Month: November 2011

 

This Basset Hound had bloodshot eyes on the day I was photographing him and so I decided to convert this image to black and white.  Otherwise, it looked like he was out partying all night!  I love getting up close & personal with my pet images!  After all, you don’t need to see the whole dog to know this is a Basset, right?

When I was growing up, we had an elderly neighbor who always had standard poodles.  She adored her dogs.  So much so that she had a painting done of one of them and the painting hung above her living room sofa.  I remember my cousin and I visiting and thinking that it was a bit eccentric to have a painting done of your dog and then hang it in such a prominent place in the house.  Uh-oh, I think I’ve turned into my neighbor.  No, I don’t have any paintings of my cats {yet!}, but I do have many photographs…and some are hanging on the wall.  [C’mon….photographing pets is what I do!!]   🙂 

As we settle into the cold, gray days of winter, I thought that a splash of color was in order!   Ahhh….the warm, sunny and bright days of summer are absolutely depicted in this dog handler’s clothing…..pink and white dress, bright pink jacket, pink ribbon around her hat and even a pink watch!  Doesn’t her Bullmastiff look content in this image?  He almost looks like he’s dozing off……time to strut your stuff for the judge big guy —
look alert!  🙂

Today as we take a moment to remember the service men and women who have sacrificed so much for the freedom of our country, let’s not forget the military dogs who are trained to protect the troops and keep them from harm.  Happy Veterans Day….and THANK YOU!

Gary Veach is an excellent all-breed judge for the Cat Fanciers’ Association.  When I attend a cat show – whether to photograph or just as a spectator – I evaluate each judge to see which I feel will do the best job of educating me about the cats I’m about to see that day.  Gary Veach is one of the best I’ve seen.  Not only does he spend extra time interacting with each cat that he judges, but he is also sensitive to the fact that not every person watching is an owner/handler with a cat entered in the show.  Gary takes time to talk about the breed characteristics and explain the basics for those of us who are just learning about cat shows and what it takes to be a champion.  In this image, Gary gets a nose rub from a sweet kitten at the CFA show in Easton, Pa. last month.