Couch dogs

Good morning, I'm up and at it early. I have to get cooking this morning; the dogs had chicken, spaghettti squash, cut baby greens and oatmeal for dinner lastnight. Luke surprisingly paced and watched the entire process of getting everything together and then thoroughly enjoyed his meal. It was light on the meat so I thought he wouldnt' enjoy it as much as his typical meals but he ate unusually fast. He loves chicken and he knew that chicken was on the menu so I guess his appetite had been sparked.

Luke is a creature of habit, as soon as he finishes eating he has to go outside. And I mean as soon, he goes from bowl to the door and if I'm not fast enough he'll hit his bells hanging on the door. He also has several spots in and around the house that are "his" spots. The girls are much more flexible about their life, typical don't you think?

Before we moved Luke had a spot on the couch where he spent most of his day. Unless he had something great to be doing he could be found on the corner of the couch watching the comings and goings. Once we moved; our movers lost the cushions to Luke's couch and it had to be tossed. I felt sadness as they took Luke's couch out to the curb, butI knew that it would be a good thing in the long run. It's not good for anyone dog or human to get too set in their ways.

The whole move was very good for Luke, it shook things up a bit which is what he needed. The girls have lived in Canada and several houses but Luke had only ever known one home. This house is not layed out for one perch sitting, it is multi-level so there really is no one spot to sit and watch everything. And I have said before I have dog beds all over my house to accomodate my following pack.

Another change is that the dogs are no longer allowed on the couches, the cloth couches. They are still allowed and will always be allowed on the Leather couch. Luke is a digger and circler, everytime he is going to lay down he circles and digs (except for the leather couch) until everything is just right. We decided right from the beginning that we did not want to come home to find a hole in the couch so "new rules." This was a huge adjustment for Luke, again not so big for the girls. He would literally stand and stare at us the entire time we were on the couch. But since then he has adjusted to not being on the couch, or so we thought.

It is actually an easy process to train your dogs not to go onto the couch. And if you decide that they can go on the couch but only when you say, easy as well. The tough one is teaching the dogs not to go onto the couch when you are not around. I'll discuss this in detail in a later post.

We came home on the weekend after being out for several hours to find him curled up on the livingroom couch surrounded by all the blankets. You see I'm a big fan of cozy blankets and I just bought two new ones at Costco; they are the softest blankets I've ever felt. These are the furry type, caramel brown and luscious; and its not only us that think they are so great obviously. The look on his face when we came in; we caught him and he knew it.

Now that I have been enlightened I have to make sure that the comfy blankets are away before I go out. Dogs do love their comfort just as much as we do.

A couple of breeds

As I have said many times; I love just about all dogs. Not so much the ones that have tried to devour me though so they are not included in the "all dogs." Many people ask me what I think of certain breeds and I'm about to tell you. I'll start with the most popular and work down the list. Labs have to be the number one dog that I have worked with and I believe that they are the most popular breed in America and have been for sometime.

Within each breed there is a huge spectrum of personalities and body types. I have worked with shy and fearful to very aggressive in almost every breed so although they may look like they come out of a cookie cutter; no two dogs are alike.

Labs are wonderful, high energy, intelligent, enthusiastic and devoted dogs. They come in three basic colors, black, yellow and brown. The yellow has an array of subtle colors within its own category; blonde to "red," which is the new name they are putting on them to raise interest and sell puppies. Red is simple a dark yellow lab, so don't be fooled. Labs shed a ton, probably about as much shedding as you'll ever see so be forwarned.

Labs typically love water; but not all. I know people who wanted a water dog desperately and ended up with a water hating lab so nothing is for sure. But most labs I have known cannot stay out of the water; whether it is at the beach in a pool or just in a bowl in the backyard or kitchen.

They have endless amounts of energy which needs to be used up in a controlled environment. You must take the time to exercise both your labs body and mind. If you don't they will; ask anyone who has had their backyard renovated by their lab or new decorative holes chewed into their walls.

If you have one of the mellow labs you are a lucky one. Labs are great, if you can make it through the first few years you'll have a dog that everyone envys.

Bulldogs

Bulldogs are the 2nd most common breed that I work with. The English bulldog, not the little Frenchies, which I will discuss later. If you have never met a bulldog I highly recommend meeting and getting to know one. To me they are the funniest, most expressive dogs that there is. I absolutely adore them and could watch them for hours. Each one that I have known has been very different and individual.

