July 29, 2011

Finnigan Friday

Nice photograph of my friend Finnigan, or as we call him Finny. Finn is my friend Linda's buddy and devoted companion and they both joined us on Friday morning for our outing at High Sierra Park. Finny loved meeting all the other dogs. He is a very energetic little man. Finns mom was a Sheltie, and his father was a Miniature Schnauzer. Looks like a good combination.

Finn is pretty quick, and much more athletic than my boy Chocolate, who is looking kinda tired in this picture. Finny taught Choco to be a ball dog I do believe. Finny is really good at bringing the ball back and laying it at your feet, and is a tireless ball retriever, actually he will retrieve anything you will throw for him. I think that Chocolate saw how much Finn was having and copied him. I had Choco playing ball, but he would only do it a few times then seem to loose interest. Not anymore, he is now a full fledged ball dog.

Finnigan had a really great time playing with Clover, who has an energy that matches Finnigans. They ran together quite a while. With the mud on Clover, they are a good colour match too.

Linda has the Chuck-it in hand and about to throw the ball. Throw the ball says Chocolate. I need to work with this and get his head down and get a better angle. He just shakes with anticipation, should make for some great photographs.

July 24, 2011

One Happy Dirl ( Dog Girl )

We took a drive last week with our friend Linda, and a short ways south of Bridger we made a side excursion down a dirt road. We found a beautiful spot next to a small stream, and this made Nina Blanca very happy. She bounded about joyfully. It was a delight.
In case you were wondering, Chocolate is a boggie. As in bog, not boogie. Such silliness.

July 21, 2011

Fun with Dogs in Billings Montana

I am having change the subtitle of my weblog because I have not been to Norm Schoenthal Island for a month now because of the flooding and the oil spill (grrrrr)

So, for the time being I have changed the subtitle to:


I hope that we can get back to Norm's real soon, I love going to Norm's Island, I have been walking there regularly now for well over ten years. Plus, for myself, I get more exercise there because we have to at least walk around the island, and usually we go around at least twice. It is not so much fun at High Sierra to walk about, though the dogs seem to enjoy it there quite a bit.

Three Spanish Shepherds - Cool

Blanca again. It was cloudy when I got to High Sierra this morning, great for taking pictures of Blanca. It did not last, by nine the clouds were gone.

Blanca, Bozzy, and Chocolate. Not a very good picture, but the only one I got of the three Spanish Shepherds. Bozzy is great. I love to watch her, she is so similar to my Blanca. Today she was very friendly to me, the first time I saw her, she was shy of me. She still is worried about the camera.

Blanca and Bozzy played together quite a bit today. They both move and run the same, have similar facial expressions. I love to watch them.

Here we see the big difference. Bozzy has a tail. Oh, I wish my Blanca still had her tail, she would be even more beautiful. Great tail Bozzy.

Chocolate being very happy. In the last few weeks Choco has discovered that he is a ball dog. It has changed his attitude totally. Amazing. He is much more outgoing. I think that having a job, the ball, has given him more confidence. My beautiful boy.

One more picture of our favorite girl Bozzy. We look forward to seeing you again Bozzy. Thanks for a fun day at High Sierra Park.

Blanca, Kelley and Russian Olives

Niña Blanca does a perfect pose for me. At High Sierra Park again. It has become our regular destination every morning since Norm's has been closed because of flooding and the oil spill (grrrrr).
She seeks the shade all the time because the sun causes her eyes discomfort.  When she is in the sun she looks like she is taking a nap standing up. Her pupils do not close so she has to compensate by closing her eyelids. So obviously she is much happier on cloudy days.
We has some clouds this morning but they were mostly gone by 9.

 Daisy, Ragny and Kingston. This is an updated version of a picture I posted a week ago, or so. The colour was horrendous in the first version. I will leave it up, for those interested.

 Kelley seems to have a magnetic way about her. Or is that a ball in her hand? But Holden is interested in why I am pointing the black eye at him. Let's see, l-r, someone I cannot make out, then Jake, my Chocolate, Holder, Bella, and Ragney. Pay attention guys.

July 20, 2011

Buddy (with the Red Ball)

Buddy is a beautiful Belgian Meloiwah. He is absolutely gorgeous. I look forward when the day arrives and there are clouds in the sky again so I can get a good photograph of him without this harsh light.  Buddy loves his red ball.

Buddy arrives in the field, and Chocolate runs out to greet him. Buddy is a pretty soft dog, so Chocolate likes him.

To balance things out, here is Buddies other side. This red ball is a Kong, so it is really heavy, and really expensive. That is okay, Buddy seldom lets it out of his sight.

Kingston

This is Kingston. He is a Boston/Miniature Pincher mix, about I think three years old. Kingston is a true athlete, running and keeping up with dogs three-four times his size, never being intimidated. Plus after all that, he is a nice guy. Chocolate likes Kingston, which is important.

I love this photograph. Kingston talks to Remy, an Akita Bernise Mountain Dog Mix. Remy is about one year old, and is one of our favorites. He is very energetic. Is that synonymous with one year old?

I let the day go by without getting this beautiful boys name. It was his first visit with the morning group at High Sierra Park. He immensely enjoyed himself. So much fun to watch.

July 12, 2011

Game; Stick Keep Away

So. Remy has the stick, and a very nice stick it is. But of course, this is going to get some attention from the other dogs, and here they come . . .

