Monte and Kierra

I got a request several weeks ago to photograph two Stafforshire Terriers that go by the names Monte (boy) and Kierra (girl). I’ll explain the reason for the request at the end of the story but I was told that Kierra would be crated on my arrival. Not that I was in any physical danger but there was a possibility of being over-licked by the overly excited Kierra.

I was met at the door by Deborah and a calm Monte - a brindle who was quite happy to meet me. A high energy Kierra was released and she welcomed me with a blast of giddiness. I had a loose hold on her collar when the head-butt attempt happened and I stopped it in mid-...er, butt (I was the recipient of a head-butt to the nose the week before by our jumbo Lab neighbor Ted and was ready this time).

Things quickly settled down and the dogs resumed their usual places in the house. From a photo stand point, things were not looking real good. It was a super hot and sticky day which limited what we could do outside. I doubted my ability to pull this one off but I was about teach myself a couple of lessons. 

I started getting photos of Monte sitting in his place of honor - on the largest bean-bag chair I have ever seen! It’s so big, you have to take the stuffing out of it to get it through the door! Kierra took up residence under a large end table. One of the most touching photos from this session took place there when Deborah was on the floor interacting with Kierra and reached her hand out halfway. Kierra didn’t pause and did the same, placing her paw on top of Deborah’s hand. I knew that I had at least one good shot.

A half hour later we went out to the backyard - it was smaller with a picnic table, and a large fence. More worry! I got shots of Kierra wandering around by herself until Monte joined us after a bit. Deborah and the dogs hopped on the picnic table and posed...perfectly! I took a TON of photos (over 450) that day which makes it a pain to edit later on but it was worth it.

The dogs were great and I before I knew it, our time was up. After some intensive photo editing, I was very happy with the final results. Deborah said the photos were way more than she was expecting. It was great spending time with a Stafforshire Terrier named Monte. Oh...and Kierra too! Just gotta out for those head-butts!

*A few weeks ago I got Deborah's email. It seemed like the usual interested dog-owner who wanted to get some nice photos taken of their pets. As I read through the message, it became clear that this was not a normal request for pictures and I finally got to the line where she stated that her “primary focus is getting some photos taken of Monte since he was recently diagnosed with T-cell Lymphoma”. I’m no doctor but I know the word Lymphoma. The T-cell part I had to look up but I’ll save you the technical information and just say that it does not have a very good prognosis. 

I hated to taint a good story with a sad ending but I also wanted to drive home the point that our pets and friends don’t stay with us forever. Even a dog that’s healthy it’s whole life, only lives 10-15 years. So, don’t forget to take pictures to keep those memories around. You can hire a professional photographer, or just take them yourself but the important thing either way is just to take them. 

Tanks for the Memories

Tank the Dog lives up north of Madison near Lodi, WI - right next to Lake Wisconsin. He’s an 8 year old Doberman/Rottweiler mix who is nice enough...but he’s got a bit of an intimidation factor due to his size. I think as long as you are on his side, things are just ducky. Cross that line and you probably wish you were elsewhere. 

Fortunately, I remained on his good side and had a very fun visit. Tank, or Tanker as he’s sometimes called, looks exactly what you’d think of when you hear which two breeds he comes from. His yard consisted mostly of straw and grass seed when I visited a couple of weeks ago so a trip to a nearby ball diamond was in order. 

His immediate supervisor Laura leashed him up, grabbed an indestructible plastic ball and we were off. Once at the diamond Tank got the free run of the place, running at full speed and playing tug-of-war...until the baseball teams showed up. Little Leaguers don’t mix with big dogs chasing indestructible plastic balls.

At that point we headed back to meet up with Dad and take a stroll down to one of Tank’s favorite spots to kick back - the lake. An investment in a five minute walk gets you a cool dip in a beautiful lake on a warm day...complete with stick to chase. Tank resembled a giant muskrat swimming around out there and he loved every minute of it.

Tank was a bit pooped after all the activity but still had enough energy for a quick ride in the family Jeep. Sitting on a seat not designed for passengers with a tail, he looked a little uncomfortable but adjusted quickly for his cruise around the neighborhood.

Tank’s a really nice guy who’s got it pretty good up by the lake! Thanks Tank!