Contrary to belief Bulldogs are highly intelligent. Almost everyone of my guardians has given me the excuse that their dog is; well a bulldog. I then show them how smart their dog is; so smart that they have convinced their guardian that they can't learn anything.

Bulldogs are physically challenged though and you must take this into consideration. They cannot tolerate the heat well due to their flat muzzle and their bodies are not meant for swimming. Please take great caution around water with your bulldog.

Another misconception is that they are meant to be fat; your bulldog will probably have you convinced that they are continually starving; they do love food. But there is nothing more beautiful that a shapely bulldog. So exercise and a proper diet are a must.

I love bulldogs.

What's for dinner?

What did your dogs have for dinner tonight? My guys had salmon, potato, peas, and ground flax seed. Luke had a smidgin of butter on his just to get him started. These dogs are very lucky that their Dad fishes alot. And for me cooking the salmon is becoming a daily routine that is getting easier and easier. I've now figured out how to easily rid the fish of their bones and the meat comes right off of the skin.

The peas I had forgotten that i bought for them a couple of weeks ago and found at the bottom of the freezer. They had obviously been pushed out of the way to make room for the cream puffs, ice cream and other goodies. We had mashed potatos for dinner so the dogs got their potatos before I added the butter and sour cream. And the ground flax seed is something we have all started eating, its good for everyone.

I think I might make a trip to the butcher tomorrow for a raw treat for the dogs. I typically pick up stewing beef when I'm going to feed raw because then I don't have to cut it up which can be quite a process for three hungry mouths.

All three are tucked in and covered up with their down comforters, it's chilly tonight.

Sweet dreams.

Stiff dogs

Good morning, Luke is feeling much better since his neck incident. By Wed. he was loads better and charging around the house. If Luke does not get out and get rid of some excess energy he tends to zoom. And at 25" tall and just about all legs zooming is a pretty hilarious site.

So Wed. afternoon I took the two poodles to my "secret" field to have a run. I figured if Luke just ran around on his own that he was much less likely to reinjure himself, WRONG!!! Luke is one of those dogs that loves to run just for the pure joy of running. Once off his leased and released he always charges full steam ahead for a couple sessions around the field.

He is a joy to watch, when a dog runs because they love to; it is quite a site to see. We didn't stay long, just long enough to get his ya ya's out for the day and back home. Once we were home for about an hour I could see that the run had not been a good idea. He was back to the painful neck stage from a couple of days before.

So, with rest and as much babying as caninely possible he is good again. He did not go for any canyon runs this weekend but a trip around the block instead. It is no ordinary trip around the block though; my husband pushes the. But no crazy hair turns, jumping, spinning or jamming on the breaks. Luke wears a body harness so there is no neck jarring either.

So they had their exercise and he is no worse for it; infact he has his happy face on. A good way to start the week off tomorrow.

2 TGIF posts?

Hello again, I was just sitting on my kitchen floor holding Luke's breakfast. What an image eh? Here you go your Highness!!! Well, its not like that; Luke has got a really sore neck and finds it very difficult to lower his head to his bowl. And the whole raised bowl issue is one that I don't buy except for when they are hurting. So anyway, there I was on the floor watching him take every mouthful when I thought that I should let you all know what I feed my dogs.

So many people that I talk to are diehard "dogfood" feeders. Many people have asked me "you cand feed that to your dog?" When I tell them what I feed. So, this morning my guys had a cooked breakfast, ground beef, king salmon, potatoe, ground flax seed and chopped baby greens. Sounds pretty good. Lastnight as I sat on the floor again they ate cooked beef, cut apple, tomatoe and pasta.

The great thing about feeding the dogs this way is that their system gets use to eating differently everyday, like us. So many dogs that eat the same thing day in and day out; get an upset stomach with the slightest change in their diet. So this way, wherever I am or whatever I am doing I can feed my dogs and be pretty certain their stomachs will be okay. Now of course there are things that upset them, some things are very individual and some are more across the board.

