Dog's inquisitive friend makes a monkey of the local vet with a quick dentistry check-up

• Photographer captured 'incredible' scene in lush woodlands of Ecuadorian village
• Canine patient happy to oblige Capuchin monkey as he peered into his mouth
• Resort of Puerto Misahualli famed for large population of roaming primates

It may have been that he misheard the old saying, but this dog decided anyway to put the monkey where his mouth is.
There's no waiting room, chair to lie down on or high-pitched drill to be seen, but here in the lush woodlands of an Ecuadorian village, a capuchin monkey seems to fancy himself as a dentist as he peers down deep into the jaws of a friendly dog.
One can only speculate that the mutt perhaps had a problem with his canines and the primate practitioner was more than happy to oblige.

Just looking at your canines: The inquisitive Capuchin monkey checks out the pooch's pearly whites

Photographer Pete Oxford captured the unusual scene at the coastal resort of Puerto Misahualli, which is famed for its large population of the diminutive capuchins.
Coming across the pair, the 53-year-old said he was stunned to see just how close the dog and monkey appeared to be.

 

He said: 'The local dogs, this one in particular, obviously knew the monkeys very well. These two seemed to be best of friends, allowing lots of liberties between them.
'In these pictures the monkey seemed to be grooming the dog, both were very comfortable with each other and really seemed to enjoy the interaction.
'They were never aggressive towards each other and would even play fight.
'I was enthralled by the interaction having never seen anything like it before.
'People I have shown the images to have difficulty believing that these are indeed free roaming wild monkeys, but everyone finds the images entertaining.'
Mr Oxford, who lives in Ecuador with his wife Renee, added: 'I had visited this town because I had heard about these wild monkeys.
'I went down the beach and found the monkeys enjoying it as much as the people. It was pretty incredible to see.
'Some of them had 'borrowed' a football and were playing with it.
'Others were catching fish in the river under the rocks and some, like this one were interacting with the local dogs.'

Monkey massage: The primate practitioner feels around the dog's jawline during his check

Now open wide: The diminutive dentist takes one last look before the check-up is complete