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!

Terrorless Terriers

This post has a slightly smaller feel to it as we visit a pair of dogs from Stoughton, WI who may be small in stature, but are large in character.

Radar (Westmoreland Terrier) and Louie (Australian Terrier) have been with Richard and Debra for several years now. Both are rescues who have been lucky enough to find a great "forever home" as the rescue groups like to say.

When you think of small dogs, sometimes the words 'high-strung' goes along with it. But these guys greeted me in a very courteous way with none of the yapping that you sometimes get with smaller canines. According to Richard, Radar suffers a bit from OCD. His hobby is to hang out near a window and watch for reflections to chase. Louie is a bit older and is more willing to just hang around. He pulled off some pretty amazing jumps for someone his age too while seeking out that perfect spot to lay down on the living room furniture.

Richard and Debra won a Dog Grin Photography gift certificate that I donated (shameless self-promotion, I know) to the Dane County Humane Society's recent Bark-n-Wine fundraiser auction. Richard spends quite a bit of time there volunteering with the dogs which was also obvious when you see the back of his truck. It displays a small collection of pro-Humane Society, pro-dog bumper stickers.

I had a nice visit and may get to go back soon to photograph a possible new addition to the family in the form of another lucky rescued terrier...a Scotty!

Boxer Rebellion (or Kona, the Barbarian...I couldn't decide)

Kona the Boxer lives on a scenic bit of property near Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. It's a very pretty setting out on his property complete with tons of sun, flowers, trees, water features, and sculptures. But I seriously believe that Kona would be perfectly happy living in the middle of a bare field in a box...as long as he had his squeaky blue ball.

Pretty much Kona's whole world revolves around that blue ball when it's available. He has even developed a game of taking up to a loft area of his house, sticking his head through the railings and dropping the ball to a human below. In theory, the human is supposed to throw the ball back up to the loft to start the process over again. It works most of the time although he looks a bit like the Joker before he releases the ball.

If the blue ball isn't available, there's always Henrietta the Burlesque Chicken (I'm not making that up) or a couple dozen toys to choose from. He's also got a couple of cooling beds to stretch out in during the heat of the day also.

His people, Denise and Bernie say that he loves playing with other dogs and he is very select about which people he gives hugs and kisses to - there are only a few chosen ones...my wife Rose being one of them. She was the surprise recipient of a burst of affection (hug/kiss) during our photo shoot a few weeks ago. Lucky.

So, if you happen to be near Mount Horeb, Wisconsin someday and see a blue squeaky ball with a dog attached to it - that'd be Kona!

Katie and Daisy

*The following post is dedicated to my dog-loving niece Katie, who is one of my three (count'em 3!) followers and who also made a comment this weekend about my lack of blog updates recently. Sadly, that comment is correct and so here is another post...just for you Katie! BTW, she turns 21 next week.

So, now on to the REAL subject of this blog post...Daisy.

I had a chance to meet Daisy this weekend on a trip to my hometown of Austin Minnesota, also home of Spam (the "lunchmeat") and hometown of John Madden (true factoid). Daisy is a Brittany Spaniel who excels at doing what Brittany Spaniels are bred to do, point. At birds, specifically but she also points at the occasional squirrel or other yard intruder.

Dennis is Daisy's owner and he says he sometimes has trouble finding Daisy when they are out hunting in tall grass or brush because she is too busy pointing to come when called. Pointing is a great help to the hunter, but only if the hunter can see the pointer!

Daisy eases into a first time meeting by sniffing your mouth. I think she just wonders what you had to eat for your last meal or something. Other than that, she's very calm and has a easy-going personality, likes her car rides, and gets an occasional doggie bag leftover from the restaurant. Just don't try to tell Daisy that it's really rude to point!

Gallery Night

Gallery night has come and gone at Nutzy Mutz & Crazy Catz on Lakeside Street. It was held last Friday - a really nice, cold, misty November kind of day. I thought it turned out really well. Liz Perry, store owner, and her husband Garrett hosted the event and made some totally kick-ass appetizers. Actually, I think people showed up mostly for the food once the smell wafted through the building.

But despite the lousy weather, we had a nice turnout and met some very interesting people. Pictured above is some of the good food (top) and Liz Perry and myself (bottom).

Shop cat unimpressed with all the dog photography

A big shout-out is necessary for all the people that donated easels for Gallery Night! Have you priced easels lately? They are outrageous for what they are...three sticks and a little chain. Anyway, thanks to Tim, Nina, and Sasha for the help. And lastly, a really big thank you to my lovely assistant/wife Rose who kept me on task constantly and put in a lot of work to make this event a success! She can do amazing things with picture hanging wire by the way.

Hope to see you at Gallery Night 2011. Just don't eat before you go...