Happy Birthday

There are pets that come and go into our lives that mean more than some friendships or, in some cases, family members. A few years back my wife lost her favorite cat Max due to swallowing thread. She was devastate and felt that there would be no other cat who would be a Max to her. That Friday, which was the 13th and a full moon, a little black kitten cried until my wife found him and took him in. Once he had a bottle of food he balled up on her lap and fell asleep. That is when we knew he was ours and his name couldn’t have been more clearer, Triskaideka.

As he grew up he became a cat who loved he have his portrait taken. At first portraits were just of him but as time when on we added props to the portraits. One winter we upped the anti and added a hat, he loved it! A cat that will wear a hat was almost too good to be true. My wife was besides herself. My wife had always love the photos of cats with top hats or any type of hats but thought she would never have one that would wear a hat. So more portraits with hats and sunglasses were taken of this cat with so much patience to put up with such craziness.

Well it has been just over 5 years, June 13, 2014 since that cat became the next Max. He has been a great companion to my wife and will mean so much more than I will ever know. In this 5 years Triskaideka has experienced being a model wearing hats, camping, and a loss of his big dog Star with a replacement of a new dog Stella. I’m not sure he likes her as much as she liked Star but Stella is growing on her.

After the loss of Star we had hoped to find another dog with similar personality and demeanor. Star was part Aussie with a mix of a few other breeds thrown in. The Aussie was the part that she expressed the most and that was what we hoped to find again. As we looked we of course found Aussies but for far more than we were willing to pay. As the years ticked away the more we grew in the notion we were most likely were not going to have another dog like Star in our lives. Well that was until we saw a friends post about their new Aussie mix.

Once we saw that post of the dog we ask where they got it and if there were more to adopt. After getting the info we contacted the breeder and came to find out there were no other females left but there was another littler born on the 4th of July that had a few females. Oh and they were purebred Aussies. Once we found out their asking price we asked if we could visit and see them and put a down payment on one.

The day arrived and we drove up to the house and were greeted by a group of very friendly dogs ready to play. For me this was a good sign that if the parents were like this then the pups will be friendly too as they got older. We met the owners and after some discussion about ourselves and what we are looking for, we were taken to meet the puppies. They were still young and not walking much but I found one that was a beautiful black and white puppy that seemed to bond a bit to me. Both Buffey and I agreed this was the one and place our down payment. All we had to do now is pick out the name and get a few items she will need.

Stella came home to us on September 24th which happened to be a Wednesday and quite a crazy day. A few days earlier my wife ended up in the hospital, my employer was just about to change and I hadn’t gotten a kennel for Stella yet. So after work I went and picked up Stella and ran into Theisens with Stella under my arms. We walked around and found a kennel and a soft fuzzy woolen mat bed for her to sleep on. We paid for everything and headed home and a day later Buffey got to meet little miss Stella once again.

So today, July 4th, Buffey and I set up a background and created portraits of Stella for her birthday. Of course we did a few images on a plain white background of just her and a few that showed off her new collar. Once that was done we put together the Red-White-Blue background for her big birthday portrait and dressed her up. Stella’s collar and outfit came from Pampered Whiskers. Like Triskaideka’s 4th of July portraits, we ordered a jesters like collar with stars. When it arrived we were got a bonus gift of the hats which we were dying to try out. Our session went so smoothly and with both Stella and Triskaideka we got the best images to put into our family album.

Pets are so important in our lives. They are our camping companions, snuggle buddies, our keeper of secrets and comfort us when we are down. Both Stella and Triskaideka make me laugh with the things they do, so that is why I always create images of them, to keep the memories of them for as long as I am alive. Shouldn’t everyone?

Snow Day with Stella

Finally! Snow! This is the first real snow, at least for us, of the year and I have a dog who, I know, will love to play in it. Stella is only 6 months old and has not see any real significant snow fall until a few weekends ago and what little she has seen, has been the most fun to play in for her. So I loaded up the camera, grabbed the leash as well as some treats and headed out to our favorite playground.

We make it to our destination and I let her go. Off like a shot she runs, bounces and rolls in the snow, taking in all of the cold powder and the joy it brings playing in it. I take the lens cap off, turn on the camera, bring the view finder to my eye, check my meter and squeeze off a few frames. I make a few changes and try a few more. Perfect! Now I that I am ready it is time to get her to preform which shouldn’t be too hard. She is off a few yards and just by calling her to me start her running my way, kicking up white powder adding to the drama of the shot.

