Although bestie bassets Babette and Sophie may seem a bit lugubrious, their mournful mugs belie remarkably cheerful dispositions. They love making friends with other dogs and people, especially crew members on the ferry who ply them with snacks. 

All dogs are food-motivated, but Sophie and Babette are connoisseurs who prefer freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano over other cheeses, in case you’re wondering. They’re also canny scent-hounds whose ability to sniff out blackberries in the wilderness is unmatched.

If you think they look too dignified to participate in contests of brute strength and guile, you would be mistaken. Every evening, they hold a vigorous neck-wrestling tournament, where the victor wins the right to choose her prize from a collection of old bones they inherited from another pair of battling bassets.

Which is Sophie and which is Babette? The good-looking one, of course.