FRIDAY:

Hanging out Friday with Chloe aka "Batgirl"

Typical Friday night - with typical looks from my dogs

Late night peanut butter snack

SATURDAY:

Can you spot the monster I awoke this early Saturday morning?

Habitat for Paws - building dog houses

Stopped by Heartland SPCA to photograph adoptable dogs

Quick stop to get yummy treats

SUNDAY:

A group dog walk with KC Pittie Pack and Friends

On the dog walk, I met a little guy named Frankee who stole my heart

The Pug Club of Kansas City

The Pug Club of Kansas City

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The Pug Club of Kansas City

Aw, that face. That wrinkly, smooshed-muzzled face with huge expressive eyes. Add a curly tail and over the top personality…and you got a pug. I met up with The Pug Club of Kansas City at Pete and Mac’s Pet Resort in Lenexa, Kansas. My heart has an incredible soft spot for pugs because of my dog, Dante.  So I gotta admit, I had high expectations going into this meetup:  I. was. not. let. down.

Pug tongue

Hey, this camera lady has treats! I win!

Wrinkles? yes, please

Enter a room with over 2 dozen furry fawn colored bodies (and a few black or peppered bodies) roaming the floor eager to look up at you. You smile, they smile. They smile, you smile. The love  is absolutely contagious. Curly tails wag in pure delight at the very sound of their human’s voice calling their name to introduce them to a new friend. Treats are abundant which always causes a short leg, bug-eyed pile up. Snorts and laughter fill the room.

Every breed has their own pack of fans. My heart just happens to skip a beat when I oooo and awwww with other fellow dog lovers over this amazing little found legged monster: the pug.

Beginning of a pug pile up...

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Savannah Rose is my beautiful niece. She has a complete mind of her own, is quite the sassy little thing and above all: comical.  She and I can sit on my kitchen floor laughing simply because the other one is.  We often exchange eye rolls and arm pinches when we think no one is looking. I recently pulled out my favorite childhood toys: Littlest Pet Shop (the cute version before they were designed to have huge eyes). I was delighted she took interest in them. I love watching the complexity of her imagination as she decides how to set up each animal’s home, what they will eat and if they need emergency surgery with Doctor Auntie Amy.

She also so happens to be a huge fan of my dogs, Dante & Chloe – which touches my heart!  The weather here in Kansas City has been nothing short of a warm blessing.  We spent the afternoon outside giggling, running and barking. We didn’t need anything more than two dogs, one camera and a few unlucky sticks. It was heaven.

My time and bond with Savannah is something I will always cherish.  I love you Nan. Love Always, Auntie Amy

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Loose Park

My second walk with KC Pittie Pack and Friends was Sunday! This time we all met at Loose Park in Kansas City.  It was fantastic seeing familiar faces (both furry and human) and meeting new dog-lovin’ folk.

One thing I really liked: the open layout! We basically walked on a black top trail that encompassed the whole park. This allowed for me to literally run (okay more like jog) up ahead or across the park to prepare for a shot. I love how this walking group changes up locations and meeting times. This walk was different from the previous one.

After I had taken all these wide shots of the group, showing the trees and open feel of the park, I wanted to focus in on the dogs. I started thinking about their view. So I ran up ahead and sat on the trail. I only warned the front pack leader what I was doing, so I was met with a few laughs and odd looks as I made feet and paws step around me. Everyone was such a good sport.

"WHAT are you doing down here?"

This time I decided to take my Dog Chloe. My mom volunteer to help walk her while I ran around with my camera (thanks mom!!!). We adopted Chloe from a shelter in Iowa City in September 2009.  She is the perfect companion for our other dog Dante.  Chloe loves, loves, loves exercise and requires a lot of it. We even broke away from the pack for a little bit and did some self portraits =)

My Chloe

I cannot wait for our next walk with KC Pittie Pack and Friends. What a fantastic group of people and animals! I consider myself very lucky to have found such great group. If you live in the Kansas City area, please come along! I would love to meet you there!

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There have also been creative struggles like learning to trust my visual instincts and not follow the norm. Or taking in constructive criticism.

Now that I have found my true niche in life – “dog-umentary” photography -         I can pick up to camera because I want to, not because I have to.

Part of my creative exploration is allowing myself to have some fun! My dogs are always camera ready, especially Dante if he thinks we are playing.

I see it, I want it, It's mine!

Curly pug tail

Oh, hello.

Chloe refused to participate in my shenanigans this time:

Chloe Bear

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KC Pittie Pack and Friends

On Saturday I met with a dog walking group, KC Pittie Pack and Friends, at Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens. It was quite chilly so I bundled up with two layers of pants, a short sleeve tee, a long sleeve tee, a sweatshirt, fingerless gloves, a scarf and a headwrap. Needless to say, it could have been a blizzard and I would have been warm. I made sure my camera battery was fully charged (the cold drains life out of it very quickly) and off I went.

