Monthly Archives: May 2012

Wednesday Woofs and Wanderings

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I have lots of tidbits I would like to share with you today, so please bear with my ramblings. Just think of yourself as a dog on a walk, sniffing any and every bush you happen upon.

1. Greetings from sunny Iowa!

I laughed out loud when I saw this picture, taken by the great people at Dog Zone Daycare, so I had to share it with all of you. Do you think he resembles anyone?

2. Today is my birthday. I tell you this not to force birthday wishes, but to discuss Gertie’s unique way of celebrating. She chose to wake me up with a rousing rendition of “Whimper, Whimper, Whine.” I assume this is the dog version of “Happy Birthday”?

3. Have you seen this?!

Image from www.pawnation.com

Piper, a seven-year-old bulldog rescued by an artist, has taken up painting to calm her nerves. Admittedly, her artist companion helps her out by holding the paper and changing colors, but Piper works the brush with her mouth and her head. Read more and see a video of Piper painting in this article. Also, check out her Facebook page (it offers details on buying one a Piper print–I have my eye on one!).

I hope you enjoyed your walk through the ramblings of my mind. Hey you! Stop marking!

What do you think of Piper the One-Eyed Painting Bulldog? Does your dog ever wear sunglasses? Does your dog “sing”?

How to Save a Dog With a Photo

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I have saved the following links in my bookmarks and drafts for months now, and it’s about time they see the light of a post. They focus on the impact that quality photos can have for shelters and rescue groups.

Can We Save More Lives Simply By Taking Better Pictures?

This article from the ASPCA website simply explores the question posed in the title, and the video imbedded within it is an inspiring, must-watch video (this coming from a notorious ignore-r of videos included in articles and posts–it’s short, I promise!). The differences between the Before and After shots are staggering. (And I realize that shelters and rescue groups are often run by overworked volunteers who may have amateur photography skills at best and little time and amenities with which to produce great shots. Berg advocates that professional photographers “adopt” shelters or rescue groups to save dogs, and she also offers webinars to teach amateurs how to take better pictures of dogs. More about that below.)

The problems in the Before shots include terrible lighting, unpleasant backgrounds, odd poses by the dogs, and pictures taken through fences, kennels, or cages. The biggest difference I noted between the two sets of photos, though, was in the dogs’ eyes. In the Before photos, the dogs’ eyes are sometimes closed or glowing (as their eyes are wont to do in response to flash). Other times they’re shadowed by the poor light or blend in with a dog’s black fur.

In the After shots, the viewer can see the light, and the life, in the dogs’ eyes. They now look like beings with souls and potential friends (even soulmates–The eyes are the window to the soul, after all). Similar to the way a potential buyer walks through a well-done open house picturing herself in that home, a potential adopter can more easily see herself opening her home, and her life, to a dog with whom she can connect.

Teresa Berg’s Five Tips for Better Dog Photography

Laurie Bartolo sent me the second link, above, and it features the same photographer in the original link/article. In this link she offers concise, helpful tips for how to get good photos of dogs–whether your own or adoptables.

While I am not going to delve into whole paragraphs of description or promotion, I do urge you to check out the sites below:

  • Teresa Berg’s site: Focus on Rescue.
  • Berg is not the only pet photographer advocating for volunteers to take up their cameras and save more dogs. Check out this post by I Still Want More Puppies about the group Second Chance Photos.
  • HeARTS Speak. This organization, of which Teresa Berg is a member, “unites artists with shelters and animal relief organizations in order to save the lives of animals and better the lives of people” (they said it so well, and I am lazy, so I borrowed their words).
  • It has been documented that black dogs fare worse in shelters than other dogs, and black dogs are also notoriously difficult to photograph. So check out these Tips for Taking Photos of Black Dogs.
  • Perhaps you would like to get your child involved in saving dogs through photography. Check out these tips from The Bark that are geared specifically toward kids.

If you are involved with any of the groups mentioned above (or a similar group), or have taken up the cause of taking quality photos of adoptable dogs on your own, please leave a comment and tell us about your experience.

If you don’t have experience with this cause, would you consider taking it up? Why or why not?

