Tag Archives: boxer

Dogs are Everyone’s Buddies

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(AP Photo/Erie Times-News, Greg Wohlford)

I saw this story, about a gorilla and her bunny companion, in my local newspaper the other day, and it reminded me of other stories about interspecies friendships, particularly between dogs and other species. These tales of animals creating lasting connections with each other, especially when they’re expected to be enemies, just warms my heart. The compassion that animals can show for a member of a different species in distress can be startling and really beautiful.

A 100% "Gertified" great book!

If you are also touched by stories of disparate animals connecting with each other, you should check out the book Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom, by Jennifer S. Holland. When I first saw the book title online, I almost dismissed it because I assumed it was one of those hokey coffee-table books. But then I read the author’s credentials, and the fact that she’s a senior writer at National Geographic sealed the deal for me. With chapter titles like “The Potbellied Piglet and the Rhodesian Ridgeback,” “The Sled Dog and the Polar Bear,” and “The Red Pandas and the Mothering Mutt, as well as full-color pictures, this book is irresistible to dog (and animal) lovers.

Not surprisingly, 18 of the 47 friendships profiled involve dogs. Anyone care to guess which breed of dog is featured most often? (Actually, mixed breed dogs appear in the most chapters, but one breed of dog gets spotlighted in two different chapters; all the other specific breeds discussed only get one chapter each.) Orangutans, gorillas, and monkeys cuddle up with tigers, kittens and even capybaras in my other favorite chapters.

My one gripe with the book is that I expected the stories to offer more depth. Many of them left me wanting more, but I suppose that’s not all bad. Maybe it has just helped me discover a very specific new reading and learning interest! And the fact that the stories are short and sweet, and enhanced with excellent photos, means that the books is great for kids too. I think older elementary students, and even some of my middle schoolers, would enjoy reading the book on their own. I might share a few stories with the whole group if we have time. And young children would love to hear these stories and peruse the pictures.

Have you ever observed interspecies friendships? What surprising stories have you seen about animals of different species befriending each other?

Happy Leap Day!

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And I’m back. I don’t really have a good excuse for my almost three-week absence, so let’s just call it a case of the February Doldrums. I have had some serious motivation issues (not just with blogging), but I’m going to make a comeback! And I haven’t been feeling well at times, but that’s not a great excuse.

The not feeling well is especially not a great excuse since Duke hasn’t been feeling well either, but he is still raring to go every single day. It turns out he does have surgery to repair an ACL tear. It’s never a good sign when your vet gives your dog the nickname “Money Pit,” but we love Dukie, and he’s going to get his new knee.

In addition to his knee issues, Duke currently has an ear infection and could also use surgery for gingival hyperplasia (overgrown gums). He has also had a scratched cornea recently. But I am just hoping all goes well with his surgery this Friday, and we’ll deal with the rest later.

I apologize for my long drought in posts, and I hope you’ll stick with me as I get back on track! Next week I’ll be posting about dog photography.

Do you ever feel like you spend way too much time with your vet?

Dogs Hunt For Bloom’s Humility, Find None*

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University of Iowa  journalism professor Stephen Bloom recently sparked outrage in Iowa with this essay, published on The Atlantic website on December 9. In it, he derides Iowa as a backwards wasteland and its inhabitants as uneducated, intolerant hicks. Since this is Iowa Dog Blog, and Bloom uses his dog to further condemn Iowa, I thought I should respond.

First, here’s what he says about his lab, Hannah, in relation to Iowa:

“I can’t tell you how often over the years I’d be walking Hannah in our neighborhood and someone in a pickup would pull over and shout some variation of the following: ‘Bet she hunts well.’ ‘Do much hunting with the bitch?’ ‘Where you hunt her?’

To me, it summed up Iowa. You’d never get a dog because you might just want to walk with the dog or to throw a ball for her to fetch. No, that’s not a reason to own a dog in Iowa. You get a dog to track and bag animals that you want to stuff, mount, or eat.

That’s the place that may very well determine the next U.S. president.”

So Professor Bloom thinks that all Iowans believe that dogs are meant for hunting? Well, Professor, that’s because all Iowa dogs are hunters:

Hunts for game that's already stuffed--pillows and blankies

Has sustained chipmunk-hunting injury (a stick to the eye). Also hunts for fabulous bandanas.

Hunts trophies

Greatest desire is to bag a squirrel. (No, Mr. Bloom, we don't eat Squirrel Stew here in Iowa. Duke would have that squirrel all to himself--maybe mount its head on his kennel.)

Hunts shade in the summer

Must hunt for his eyes on occasion

Retrieves his prey to return to the hunter (er. thrower)

Hunts for rules to break!

