in a happy carefree pupy fashion, attracting the attention of virtually every passer-by with his wonderful sparkling personality and fabulous looks.

Whippets were very much working-class dogs, known as the 'poor man's greyhound' and popular in the North of England. In perfect whippet fashion, Moomin comes from a terraced house in Birmingham. Before coming to London, he used to have hearty diet of scrambled eggs for breakfast, tuna for lunch and some tripe for dinner. He is now on puppy feed but still adores tuna, and will not refuse a treat either. He put his tiny paws on my knees while looking at me inquisitively, before scoffing the treat hastily. How could one refuse such a little charmer?

I am sure that Moomin's beauty and charm will only grow with age, as he is pretty special already. As an avid whippet fan and a fellow Islingtonite, I am genuinely lookinng forward to seeing Moomin again soon!

To learn more about whippets and meet another whippet beauty please visit Pearl

Northern Soul

This little stunner is Bodie, an 11-month-old miniature long-haired Dachshund. Bodie isn't a strictly speaking a London dog, as he lives in Yorkshire, but he often visits and, looking as glamorous as he does, he fully qualifies as a London pooch.

I met Bodie at the corner of Bruton Street and New Bond Street in Mayfair on a busy Saturday afternoon, as he was walking down the street with his owners, attracting admiring glances. He immediately caught my eye, not only because I am a proud owner of a Dachshund called Kevin, so I adore the breed, but also because of his unusual creamy colouring, rather like a capuccino with a chocolate sprinkle here and there.

If you compare Bodie and another long-haired miniature Dachshund, Heidi, with her russet coloured locks, you can really see how different they look - Bodie's silky coat is a real showstopper.

Bodie got his name from a character in Point Break - a surfer movie from the Nineties. While his namesake was a rebellious surfer, Bodie seems rather mild mannered, thoughtful and a bit shy. This, however, as Bodie's owners tell me, is not entirely the case. At home, Bodie rules the roost and his favourite pastime is not doing as he's told, nipping at hems of trousers and having eggs and ham for breakfast. No wonder he turned up his perfectly shaped nose when I was trying to buy his favour by a way of a dog treat. He skillfully dodged my camera and refused to pose en face, despite my pleas.

As it turns out, Bodie knew what he was doing - just look at this photo. You get full view of Bodie's patrician profile, his soulful eyes beautifully enhanced by a bit of a natural eyeliner, his tasseled tail atrfully arranged on the floor, and his tiny and graceful body at a very flattering angle.

Bodie is going to a doggie school soon - I bet the little aristocrat will give his trainer a good run for his money. Good luck Bodie!

To see more London Dachshunds and learn more about the breed, please visit Heidi and Oscar, and also check out The London Dog himself, Kevin.