Black dog times two

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I had a chance to stop over to my nephew's house to meet-n-greet his dog Ruben and meet his new dog Race. Ruben was quick to warm up to me and my camera bag (which is collecting LOTS of dog smell these days). He was giving me some play bows in the living room about 5 minutes after I got there. Race, on the other hand, was having nothing to do with the strange stranger with the camera. We'd have to try and warm up to each other later as he decided to bail and wait me out in the bedroom.

Ruben was much more accommodating. Up on the sofa, his eye color turned out pretty awesome with the background. The lighting was courtesy of a nice, sunny day and a north facing window.

Christmas lights were on the tree already and that worked out well for me. I liked how this picture turned out when Ruben decided to take a break on the living room floor.

Here are a couple more random pictures of Ruben. My goal when I do a photo shoot is to document the dog and his/her environment. Some people might be expecting a Glamor Shots kind of picture when they hear I do "dog photography" but that is exactly the kind of thing I try to avoid.

One of my favorite pictures is the top one of my great-niece Emma and her dog Race. From a photographer's standpoint, it's a pretty bland shot but from a cuteness standpoint it's awesome. Race was still being very shy and wouldn't leave the side of the house to interact with us so Emma marched over and sat next to him and struck up a conversation. That put him at ease enough for me to get the tight shot of her and Race.

Thank you Emma, Race and Ruben for a nice, day-after-Thanksgiving photo shoot!
(click on the photos for larger size)

Hank and Chug

I first met Chug (left), yet unnamed, at the Madison vet clinic where his mom works. During a visit with my dog, one of the other vets said to me, "You have to see this!" and walked off. When he returned, he held out this little bulldog puppy that I quickly took from him. What a cool dog!

Turns out, all was not well with Mr. Chug (the name a combination of Chihuahua and Pug, in case you were wondering). After being in his new home for about a week, he developed some serious health issues and there were concerns about his survival. But, after some heavy duty treatment, he pulled through.

Though not completely out of the woods, Chug and his older brother Hank were full of energy and life when I met them at their home in Madison. Hank, being 8 years old, had significantly less energy than the new puppy but when somebody brought out a soccer ball...LOOK OUT! Hank morphed into a crazed animal - chasing the ball all over the street at top speed until he "caught" the ball a short time later and used his powerful jaws to deflate the ball. Game over.

They were great dogs to work with and hopefully Chug will continue to do well as he grow up. He does have pretty good home health care after all.

Thanks to Hank and Chug for a fun morning!
(click on images for a larger view)

Buddy the Collie

Now that November is here, the number of nice Wisconsin days are getting fewer and further between. We recently enjoyed a beautiful, sunny day with warm temps and a visit from a neighborhood friend. Actually, two of them.

Buddy the Collie and his mom Jo stopped over for a little photo shoot. Jo is pretty much the premier dog walker in our area and I thought it would be fun to get some shots of them. She and Buddy make the rounds every day, rain or shine and that can be a challenge in this area of the world where the temperature can go from 100 degrees to -20 degrees in 6 months time.

Buddy, and Jo's last dog Scottie, are both from collie rescues.

Jo has owned ten or so Collies in her life. As a retired nurse, I'm sure Jo has saved a number of lives and comforted countless others in her career. And now, she can add two Collies to the list.