Mostly, though, the Iowa dogs I know simply hunt for love and attention. Hopefully they don't have to go too far down the trail to find them.

Bloom is happy to let several stereotypes and a couple of random encounters sum up an entire state’s population, but I think that true dog lovers know that the reasons we get and love our dogs are as varied as the items they “hunt” for in life.

What do your dogs hunt?

* Professor Bloom’s response to the criticism his essay elicited is arrogant and obtuse. Though our state’s fine hunting dogs tried to stay on the trail of his humility, it was a short hunt; it couldn’t be found.

Top Dogs in 2011

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Max?

I love end-of-the-year lists, so I was happy to find the Top Dog Names of 2011, courtesy of a Facebook friend via the Huffington Post. Check it out–it’s accompanied by a cute slideshow of puppy pics. There are no porch-sitter names on the list, but I’m ok with that (no Gertie or Duke either). Is your dog’s name on the list? Which names surprised you?

This list has inspired me to think of some end-of-the-year lists I could write. Here are some possibilities:

  • 10 Favorite Doggie Photos  (But how will I choose?!)
  • Top 5 Gross-Out Moments Courtesy of Gertie and Duke (Easy.)
  • Top # Dog Books I/We Read This Year (Not published in 2011. The problem is that I have only read two or three dog-related books this year. But you could all help!)
  • The # Funniest Dog Moments
  • The # Biggest Dog News Stories
  • Gertie and Duke’s Favorite Moments (This could be one list or two separate lists. Probably two separate lists. I’m thinking that some of Duke’s favorite moments might have been some of Gertie’s least favorites–i.e. him peeing on her head.)

Obviously some of these lists would be Gertie and Duke-centric, while others could be universal. What lists would you like to see? What other end-of-year list ideas do you have? Will you create any lists?

Is this a top picture?

Is this a top moment?

Related Posts:

** By the way, http://www.iowadogblog.wordpress.com is now simply http://www.iowadogblog.com. This change probably doesn’t make any difference to those of you following through WordPress, and I don’t think it should matter for email subscribers either. But please let me know if you’re having any issues following the blog now.

6 Tips for Taking Great Photos of Fido

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I’m not a photography expert, but I play one in my head.

Just kidding. Even in my head I know that I’m still a novice, but I’m actively trying to improve because I want to take better pictures of my dogs. So I have taken a couple of workshops, but I also search for and study photography tutorials and photos I like. Then I solicit advice from that photographer. Here are the people who helped me put together the tips below:

Laurie at lauriebartolo.wordpress.com–Laurie photographs her own dogs, Daisy and Webster, but she also captures candid photos of any dogs she encounters in order to showcase the “canine spirit” and to raise awareness for dogs in need. Her  pictures range from funny to poignant to striking.

Neil Das at The Dassler Effect–I discovered Neil’s blog thanks to Freshly Pressed, and I love his photos. So I study them, and I ask him questions. He’s not a dog photographer, but he does photograph animals sometimes, and his advice is helpful to a novice photographer no matter the subject.

Janet at BassetMomma–I noticed Janet’s photos on her Blog Paws Community page, so I asked her for some tips. Her Basset Hounds’ personalities shine through in her pictures.

The Tips:

1. Get Down at Doggie Level.

Everyone I consulted offered this advice. It makes sense because, you know, we’re several feet taller than our dogs, but I still have to be reminded to do this sometimes. So squat, hit your knees, lie down–anything to get the shot! I used this tip for the photos in my last post (even while wearing tights and a dress, thank you very much), and I was happy with the results.

"Spotted." Photo by Laurie Bartolo.

2. Get Shutter Happy.

Remember when you had 24 shots on your roll of film, and darn it, you were going to make them all count?! Well, you no longer have to scrimp on shots or experience the letdown of receiving 24 blurry prints of your dog’s butt. So if you want special pictures of your pup, take a ton. This tactic will a) help you get practice–and I don’t care who you are, you need practice–and b) allow you to use continuous shooting to capture your dog in action. Many of the shots will be throwaways, but hopefully you’ll find a few keepers.

Photo by Janet @ BassetMomma. I love how she captured the hounds running in different directions with ears flying.