Fat is a very big no no. All of my beef is rinsed; once cooked I rinse off all of the fat. I buy my beef at Trader Joe's; it cost 1.99lb which is a great price but it does have a little bit higher fat content that the expensive stuff. I always trim the fat from any meat they are getting and make sure to remove the skin from the fish. I often will make them an omlette for breakfast; it is very different from the one I make my husband and son. ;)

Have a good one!

TGIF once again

Good morning, the weather is great; nice and cool and yesterday I was even chilly. I plan on enjoying every chilly minute of it this weekend before it goes back to normal temps. I'm sure the retail shops will be thrilled about the cooler weather. Here in California most people aren't big fans of the cold so they will be hitting the malls. That and the fact that the cooler weather makes you want to start your Christmas shopping.

But for those who have dogs; its great news. So often it is just too hot to do anything with your dogs; except to hit the beach. So the beach will be less crowded for sure, good time to be at the beach I say!! And photography? It is so nice to do a shoot and not be trying to keep cool at the sametime. You wouldn't think that simply photographing dogs makes you hot but it does. It is the constant up, down, up, down. So when the weather is in the 80s or 90s, I'm not a happy shooter.

I had a great shoot yesterday; with a great dog and great guardians. It was in fact with a Great Dane; a wonderfully gentle giant. If any dog could sell you on the amazing qualities of the breed; it is this big boy. Walking up to their front door you see the head of the giant peering through the front window. No need to knock, he knows you're there; and you know he knows by the bellowing bark coming from within.

Everytime I see a dog of this size I am truly amazed. I have met many Great Danes in training but this guy is special. Not only is he gorgeous to look at but he has the most wonderful temperament. And to top it off he is one of my star students. I love to hear how early training got a dog on the right track. And that "positive reinforcement training" works for all sizes. So many people think that only small dogs can be trained using positive methods, sad. Dogs from the tiniests to the tallest, sensitive, confident to the bull headed all benefit from positive training methods.

This Great Dane is proof enough that large dogs don't need harsh training. To think that large dogs should be trained differently than small dogs is just as ridiculous as treating small dogs like dolls instead of the dogs that they are. Each dog is an individual; but size has nothing to do with how you train a dog. Size has only to do with where you step or how you decorate your home; or maybe the size of car you purchase. :)

I love them all, pocket pups, the middle man up to the gentle giants.

Can't wait to meet some new dogs today!!!!

The fat ones

There are alot of fat dogs out in the world and there is simply no excuse for it. While watching the ugliest dog contest on T.V. a lady arrived with her very distended hairless dog. They all looked about the same in the face, hard to choose. But the fact that their little faces were twisted, their teeth east and west with bulging eyes didnt' make them ugly to me at all. I think the whole contest is awful, I think all dogs are beautiful and this is just another way for all involved to make money.

The fat dog took the cake in this years contest. Did this woman with the with the winning dog try to get her dog this fat? Did she think that it would help in her attempts to win "The ugliest dog" competition? Well shame on her for not caring that her dog was dangerously overweight. When I see a fat dog it makes me sad, fat dogs cannot have the fun that they could have otherwise if they were not fat. Okay, I know I could use to loose several pounds myself but that's me. But my dogs are another story completely.

I have always kept my dogs very lean, they are amazingly healthy other than the bizarre things like spider bites on tails. So what is it in our human nature that sees a fat dog and continues to stuff it? It is that big ole heart thing. Many people feel that feeding their dog treats and goodies or even just plain overfeeding them their food is how we show our love for them.

I've seen shows on tv where the owner simply cannot stop giving her hugely obese dogs more and more food; which is adding to an already scary weight. I am blunt about fat dogs and if one of my clients has a few extra around the middle I am not shy to let the guardians know about it. Many people aren't sure how to tell if their dog is fat. Some people are in denial, some don't know and are shocked when I give them the news.

You should be able to feel your dogs ribs, they should have a nice thin layer of say "neoprene" on them. But anything more is excess. Wolves in the wild do not get fat, wild dogs either. If your dog is fat it is either a health issue or your own fault. After having your dogs health checked and getting a clean bill of health you need to look in a mirror. If you truly love your dog cut back the food and get them out of the house. Exercise is the simplest way to get rid of those extra pounds.

But be careful when you start the exercise program, start out very slow and build as your dogs ability grows. I have seen many young dogs waddle around a park; gazing at the running dogs wishing that could join in. It may not be easy for us to stop reaching for those goodies but we have all the control when it comes to our dogs weight, use it.

