People with dogs - Date and location needed

[partially]

So here is an interesting photo, but I have no idea who it is, or even what family. If anyone can narrow this down to a country even that would help, it should be either England or Italy.

Also an approximate date would be appreciated. Cheers.

[Ruskie]

I think more likely to be England due to the flat caps and bowler hat, pipe and cane.
I will guess at early 1900's for the date.
I think the buildings look unusual though, especially the vertical boards, so I am not sure about location.
Dogs are very nice and look like some kind of prized spaniels or loved pets being shown off.
To my eye this does not have an Italian look about it, but I originally was unsure it was England either ... cap on the left is very oversized - tall guy has a bit of an Italian look perhaps? 

[barryd]

Upper Working Class or Middle Class people! Possibly not from the North of England as they had more affinity with terriers when photographed in this sort of environment.
However the roof of the house looks like a slate roof. Wales? Was there a demarcation line for slate roofs? North South divide?

[Wiggy]

Interesting Ruskie

- it was the vertical boards which immediately took my eye too - I don't think it looks Italian - not sure it looks English either - but . . . . . my immediate thought, before reading the info supplied by OP, was USA or Canada      -   For no particular reason other than the style of the buildings -   

Wiggy  - - - guessing furiously!!

[pjs12]

Upper Working Class or Middle Class people! Possibly not from the North of England as they had more affinity with terriers when photographed in this sort of environment.
However the roof of the house looks like a slate roof. Wales? Was there a demarcation line for slate roofs? North South divide?

No demarcation for slate roofs, there are 1000's up here in Yorkshire, my house built in 1800's and has a slate roof.

[macintosh]

Is that a hand water pump behind the lady, or could it be an old mangle?, seems strange if it is a pump that the ground is earth at the base.

 My gut feeling is the north of England, as well as whippets greyhounds lurchers and terriers, there were
great estates with shoots and moors and wetlands and waterfowling for gundogs.

James

[Salvia]

Just a couple of observations:-

The gentleman on the right appears to be wearing gaitors (leather?) which could be for walking with the dogs through vegetation.  Gun dogs - as someone suggested?

The window behind the gentleman has bars over it which seems fairly unusual.

Salvia

[mofid42]

Unless that tree behind them is dead, it must be somewhere that has distinctive seasons, with deciduous trees that loose their leaves, so I would have thought the picture must have been taken winter/spring.

However the men look a lot more warmly dressed than the woman

[macintosh]

I think the window behond is normal 12 pane sash window and not barred, what appear to be bars are wood insets for the glass and putty to sit into.

James