3. Capture the Action!

But how? In my made-up survey of amateur pet photographers, getting good action shots of dogs ranked as the number one frustration. Seriously, though, it’s not easy. Here’s what can help:                                                                                                                                

a) Use your camera’s automatic settings to your advantage. Whether you have a DSLR or a point-and-shoot, your camera most likely has a sports mode setting (the guy running). This mode will help you freeze the action while preventing the dreaded blur. Your dog is fast when he’s playing, right? This setting is your friend. Some cameras also have a kid mode (mine looks like a baby wearing a ball cap, for some reason). I use this setting when the dogs are milling, rather than tearing, around the yard.

b) Camera shake can cause blurring. Laurie reminded me about camera shake (or maybe it should be called “photographer shake,” since the person causes the movement). To fix this issue, use a tripod. If you don’t have a tripod, you can set your camera on a table, rock, or bench. At the very least, anchor your camera with your arms like this:

Keep your arms tucked in tight.

c) If you have a DSLR, experiment with shutter speeds. Says Laurie:

Sometimes you may want a blurry shot – for example, some blurriness in a photo of a moving dog can emphasize the movement. This may be cool if you wanted to show a dog’s tail wagging crazily, or showcase the athleticism of a dog running after a ball. Manipulating shutter speed to get the desired effect takes practice, but generally speaking, a faster shutter speed will freeze the action so you don’t get the blurring, while a lower shutter speed will have a blurring effect.

Photo by Laurie Bartolo. Daisy shakes in the rain. I love her blurry ear and the spray of water coming off of it!

4. Move Your Feet, Not Just Your Shutter Finger.

Photography is an active endeavor. In addition to squatting or lying down, you may have to run or walk around to compose the photo you want or to find the best light.

a) Move your feet for composition. “I frequently move around and look for different points of view, and have found that you can find a much better composition simply by moving a few feet,” says Laurie.

Photo by Laurie Bartolo. You can't get a better point of view than this!

b) Move your feet for the right light. To ensure that the light falls across the dog’s face, get in between your subject and the sun (a tip I picked up from Pix-Elations). To create a silhouette of the dog, put him in between you and the sun. (See photo with #1 above for an example of light on a dog’s face.)

5. Vary the Depths of Focus. To create a lovely portrait like the one from Neil below, he says to use a shallow depth of focus. It makes the background beautifully blurred (especially when you’re as good at playing with light as Neil is) while keeping the focus on the dog. Neil notes that in dog photography, as in human photography, you should focus on the eyes. I also like to feature my dogs in landscape photos, which have a deep focus and keep the whole image crisp. I can capture my dogs in their “happy habitats”–the lake, farm, or woods. The surroundings in these photos help tell the story of the dogs’ feelings of freedom and joy.

Portrait by Neil Das. Note that he got down at the dog's level (Tip #1).

 

Landscape by me. This picture is great technically, but you get the idea of featuring dogs in a landscape.

6. If All Else Fails, Shoot While They Sleep.

This sounds like a nugget of advice for murdering your spouse, but hear me out. How many times have you taken a cute picture of your pup only to have his eyes glowing like an alien’s? But when his eyes are closed–no glow-eye. And when your dog is all curled up, you don’t have to worry about capturing the action.

I like how Gertie's paws peek out in the foreground.

Do you have any dog photography tips to add? What kind of photos do you like to take of your dog?

Related Posts:

Family Dogs

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When I was packing for our Thanksgiving trips last Wednesday, I had two boxer shadows as I flitted from room to room gathering all the necessities. They anxiously watched me pack my suitcase, and the laptop bag, and my camera case…until finally, finally, I packed their bag, and food, and blankets.

Once we got to Dubuque, they couldn’t leap out of the car fast enough to greet Joseph, their springer spaniel “uncle.” Today, I’m simply going to share my photos from their visit with Joseph. Later in the week, I’ll share a post with tips for photographing your dogs (which I have gleaned from much more experienced photographers than myself).

So here are the happy holiday canines:

A three-dog patio

No toys allowed outside (Gertie's a rebel)

Dog toe bouquet

What did you and your dogs do for the holiday/over the weekend?

Who’s Thankful For Dogs?

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Since it’s the week of Thanksgiving, it’s time to think about gratitude. While I have many reasons to give thanks, I’m going to focus on the doggie-related ones here.

7 Reasons I’m Thankful

1. Tom tends to our crying pups in the morning, even if they’re whining to go out at 4:30 because a certain someone forgot to put them in their kennels.

2. We have two sets of “dog grandparents” who take great care of our babies when we’re away and who welcome our dogs into their homes for the holidays.

3. We found Duke (or rather Mid-Iowa Boxer Rescue found him for us), and now this sweet boy has the loving home he deserves, and Gertie has a boxer brother (from another mother).

She's mine.

4. My dogs make me laugh every day (through wiggling, pretzeling, bat out of hell, boxer expressions, tongue lolling, over-dramatic grumbling, and other silly antics or goofy doggie surprises).