The art of sniffing

Sniffing, our dogs are big sniffers. Some dogs are super sniffers; those who have been bred for years to use their nose for a purpose. Breeds like the bloodhound; which happens to be the best sniffer in the canine world. Here is a link to a great article on the scent ability of the bloodhound http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/underdogs/bloodhounds.html

All dogs sniff, you can watch them on a daily basis even within your own home. If you keep a close eye on the nose you'll see it twitching back and forth. I am continually amazed how my dogs can walk out to the backyard and know immediately that there is a critter close by. They pace back and forth, noses in the air as they follow the scent trail. I love watching them when they are in full pursuit.

Some dogs rely more on their vision than scent but that does not mean that they aren't just as good at scenting. My Jack Russell is a great scent dog but when she is pushed and excited she will opt to use her vision before her nose. My poodles on the other hand are much more prone to sniff first and look second. Infact my boy Luke sniffs out spiders; yes he is the great spider hunter of the Southwest. I thought it was pure coincidence the first time it happened but time and time again I would see him frozen in stance; head down and staring. It was always a spider. He has even dug unstoppably under the coffee table or couch; much to our dismay. When trying to stop him doesn't work; we finally give in and move the furniture to find the little spider culprit. It is always there.

Yesterday I took my little Jessie on a nice walk down a really great trail with a creek. It takes us forever to get any distance at all and my power walking idea does not happen until she gets her smelling done with. Smelling is very important for dogs and those guardians who hate dealing with it need to understand how important that it is. Like I said Jessie will often opt for vision before scent but not when she is out alone on a trail. She will find a spot and smell each blade of grass, each side of one particular leaf and then like clockwork; pee on it.

Have you ever noticed your dog walking along when they stop dead in their tracks? Their head goes up and their nose twitches madly until they find the source of smell. My dogs often press their nose firmly over a whole on the ground and immediately know if there is an occupant in it or not. And many times I have opened a new package of meat and wait to see how long the smell takes to get to my dogs who are in the other room. It is only seconds before they all wander in with twitching noses to see what's cooking.

A good session of sniffing out in a new environment is just as important as a physical run for dogs. Imagine all the informaiton that their brain is processing when they are surrounded by new smells. I am often asked about the sniffing; "my dogs sniffs like crazy, how do I stop it?" You don't. What you do want to do is control it. I always tell people that they should allow their dog to sniff on the way out and if they want to get some serious walking in; then do that on the way back on a walk.

Now that doesn't mean that you have to do it everytime you go outside nor does it mean that you must stand awaiting your dogs sniffing completion for 20 min. My JRT could stay at one spot for up to 1/2 hour; I'm sure of it. So after she has a good whiff of a section I ask her to come along to the next one so that we can move a bit. And yesterday I had predecided that it was her walk on the way out, mine on the way back.

Being so close to the ground probably has something to do with it. My poodles like to sniff but if I'm walking they are with me, only occassionally reaching down if something really great catches their nose. Sniffing is what they do and what they were meant to do so take your dog to new places, not the same ole walk everyday. They'll have a blast sniffing all of the new scents out there; and you'll be working their brain.

How can people not know

Along with a nice hike with my dogs on Sunday I spent the afternoon shopping with one of my daughters. She went ahead of me by an hour or two; she loves to shop. Once I got to the mall we hit the regular spots and then took a quick coffee break; unfortunately the coffee shop is across from the pet store.

As I sat watching the people flow in and out of the store a little scruffy puppy was catching everyones eye. Even after years of showing dogs and researching rare and new breeds I hadn't a clue what it was. It was adorable; I could see that; but it did not resemble any of the breeds that I knew or fashionable mixes that are so popular these days.

I watched a little girl lead her Mother into the store to see this particular puppy. Mom was petting the puppy but the puppy was not intereacting with the Mom, a bad sign right off. The store was packed and people were coming out with armfuls of goodies, several with puppies. And a huge sign says "no money down, 0% financing; are we at the car lot? Oh ya, we are at the mall and this is a puppy mill supporter.

