They nuzzle and lean into humans they like, which can sometimes be disconcerting but is also touching.

NPR: Excerpt: 'Dog Days'

Endless television and radio talk shows pick over France's deteriorating image abroad, touching not only the Romanies but also the strike by the national football team at the World Cup this summer and the Bettencourt affair, a political-favours scandal involving Eric Woerth, the labour minister.

ECONOMIST: France's poor image