Jan 21, 2012

I make it a habit to arrive a little early to any photo shoot, because I like to scope out the area and take a few shots to test my exposure. Okay, I admit, I arrived way early and sat in my car for 30 minutes reading up even more on the group. Here is what I knew going into the walk:

1. KC Pittie Pack and Friends “are a dog walking group in Kansas City that strives to create a safe environment for dog owners to work on socializing their pets.” – Facebook

2. This was their second walk. The first one had seven dogs in attendance.

3. One dog per walker, no retractable leashes, bring poop bags and treats!

4. Their inspiration to start a dog walking group came from Two Pitties in the City, a blog written by a couple in Chicago who focuses on having two large breed dogs, Mr B & Miss M, while living in the city. This blog is one of my favorite ones to read and look at photos. They delve into everything that involves being a dog owner -  how they decorate and accommodate their apartment for two dogs, training (I especially like the post on walking two dogs at one time – still working on that myself), even dog gear where they write about costumes and the GoPro HD Hero camera, a compact camera that attaches to Mr B’s harness. I wrote an email asking questions and was pleasantly surprised with a very quick reply!

Once everyone had arrived, we all stood in a circle with plenty of space between every dog. I really like how they reinforced a ‘no nose to nose’ interaction. This takes the pressure off the dogs and doesn’t lead to any problems with leash aggressive doggies. We did short introductions and some people even said what training they would like to work on while on the walk. They put a lead dog in the front of the pack once the walk started. Everyone made sure to keep a safe distance from each other, but after the dogs relaxed a bit, little packs were formed. It was a really neat experience and one I had never participated in before (but will in the future!)

I love this idea of bringing not only the dogs together, but dog owners as well. I had the opportunity to chat with dog bloggers (Our Waldo Bungie & Wayward Dogs) , fellow photographers and all around great people.

THANK YOU to KC Pittie Pack and Friends for letting me part of such a great event. So happy you more than doubled the dogs from your first walk! I look forward to watching your group grow and inspire other groups to form!

KC Pittie Pack and Friends

Animal Shelter - August 2011

You are alone.

You smell other dogs, but can’t see them. Noises echo all around, bouncing off the walls. Confusion sets in quick and you don’t quite know how to react.

Everything hurts.

This is how I imagine the dog ‘Spirit’ felt when he sat in an animal shelter in August 2011. His body, practically hairless, probably shivered with horrible memories of his home life before a rescue organization and animal control stepped in to help.

Spirit got his name from his foster mother, Elisabeth. I had the pleasure of meeting her last Saturday at an adoption event. She sat proudly by her sweet Spirit, wanting me to know his story and eager to show photos of how far he had come. I spend a lot of my time volunteering by taking photographs of adoptable dogs. It was hard to believe this beautiful white dog staring back at my camera was the same dog in the photographs just months before. His wide smile lit up my heart.

In foster care - August 2011

Feeling safe - August 2011

Happy Boy - September 2011

Foster Family - December 2011

These pictures really say it all about Spirit’s incredible recovery. Imagine the love he felt while being nurtured by all the important people he met, and especially Elisabeth. Having the ability to love and let go is what makes foster parents so special and vital in the pet community.

Spirit was recently adopted and his happy tale continues. Thank you to all the volunteers, rescue organizations, foster parents, adopters, vets, donators, photographers and kind hearts.

Best of luck Spirit and cheers to your new family!

Adoption Day - January 7, 2012

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Okay, it’s no secret. I love dogs.

And if ever I need to smile, I just think of Dante. He is our happy 4 year old pug/bulldog mix. His curious nature usually gets him into trouble at least 78 times a day. Standing only 14 inches tall and weighing about 35 pounds easily equals an adorable, round body. In Dante’s world, an unattended handbag or dirty sock on the floor are fair game for him to prowl, investigate and attack if need be. He’ll be the first to let you know when someone (or some squirrel) is in his yard.

His doggie sister Chloe is his mother hen, and constantly keeps an eye on him for us. That’s not even an exaggeration. She literally keeps him in check and out of trouble, being the first to scold him with a soft bite on his back legs. This, of course, results in the most awful cry/growl from him followed by a short lived wrestling match with Chloe. Dante loses everytime.

"Hot Dog" pose

Skype time

Whenever food is present, you better believe Dante is doing the infamous ‘hot dog’ stance. Thank you to my husband, who thought it would be cute to train him to sit perfectly vertical, bottom directly on the floor, while little useless arms dangle in the air.

When he is ready to retire for the evening he will dig furiously into the couch, and then find the warmest body to lie next to. It is in these quite moments (aside from the snores), I fall in love with him all over again. His ‘only a face a mother could love’ gets him out of trouble and all mishaps during the day are forgiven.

Watching the history channel

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Dogs are so easily pleased. And they forgive just as easy. Barclay reminded me of that. He patiently sat and waited his turn to get photographed.  He greeted me with a curious head tilt before giving me a quick lick on the hand. Take some extra time today to give your little fido some extra attention. He’ll love every moment. I bet you will as well!

—–A post from his foster parent Jane “LOVES LOVES LOVES his person. He is a wonderful companion and will keep you entertained with his antics. His favorite thing in the whole world is to climb up in my lap, flip on his back, and go to sleep.”

Interested in adopting Barclay? Please visit petfinder.