As my daugther joined me I asked "how can people not know?" With all the news about puppy mills and pet stores I cannot believe that people simply don't know. Admittedly it is difficult to see from the eyes of someone not in the world of dogs so I listened to my daughter. She said "people just don't know." Talking to people she knows, friends, acquaintances and customers at work she stated "people simply don't know." But how can we change this?

As I sat and watched the adorable puppies in the windows all I could see was the image of their parents, breeders. The breeder dogs left behind to live a solitary life, alone in filth. Never knowing the meaning of a family or loving home. And when they no longer can push their bodies to conceive puppies they are dumped, euthanized or left.

I will not enter a pet store that sells puppies. I have on occassion but I know I'll end up being physically removed; so I dont' go there. If I did, I would bring a soap box and stand to tell everyone the sorted details of the past life of these little puppies. How so many of my clients ended up with sick, malformed and mentally unstable dogs from these stores. There are several big ones in the area and one that hits on the celebs, who should know better and who could spread the word just by using their voice.

Playing hard and injuries

Not only humans play too hard and get hurt. My boy Luke is hurt again this morning and he is soaking up the sympathy to the best of his ability. I don't know what he did yesterday but I joined my husband in the morning for the canyon walk. Luke was as usual; up front and in the lead. Jessie was on and off her extension lead depending on my fear level of coyotes in the vicinity and Tilley, well perfectly by my side as usual.

There were no spills, no wipe outs and no obvious incidents to let us know what happened to Luke. But once home and eating lunch I immediately knew something was wrong. I am very conscious of the slightest changes in body posture from my own and other dogs. As Luke displayed some "please give me a piece of ham" behavior he held his head just "off" enough for me to see something was not right. I told my husband, he's hurt his neck again.

Luke is from show dog lines, he's not a showdog but he is very long and flashy; just the way they like them in the ring. So he suffers from neck and leg injuries all the time. Tilley is built much more squarely and rarely is injured in this way. Tilley can turn on a dime, Luke takes a wide attempt when turning and even then often wipes out with his feet slipping beneath him.

So now we have a dog with a sore neck. He will baby himself and expect the same from me today. How can I not when he looks at me with those big sad eyes begging for sympathy. Afterall he is my baby at the moment and I do tend to need something to nurture. He will receive bufferin for the pain and lots of hugs and kisses to make him feel better, at least it helps me to feel better. :)

There is always someone to take care of, whether they are furless or furry.

Beach entanglement

Good Sat. morning. I took the dogs to the beach yesterday and enjoyed every tangled moment. I typically take either Jessie the small one or the poodles and its not because I can't handle three, it is the size difference. Jessie is 12" at the shoulders and the poodles around 25". That's some difference and the biggest issue in size difference is that Jessie tends to walk under the poodles alot.

But I was in the mood to spend an hour at the beach with all of my dogs so once we were all piled into the car we were off. Luke of course knew where we were going the minute I got off of the toll road. Luckily at this time of year the parking is great and I get to park a stone throw from the beach. Everyone had their harnesses on and off we went.

I had a momentary non mellow moment as one very stupid driver almost ran us over. I immediately kick into protective mode and screamed at the guy; "watch it you *&&%# idiot." He seemed unphased by my attack and kept driving; "ah, I hate people." So we continued across the Pacific Coast Hwy to the beach. This is the point where Luke starts to cry and pace. Once on the boardwalk you really have to watch your step. The boards that makeup the boardwalk are now heaved up and down, bowed and splayed from years of salty, damp weather.

We didn't stay on the boardwalk long and opted to jump off as we saw a Chow making its way to us. The owner was pulling it way off to one side which is a clear sign that "we aren't friendly." Now down in the sand, I take off my flipflops and put them into my trusty flipflop clip on my belt. I need both hands and from past experiences, holding flipflops in my hands is a big hinderance.

I wore a pair of sweats which I shouldn't have done but thought about Jessie when I put them on. She does not like to go into the water so figured I'd be good in pants with her, wrong. The poodle desire to go into the water was much stronger than jessie's desire not to, yep I was soaked. Walking down the beach with the bottom of my pants heavy with sand and water is less than perfect but it was my own fault. I never wear pants to the beach and should have known better.

It was a hazy day the type where the sky and water meld into one big bright white haze. Not picture perfect by any means but it was cooler and the beach was much less crowded. We always start out to the right, make the quick trip to the rocks and then turn around to walk down the longer left side of the beach. It was obvious by the people around that the site of these three dogs really made people happy, lots of pointing and smiling faces hint of it.