5. Our dogs do not have to go hungry or go untreated for any injury or illness.

6. I have supportive readers of this dog blog who comment on my posts, answer my questions, and help me with future posts.

7. I get to share life with two sweet, funny, and spunky boxers who comfort me with their loving cuddles and inspire me with their unbridled joy for life.

In other Thanksgiving news, Duke was sure, just positive, he was going to catch the Thanksgiving bird for his Grandma Terri, if only his stupid mom had let him out of the car! We spotted the gutsy gobbler on our way to doggie daycare last week. Duke stared at her with his ears perked and body trembling as she pecked at the grass, then looked up and ruffled her feathers. When the light turned green and we drove away, Dukie tried to climb out the back windshield. Read more about the wild turkey roaming our neighborhood in this Gazette article.

Why are you thankful?

DON’T Let Me Nickname Your Dog

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I simply can’t be trusted. As I discussed in my last post, I would very much like to name your dog. But if you let me nickname your dog, I’ll make it weird.

However, if love is measured in nicknames, then my dogs experience immense amounts of adoration, just this side of smothering.

Gertie’s name is kind of a nickname in itself, though her “full name” is Gertrude in our minds only. Her other full name is Gertie Lou, which we insist has a sweet and spunky tone and not the hickish connotation that our friends from South Carolina conjured when they heard it. (It is not spoken with a twang.) This name just fits Gertie’s wiggly ways, but it has one other advantage: when she’s naughty, Gertie Lou morphs into Gertie Lucifer.

Gertie Lucifer

Now this is where it gets weird. One of our oft-used nicknames for Gertie is Boof, with several variations: Boofa, Boofie, Boofer Bear, and Boo Bear. I’m not sure why I applied this name to Gertie, but I do know its origins. When I was a toddler, I had a stuffed animal named Boofer Bear. When she’s not being Gertie Lucifer, Boofer is as cuddly as a teddy bear. And all of the variations sound bright and cheerful. When Tom comes home from works, he calls, “Where’s my Boofa?!” with each word drawn out. Gertie goes nuts.

Boofa

Speaking of bears, I also use other animal names as nicknames for Gertie: Monkey, Capuchin, Turkey; I think I’ve even tried out Wombat.

With the exception of Gertie Lucifer, these nicknames help express just how adorable and irresistible I find Gertie. I don’t know why names like Boofa or Turkey are terms of endearment–they just are. Maybe Turkey came about because I said I wanted to gobble Gertie up. Sometimes I do. Sometimes she is so sweet and cute that I want to ingest her.

Turkey

Other Gertie nicknames: Punkin, Punkin Pie, Punka, Punker; Pooka, Pookie; Gert, Dirt McGert; and Loubelle.

With Duke, I have annoyed myself by using several overly gendered nicknames: Mister, Bud, Buddy, Bubba. I can’t stop myself! With Mister, we often sing, “Mister, Mister, give me the news, I gotta bad case of luh-uhving you-ooh-ooh!” (Oh boy, the cat’s out of the bag: we’re dorks.)

Mister

However, we also have some creative nicknames for Duke. We sometimes call him the Great While Gorilla, which developed from calling Gertie Monkey. (And her nickname Capuchin materialized in response to Duke as the Great White Gorilla. The nickname game is a wildly choreographed dance around here.)

The Great White Gorilla

We also call Duke Dukie. I like names that end in the -ie sound. And while the name Duke takes itself a bit too seriously, Dukie suggests a playful, sweet personality, just like our boy. It’s also kind of funny and fitting that it’s a euphemism for poop, given Duke’s production capabilities on walks.

Our Dukie

What nicknames do you use for your dogs? Why do you think you use certain nicknames?

Related Post: Please Let Me Name Your Dog

Please Let Me Name Your Dog

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I borrowed the Big Book of Baby Names from my junior high library several times, but not because I was spending my time in such a way that would result in a teenage pregnancy. Far from it. I obsessed over names; I wrote lists with as many names as I could think of (or create) for each letter of the alphabet, and I perused the book of names for hours. So I connected when I read Nina Badzin’s post Please Let Me Name Your Baby, and in a similar fashion, I would like to offer my naming services for canines.

Stanley (picture source)

Stanley

So what does the Big Book of Baby Names have to do with dog names? Well, I like to give dogs people names–no Snowball or Spot for me.

My husband and I have been talking about dog names for years–back in our no-dog early twenties we daydreamed about what we would name our future dog(s). Now we toss around names just for fun: What do you think of a bloodhound named Stanley? Ooh, how about a mastiff named Bernice?