For the better part of the hour we spend taking several shots of her running towards me, away from me and past me. In between the running around were the shots of her covered in snow and looking for the next big thing to pounce on or run through. That was , where I caught her in a few thoughtful, day dream moments, where she would ignore me so I could catch the perfect shot. In this particular moment she was taking in the sounds of the birds above and totally ignoring what I was doing. This is when I crept forward, framed up and snap a few frames off, then move forward and took a few more. I repeated this as many times as I could until Stella realized where I was and proceeded to run around me in her crazy fashion. That was okay, because I did manage to catch the shot where she, at least I believe, looks so perfect.

What I love about this shot is that Stella has that hero look, shot looking up, head turned across the body and her distant stare off. I feel that this is the shot you would see on a cover story about a dog that rescued a small child after an avalanche or a night in the forest. This is one of those images that I may never get again no matter how hard I set the stage. This image differently show what a little patients mixed with experience can get you.

I can’t help but to think I caught the true Stella when it comes to her feelings about snow. This is pure excitement joy expressed on one dog’s face. Since creating this image I have to admit I have looked at this photo when things are a little hard to get through. Just looking at the joy on her face gives me a dose of happiness to help me through the day.

I had so much fun getting out an creating these images of Stella. I really believe the best images you can create of your dog is one where they are getting out and playing. You can really capture some great expressions that you normally can’t in any snap shots while they are in motion. Stella brings me and my family so much joy in our lives and because I was able to create these and many other images now and in the future, we will always have that joy when we look back on them.

The Stella Project

I am taking on a year long project photographing Stella as she grows. Once I got all the images completed I am going to put them together in a panoramic. So here is the first one with a bonus cute closeup

The Pet Show

The Pet Show

David Glandon

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If you are looking for a new Veterinarian here is a link to a group of wonderful people at Animal Medical Center. https://amccedarrapids.com/

Lilly's Vet Day

Yesterday Lilly got have her annual vet check-up.So I took a few hours off of work so I could take her to the appointment and to ease into the work week. For the most part Lilly didn’t know that she is going to the vet. She just thought that it is great to get out of the crate early today and sit out on the porch.

Lilly is good about going to the vets so I never have to do anything to calm her down. In fact most of our dogs have had great experiences at the vets so they don’t seem to mind their annual check-up each year. However some dogs it can be a little too stressful and because of the can act fearful or even aggressive. Because we are contemplating on getting another dog in the future I decided to see what you would do in the situation of a scared or aggressive dog at the vets.

On Animal Behavior College Blog I caught an entry from March 15th 2015 on “How prepare your dog for vet visits.” It a short but insightful post laying out the steps you should take for a successful vet visit with your dog. Without going into great detail here are some highlights that I wanted to pass along.

First Socialize your dog; If your dog has not been socialized around new people or other dogs this may bring out a fear or aggressive response in your dog. Think of it as if you are a child, think back to the  vulnerability of  a doctor's office being handled, looked over intensely then getting a painful shot. For most of us that experience is what keeps us from going to the doctors but for a dog or any animal, there is no real choice. They just have to take it and sometimes not without letting us know how they feel. So get them out and build their social life beyond Facebook.

Get them relaxed; keep the mood positive before and during the ordeal. Start by petting them, rubbing the ears or bellies whatever it takes to calm them down. This also means you need to stay calm as well. If you act tense they will read that and tense up as well so stay relaxed. When the vet appointment is done, treat them so something they really like. This helps dissociates the vet appointment as a negative experience and move it to a positive one.

Exercise them; by playing with them and getting the excess energy out and reduce the incidence of acting out at the vets. So a good game of ball or a walk around the block is recommended, just don’t wear them out too much.

The last two steps is upon making the appointment let the staff know that this is the dog's first time at the vets or they can be a bit hard to handle. This will give the staff a heads up and they can help make the visit better. And to say it again, stay calm. If you are calm and at ease the dog will be better than if you were excited and snapping at them.

Lilly’s appointment went well and she is ready to police the house once again thanks to the staff at Animal Medical Center.