We were stopped almost 3/4 of the way down the beach by a lady inquiring into what type of dogs these all were. She first asked me if I was a dog walker. Now I guess in actuallity I am a dog walker but I let her know that these were all mine. She seemed to be quite fascinated and stayed to talk a while. She then thanked us for taking the time to talk and meet the dogs and went her way, nice lady.

Several times on our walk we stopped and sat in the sand just to watch the comings and goings. I love the picture of Luke sitting in the sand, his coloring matches and his big furriness just looks like he's going to bring home a ton of beach with him. So after we finished our walk we safely crossed back over to the parking lot and jumped into the car. A really nice afternoon.

It's November already

I can't believe where the time has gone. Sometimes life just gets going a little bit too fast and we need to slow it down a bit. I think hitting the beach today might just slow it down for me a little. Doesn't a walk on the beach just make you slow down? Not only mentally but definitely physically, how hard is it to walk in sand?

Anyhow, I was out lastnight and on my return I was being barked at pretty steadily as I hunted for my keys. The dogs know its me, I tell them through the door. We also have a window they can see me through, I'm a little distorted but they know its me. Luke was the trouble maker and was not stopping, he wasn't even considering it. You can always tell if they are thinking about listening or not. He wasn't.

I don't know if I've mentioned it before or not but Luke's common greeting when he is super excited is what we call the praying mantise. He comes at you with out stretched arms up on his hind legs. Its a definite "watch your eyes" behavior. As physcially dangerous as it is; it always brings a smile to my face. He truly is a whirling maniac. The barking does not stop once I'm in but is added to by some spinning, jumping and biting.

Luke is in full coat right now so has a nice big furry face to grab a hold of when it comes to close. He was full of it lastnight and along with all the regular craziness did add biting. If you didin't know him and his crazy routine; this would be quite a frightening scene. So, I stop in my tracks and stand upright; the spinning slows right away. I tell him not ask him; to sit. Once he is sitting more or less he is much calmer.

You can hear his heaving breathing of excitement, it is all he can do to keep in the sit position. And if you bend down to talk to him; the chance of having your hair bit is pretty good. Just the other day my daughter came down in the morning after waking up. Luke always gives the hugest greeting even in the morning; and he latched onto her hair pretty good. "Mom, Luke just bit and pulled my hair." "Yes, he does that."

Once you start to move he either completely stops his excitement and just relaxes or more often he follows while constantly nudging your legs the whole way. We have a big mirror in the diningroom so on the way to the kitchen I can watch his behavior by my side. With an open mouth (when he's happy its open) his head is stuck to my leg, he is a very physical guy.

Noise and doorbells

I'm grouchy this morning, its early; not even 6 am yet and I'm so groggy. I was awakened at 4 by the dog next door as she attempted to catch some sort of rodent from behind the garbage bins. She is an outside dog and you all know how I feel about outside dogs. Being that she is on the far side of the garage I'm sure her owners were nice and cozy sleeping away while I listened to her moving the garbage bins around in her chase.

As lastnight was Halloween I dashed off to the store to get a doorbell. Since we moved into our new home we have been doorbell less. But having no doorbell when all the little munchkins come a calling is tough. So I got one that has 64 different chimes, its pretty cool. My daughter and I sat and listened to many until finally settling on the sports charge.

Of course everyone in the family didn't think that this was the best choice of rings so once again we went through many to find just the right ring. What I did realize and had not even considered when I purchased the bell was that there was so many different rings. Once the dogs get adjusted to one ring and the idea of that meaning someone is at the door, I can change it.

Lastnight they never barked once until the bell was put onto the traditional ding dong sound. That was the "ah ha" moment as Oprah says. This is going to be a great thing. Typically we desensitize the doorbell by ringing it whenever, especially when no one is around. Then once the bell is rung you go about your business like nothing. This really works great; giving the doorbell less meaning to the dogs.

I think this is great, a new sound each week will keep the dogs in the dark hopefully.

Happy Halloween

Lastnight we went to see "'30 days of Night." It was creepy alright, infact it was downright scarey. The movie takes place in Alaska where they have 30 days of Night. At the start of the movie you see many people leaving for 30 days, those who cannot stand to live in "nighttime" mode for 30 straight days. I have to say that I would probably leave, and after seeing the movie I definitely would leave.