Kingston, in the foreground seems to be first to notice, but then Remy the lab has an interest too.

And the game is on. Blanca does not usually go for sticks in games like this, but she likes to keep in the thick of it.

Kingston, psychologically much bigger than he physically is, really wants that stick. Clover has joined the chase.

Remy and Remy. Remy the Lab almost has it.   p.s. he doesn't get it.

They are really having a wonderful time. I love Kingston in this photo. They have fun. It is a joy to watch.

July 11, 2011

Dash for Dog Parks - 2010


I posted 25 photos I took last August on my Facebook page. Pretty Cool. Here is the link;  Dog Portrait Photography  Above we have Susan with her friend Daisy wanting to get to the treats quick. No need to cross the finish line says Daisy.
I have also added a page with the Dash for Dog Park 2010 photos to this weblog, the link is in the menu above. Same photos.

July 8, 2011

Dogs, Fun, Sun . . .

I am just going to post these photos, at least for now, they speak for themselves. I got carried away and picked to many, but there are some good ones.  The location is High Sierra Park.
Later.  I will try to add some names. I got some help from Kelley. Thanks Kelley.

This I needed not help with. This ball boy is Buddy. He is VERY attached to his ball
.
Circling about each other we have Buddy, Remy on the right, and the smaller feisty boy is Kingston.

My Nina Blanca liked this girl, Clover. Clover was having the time of her life this morning. She is a very beautiful girl.

Well, Remy got Buddy's ball, so he is going to be the object of Buddy's attention for awhile.

My kids Nina Blanca and Chocolate keeping an eye on the action.

Remy on the left, getting acquainted with Jake. Jake comes to the park with his friends Buddy and Vita.

We have two Jakes. Signaling his desire to play here is the other Jake we had at High Sierra today.

Kingston and Jake.  They are great buddies. Kingston is much bigger than he looks.

Buddy giving chase on Jake.  They are a good match. Everybody was simply having a ball, it was great, so much fun to watch. Thanks everybody.

July 7, 2011

See Daisy Run

Daisy is definitely a ball dog.

I have a feeling she would do this all day, but it was hot today so Kelley held her back, forced rests.

The great thing about High Sierra is that there definitely is room to run.

Got it!

July 5, 2011

Daisy & Friends at High Sierra

This morning was a special morning at High Sierra Park. I met Daisy. I see Daisy and Kingston at Norms regularly.  Kingston always runs up to me and jumps up, but I never thought Daisy even saw me.  Today she came over and slid up next to me so I could pet her head and sat down next to me. I was surprised. A new dog.  Blanca was not too excited about this development though.
Above we have Daisy and Kingston with their walking friend Jake in the back.
The sun is so hard, the light so overwhelmingly bright, so pictures are difficult. I exposed the photo above reading off Daisy, but I still had to tweek it radically to get it to look like anything. Bigger than this it would not work. I am enjoying my new world of outdoor dog photographpy, but oh, I miss the studio sometimes, especially on bright summer days.
It was beautiful this morning at High Sierra, a slight breeze kept it from being unbearably hot.

This beautiful girl is Dagny. I wonder what his mix is. She sure has a chow nose and tail. There is some feathering on her front legs. She is a very happy friendly girl. She photographs well. Could have some Australian (Spanish) Shepherd in her, what with the color and the stance. Anyway, I like her.

Nice picture of Dagny cutting across in front of us. High Sierra Park is a good spot for dogs to run, it is open and expansive.
We were wondering why, instead of a spending so much money on a dog park, High Sierra Park couldn't be designated an off leash area.  I have been going often, and have only seen a couple people jogging.  I guess that is the reason for a dog park, because many dogs, especially young ones, chase joggers. Much to the joggers understandable dismay. Well, then, how about a fence set 10 feet in from the current fence to create a jogging trail, joggers only.  Hey! Not likely is it. Then there are the Frisbee Golf people.

 A couple more dogs enjoying the open space to run free. Had to get my kids in here somewhere.

 Exposure is way off but it is such a great photo I tried to salvage it. Need to work on the colour still.

One more.  Dagny says "look at this beautiful place we have to play"  I think where Dagny is standing is the proposed dog park. From the mowed area down to the telephone and fence line. We think. Don't really know. 11 acres I heard the other day, from someone apparently more informed than me.

July 4, 2011

High Sierra Park

Since Norm's is out of commission, what with the river rushing over it, and now ExxonMobile's oil fouling the edges, we hope just the edges, we have been walking at High Sierra Park.  It has been really hot, so it is more sitting and waiting for dogs to come along to play with. We do not see may people or dogs out there. Maybe I go too late in the day.

But, we do see this beautiful girl most days with her friends Zoe and Bruce. This is Lucy, and she loves her frisbee.

She is really good at catching it.  I need to get further out so I can catch her face better, but . . .

She did want to show me she caught it, or is she showing Chocolate?  Lucy has the most beautiful tail. She has long hair but currently she is sporting her "summer cut"

This is Remy doing the chasing. He still is a pup, as is the youngster leading the way.

I see Remy at Norms quite often but I have never gotten a good photo of him. I did a little better out here way above Billings.

Remy is a  . . . . I know, I will replace the dots when I remember.  This photo is a good test of my len's bokey (the rendering of out of focus areas) Not too good I would say. Looks blocky to me.

One beautiful boy here. A Belgian Shepherd Malinois.  Be right back, I must go check that spelling. I unfortunately do not have his name. I should.