Picture Me With a Hangdog Expression

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It has been a month since I last posted. And, in that last post, I didn’t suggest that I was taking a hiatus, say for a round-the-world trip. I just didn’t post for a month. And now I’m breaking one of the rules I set for myself when I first started blogging: No posting about how long it’s been since you last posted. Ugh!

But as I contemplated posting again, I debated between just forging ahead with the post I’ve been meaning to do for at least two months (about photographing adoptable dogs) and a post that acted as a segue between my silence and the regularly scheduled programming, to offer, if not an explanation, an acknowledgement of the fact that I’ve been a slacker, as well as some updates. As with the last time I took an unplanned hiatus, I don’t have a good excuse. But I will say that the longer you neglect your blog, the harder it is to get back to nurturing it. I had anxiety about simply clicking on the link to my dashboard. Then come the questions of how to handle the segue, how to get back to regular posting (and also: Should I continue to blog? Why am I blogging? What does it all mean?!), etc., etc.

Anyway, I decided on a compromise regarding how to re-enter the world of posting: do an update post now, but also have the photographing-adoptable-dogs-post finally ready to go (that post is set for Tuesday).

What We Have Been Up To For the Past Month:

  • Dukie’s rehab. He’s baa-aack! Based on his x-rays from about a week ago, Duke’s leg has healed well, and he can now ease back into normal activity. So back we went to our illicit off-leash outings, and oh did he run! He did his chugging, head bobbing, full-out run. He also went back to doggie daycare last week. He still limps when he gets up because of the arthritis that had already formed, but the vet says the surgery made quite a difference and that his bone is actually healing ahead of schedule.
  • HAAAAAAACK. Kennel cough. Gertie caught it at doggie daycare, then gave it to some other dogs at daycare (which caused me to feel like a Very Bad Dog Mom to have taken my girl to daycare with a hacking cough and snot running down her snout, but I swear the snot was snot there when I dropped her off! And I thought the hacking was possibly due to some innocuous allergies.). Duke also caught the cough, but it didn’t seem to affect him very much. Gertie went to the vet and got a look of shock at the amount of mucous pouring forth from her nostrils, as well as antibiotics. She did fine on the antibiotics for six days and then started puking
  • The Great Disappearing Walks. I have been having problems with my S-I joint (the sacro-iliac joint, located around the tailbone/lower back) for a while now, and the pain forced me to stop running a few months ago. This development actually translated to better walks for Gertie and Duke, since the walks became my main workouts, aside from my physical therapy workouts, so I sought out hills with Gertie and walked briskly for 40 minutes or more with my fawn girl (I went easier on Duke since he was still rehabbing). But for the past week or so, the pain has increased to the degree that walking is now a chore to be dreaded, due to the sharp pain that comes with every step of my left foot. So there have been a couple of days when the dogs simply didn’t get walks, and a couple of days when my husband had to take over dog-walking duty. My solution now is to load the dogs in the car and drive to the aforementioned field where I only have to walk about a hundred yards to the entrance. Then I can release their leashes and let the canines wear themselves out. This strategy has worked out pretty well for the boxers, but I am grumpy. (Though I do realize that it could be much worse.)
  • Spring has sprung. Due to the whiny tone of the above two bullets, I feel the need to end on a positive note. How ’bout this spring? Duke and Gertie are fans. Before our walks became truncated, I would walk Gertie to Brucemore, a mansion sitting on several acres in the middle of town that has become a public trust. While walking, I scouted redbud, crabapple, and pear trees to photograph in full bloom. We also came upon this idyllic scene several times: a pond with a log on which six to seven turtles sunned themselves, all framed by a crabapple tree in full, pink-blossomed bloom (see picture below). Duke has delighted in showering the hostas, weeds, wildflowers, and other spring blooms with his scented urine. So much to mark, so little time.

In addition to neglecting my own blog, I have also, gulp, been slacking on my blog reading. So I also plan to catch up on what you all have been doing. But if you would like to tell me what you’ve been up to here, that would be great too: What have you been up to for the past month? Alternatively, what are your best stories about puking or hacking dogs?