Soon after the beginning of the movie you see a kennel with sled dogs; they are barking very aggressively at something so you just know that this means something bad is about to happen. My husband quickly covered my eyes as the dogs are all slayed. I cannot stand when they kill dogs or any other animals in movies. Do whatever you want with the adults but leave the animals and children alone.

Dogs are tough; physically much tougher than us and their pain threshold far exceeds our own. But mess with our dogs and a meek and mild mannered person can become a beast. Humans have pulled the canine species into our protective circle and they along with children are not to be messed with. I am a self proclaimed "over protective Mother," hey, its my given right as a Mother and the genes have been passed down to me.

But it is not only Mom's and it is not everyone, I know many people who are not animal people and do not feel this sense of protectiveness over them. I truly believe it is something you are born with but that said; I do believe that there is an evolution that plays a huge part in it. I started out an animal lover although I did not come from an animal family but those genes were there from the start.

Over the past 40 years; give or take a few I have evolved into the the animal person I am today through life experience. Each and every dog I meet in my life whether it be my own, a dog on the street or a client dog, they have all touched me in someway. Each encounter has molded and steered me to where I am today. I know how I got here and I regularly think of all the dogs in my life and I truly feel lucky to have been a part of their lives.

Dogs in the OC

The OC has become a household name and people who aren't from around here; know it as the place where housewives have too much money and too much time on their hands. But the OC has alot more than just pretty faces and mansions. And believe me, not everyone lives the high life!

There are alot of dog lovers; bigtime dog lovers in the OC. There are many, many rescue groups, shelters and dog parks everywhere and new ones popping up all the time. Sure there are dogs that live the pampered life here but lots who have a great time just being a dog here.

When you visit the dog beach you see alot of happy dog faces. What could be more fun for a dog than hanging with their beach buds and chasing a ball into the ocean all day? And for those who don't enjoy submerging themselves in the ocean, there is the glorious beach to charge around on or just simply sunbath.

As a dog trainer and photographer I am either being sought out by dog guardians or I am doing the seeking. So I get to meet alot of dogs in and around "The OC." I have met some of the most rare breeds here that I had never had the chance to meet anywhere else.

Many restaurants are very accommodating to the canine species, especially the beach cities. Where there are outdoor cafe's you will find dogs enjoying the sun and surf with their guardians.

On a recent "beach" shoot I found myself on a beach that was new to me. I love finding new great places, just for the simple joy of being there with my dogs and finding new places to that have amazingly beautiful background possibilities.

Seek out the dogs lovers and you will meet the real people. "The real people of the OC."

Canine attire

I have very strong opinions on clothing for dogs. I usually don't talk about this subject a whole lot but thought seeing that fall is in the air and winter around the corner; now might be a good time.

I hate dog clothing, I cannot stand when people dress dogs up as little four legged people. But my dogs do wear coats occasionally. I hate dog clothing when their guardians dress them up or down depending on the event. For me, dog coats are used for a purpose not a fashion. Dogs were not meant to wear clothes; if they were they would have been given the ability to hit the mall and shop until they drop.

When people use coats as a fashion statement for their dogs; things change immediately. They start doing for themselves instead of for their dog. I have never met a dog that would rather wear clothing vs. no clothing. Unless that is; it is a dog who suffers from the cold. Again; for a purpose.

Many hollywood stars love to dress up their little pocket pooches and sport them around in their arm as a fashion accessory. This makes me crazy, exterior is everything to these people. Do they even know who their dogs are? Have they taken the time to get to know them? I think not.

I have two standard poodles who are very near due for a hair cut. The nights are starting to chill now so they will probably don a coat for a night or two until they get a little curl to help hold the warmth. Even on the coldest of nights I like the window open all the way so it can get very cold in our room. I use to have a little snow bank on my window sill in the morning when I lived in Canada and have a frozen window that I would have to blow dry to close.

My Jack Russell is already freezing in the evenings and mornings. When I put her out first thing; you would think I had thrown her into a blizzard. She shakes and shivers with her big brown eyes peering into the door begging to come in. So she gets her little jacket on until about 10 am when the sun ventures into our yard. Then you will find her basking in the nearest sunbeam.