And it is fun. You have a lot more license when considering dog names than you do with kid names. You don’t really have to worry about how it works with your last name–the only time you’ll hear that is at the vet. Nor do you have to worry about the other dogs making fun of your dog’s name. The one thing you do have to consider with a dog that you don’t with a child, or at least I think so, is the dog’s breed.

Below I have listed types of dog names with examples. I also provided pictures in which I “named” the subjects. I used Laura Wattenberg’s book The Baby Name Wizard as a reference but also just my own opinions about the “feel” of a name and how it fits with a certain breed, look, or type of dog. (I’m also not trying to discriminate against mixed breeds; the naming process is more about the look of a dog than its particular breed.) After reading these names, if you’d like to give me the honor of naming your dog, just holler!

My absolute favorite dog names are blue-hair human names. I think out-of-fashion people names gain a new spark when given to a dog. Wattenberg calls these names “Porch-Sitters.”

1. The Blue Hairs/Porch Sitters: Harriet, Edna, Mildred, Irma, Ruth, Ethel, Edith, Winifred, Beulah, Edwina, and Velma and Milton, Edgar, Herbert, Norbert, Grover, Abner, Doyle, Lester, Mortimer, and Melvin.

Harriet

Our boxer’s name*, of course, sits squarely on this porch: Gertrude. So ugly for a human (sorry, human Gertrudes of the world), but so splendid when applied, especially with the nickname Gertie, to a wrinkly, short-nosed, spunky boxer! I think the porch-sitting names work best when applied to smush-faced dogs, bully breeds and hounds–there’s just something about that so-ugly-they’re-adorable-look that begs for a fusty name–but they could definitely work for other breeds as well (a lab named Doyle, perhaps).

A classic Gertie

Norbert

I also like ironic names for dogs. I’m not talking about a Great Dane named Tiny, but rather grandiose, butch, or overly sophisticated names for little dogs, and fanciful or flowery names for huge or brutish-looking dogs.

2. Ironic little dog names: Blanche, Veronica, Tallulah, Delilah, Francesca, Magnus, Igor, and Judd.

Blanche or Igor--picture source

3. Ironic brute dog names: Violette, Winifred, Adeline, Penelope, Matilda, Wallace, Sylvester, Solomon, Oliver, Philip, and Peter.

Claribel or Wilhelmina--picture source

4. Match sight with sound: Or you could do just the opposite and choose a name for your dog with a sound that just fits how they look: a whippet named Winnie, a teacup chihuahua named Pip, a Rottweiler named Bruno, or an elkhound named Gregor.

Winnie sounds slight but sweet

5. Bright, cheerful, and cute: Poppy, Trixie, Polly, Archie, Milo, and Zeke.

Zeke

6. Foreign names that match the breed origin: You could choose a name that fits your breed’s ethnicity. Consider a Papillon named Delphine or Claude; an Irish setter named Gwendolyn or Hamish; an Italian greyhound named Alessandra or Salvatore.

Brigitte/Gaston

What names do you like for dogs? What do you think about my categories and/or the names I chose for the above dogs?

*We didn’t name Duke because he was already six when we got him, and we thought he had been through enough changes. However, if his name had been Killer, or some other heinous name, we would’ve changed it. If I had named him, I probably would have chosen something like Alfred–Alfie for short–or maybe Bernard or…so many names, so little time!

Related Post: DON’T Let Me Name Your Dog

We could always call him Duke Alfred.

Bad Dog Mom, Bad!

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Here’s my confession: I felt really horrible on Sunday (which may have been self-inflicted, but we don’t really need to get into that, do we?), and I didn’t walk the dogs. I assuaged my guilt by reasoning that they were also worn out from our Iowa vs. ISU viewing party, which allowed them to play with human friends and a little dachsund buddy–Lucy (who Gertie and Duke think is a wizard dog because she can disappear into crevices and hop lightly onto ledges). But they really could have used a walk.

There have been a few days in the past when I haven’t walked Gertie (usually because I was sick), and I always felt guilty. But, as Emerson said, “Tomorrow is a new day…” I was glad to have the chance to do better on Monday, and I tried to be extra patient when the dogs stopped for exciting smells. And they’re at the Dog Zone today, so they’re happy campers.

My other infraction was that I didn’t update the dog blog for two days. But I don’t think Gertie and Duke have noticed (hmmm, have those little boogers not subscribed to my blog?!), so I guess it doesn’t totally count as being a bad dog mom. And two days isn’t really that long. I did promise myself when I started the blog that I wouldn’t be one of those people who starts their blog posts with, “I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve posted!” So I’m glad I got back to the blog quickly and spared you that opening line. :)

Do you ever feel like a bad dog parent?