My dog coats came from Old Navy. I wait until the end of the season and pick them up for 2.50; what a deal eh?

Intimidation

Good morning, I had a rough night lastnight. The skies are filled with the strong smell of smoke. I don't know if the winds have changed or what but its bad. We've had a busy weekend with a party taking place at our house Friday night and then cleaning it all up yesterday. We've had alot of people in and out.

The dogs spent the party time in our room. They are very well behaved but with a house full of 20 something year olds I cannot relax if I'm watching my guys. The doors are all open, the front door and gates are constantly left ajar and I'd be on the edge of my seat as a worrying Mom. So they spent the night comfy together on my bed.

They watched the goings on out my bedroom patio doors and slept the night away. When Luke is out and meeting new people he constantly enjoys intimidating people if he can. He is a butt head and just lastnight we had a regular visitor to the house for a few fleeting moments and LUke swung into gear immediately.

It is funny but such a commonly displayed behavior from both humans and dogs can be very misunderstood. People love to pet the dogs the second they come in. But, this is what Luke uses as a status placement. If you walk into someones house and immediately start lavishing attention on the dog; you have just raised their status and lowered yours.

Once Luke accomplishes this he attempts to show people that he is indeed in charge of his domain. Well, lastnight it wasn't happening and he got a firm scolding from me, Mom. With his eyes huge and his ears flat back I told him to "knock it off." He pushes, so tried it once more and was again poked into place by Mom.

He doesn't try to bite or anything but just behaves basically obnoxious by pushing, jumping and barking. I have an eagle eye when it comes to behavior and can see the slightest glimpse in the making. As bottom dog on the totem pole he likes to crawl up by intimdating whoever he can.

If people listen to my instructions and completely ignore him, he never gets the chance to intimidate. Funny behaviors.

Sat evening

Hi everyone, really busy the last couple of days. The fires are getting better, at least the smoke is less. The fires are heading North East of me now. Dogs are all great.

I'll write more tomorrow.

Thursday morning

Hi all, the smoke is bad, really bad this morning. We had to leave the air on lastnight because of the air quality being so bad. It hits you the second you step out of the door. And this morning you can actually smell fire. Everything is covered in ash and the visibility is very poor. Where I usually can see for miles and miles I can only see the home right at the bottom of the hill from us.

The dogs are doing okay, Luke had a couple of energy burst yesterday that manifest themselves in a zoomie. A zoomie is when there is an uncontrolable burst of energy or excitement. The girls are fine, they don't seems as bothered being that they are both senior citizens.

I was just outside trying to clean up a bit, everything is covered in ash and very fine silt like dirt, its just a mess.

I went out to shoot fire but there is too much smoke to see anything but smoke. On the way back there was a guy on his bike with his boxer. HELLO PEOPLE, do not take your dogs out in this. IF YOUR FOOL SELF wants to exercise in this type of air quality; don't take your dog down with you.

Geesh!!!

Wednesday

I took this shot lastnight off my bedroom balcony. The smoke was laying heavy on the horizon but the skies above were clear. With the temps reaching into the high 90s it was good to have it cooling off a little. This morning we woke up to the smell of smoke, it was strong. It was dark so I couldn't see how bad it was.

Around 6:30am I decided to head out and shoot some smokey sunrise shots. It wasn't long until the sky was completely socked in. There is no blue sky today, everything is a shade of grey except for the sun peeking through the smoke, it is a creepy glowing orange color.

I tried to get over nearer to the Santiago fires but the roads are all blocked off now; allowing only the locals who live there. I was turned around by a couple of policemen wearing white masks on their face. Looking past the boundary I thought to myself "do I really want to go in there?" It was a solid wall of smoke broken up only by the heavier more ominous smoke that came directly from the flames.

I was able to get some shots from the top of a hill where I tusually run my dogs. These guys are getting antsy, its been since Sunday that they have been in the house with no run, no walk. When I arrived home; getting out of the car and grabbing my gear I realized that my daughters convertible bugs roof was covered in ash. As I reached for my bad ashes fell out of my hair, this is really bad. The air is awful today.

There's not much to do today but stay indoors and work. I'll be working on photos, writing and several of my websites while we wait this out.