Photodump #4

Zoom zoom Caleb!

The D-Cat, he is lounging. Dusty is juuust that cool.

Sophie's in her Sofa-fort...

Chomp!

HEY! That's actually ME you're biting, you brindle doofus!

Playing catch up...

Let's see... went to Vegas for Superzoo, the pet trade show. Long week -- some nice stuff there. I really only came home this time with several nice pet beds, some T-Shirts, and some very cute shampoo that has this neat 'pet freshening spray' on the bottom, and VERY nice shampoo on the top. Wouldn't use it for a show, it really softens the dog's coats, but Simon is now wafting the masculine smell of Coconut Lime. Ahhh. It's like a Cardi air freshener. ;)

So, here are my week photos...

37/52 "Luggage Inspector" (I left treats in the bag unpacking. Hahah, guess who found them!)



38/52 "Mmmmmuffins!"


Got home, have been working like a maniac. Well, got into work, turned around to let Caleb through the door and... my back went "no." So, this time went directly into the doctor and now am on muscle relaxers (still.) I will say the stim treatment though worked awesomely well, and this time it's only been a little over a week and a half and I'm nearly back to normal.

Found out that my little Arab is officially a "pasture pet" only. His knee is getting so arthritic that he's locking up a lot even loose in his pasture, and he's pitched on the ground a few times when he's got up a head of steam. Well, on a high note, he's photogenic and cute! He'll have to model and earn his living. ;) Sadly, he is nowhere as good as Simon.

Of course... getting ready for the Richland show, and I come home and my 19 year old arthritic cat's leg is swollen up like a little peg. Great. I had an appointment with my regular mobile vet (who I love. Matt and I had a mock fight and he said that if we divorce, he's taking custody of the vet. I told him no way) but he can't make it until Thursday. So I run him down to a new vet and the guy is great. He looks at it, takes fluid, tells me that the cat has cancer and without taking off his leg the cat has days to live. I pay the deposit, and take Merp home. I admit, I adopted this cat back in January... and I absolutely adore him. He's just the sweetest old cat, with everyone, including the dogs. Either that, or like some grandpas, he just doesn't care.

So, I spend a sleepless night, and decide that morning that he can't go in. He looks horrible, he's barely walking, etc... there's no way this cat can survive on three legs, none. Sigh. I call my regular vet out for Thursday... and we're all set to put him to sleep.

Well, get up this morning, his leg is way less swollen, and he's bopping around the house. Enough that he goes to get a drink of water in the other room, he lies in the sunshine and bakes himself. My mobile vet comes and we watch him happily purring and headbutting us for a while...

I've had to euthanize many of my crew over the years. You really do know when they are done; there's just something about them at that point where you realize they're ready to go. Merp decided today wasn't his day, and well... now we're sending away a test for a second opinion on the leg.

Unfortunately, my other cat walks in with his eye swollen shut last night, and he's ulcerated his eye again. Sheesh. Drops in the eye six times a day. Well, now that the cat's not in danger of dying this weekend at least, and the other one can be medicated, still preparing for Richland. Find out that a friend's dog that I've been hoping for a puppy from didn't take -- so bummed, but I'm sure not as disappointed as they are. Been looking for a pup since this spring... well, I guess that's someone's way of telling me the right one hasn't shown up! ;)

So... yeah. What does Caleb do? Cut his paw on a freshly cut branch of my Vine Maple running around after Simon in the yard... and is limping like gangbusters. It's not a bad, bad cut, but between his front toes, and bad enough for me to realize there is NO way we're going to Richland. Oh well, I'll live vicariously through everyone else, I guess, and hear how things went!

Sigh. Lovely.

Oh well! Pets happen, right? Everything's for a reason. Besides, today I can walk into the back room and the old cat purrs at me, That alone makes it all better!

Pawspective... (22/52)

Simon and I did a quick shoot down on our dock, and this shot was the one that I used for this week's photo. He didn't feel like sitting and posing that day for me, and finally I just let him do what he wanted... he was right, it was a better shot. I think I might just give up and hand him the camera.



Meanwhile, then on Friday Caleb and I were at Yakima. This was the first time that I handled him myself both days. My back is a little sore but not bad, thank goodness... and we did okay. Meaning ol' one eye me did not drop Caleb on his head on the table, and Caleb wasn't a whirling dervish of happiness. ;) Baby steps. Nothing for us this weekend, but that's okay -- I'm happy with him just focusing and listening and actually thinking bait might be tasty for once.

However, the drive there is so beautiful. Sadly, it was pouring on the way home; I'd been dying to get a shot of Caleb against the sagebrush and sky... but I'll settle for this one. He was so tired after the show that he was half asleep as I set him up there, and he still looks a little rumply from the rain earlier and being wet in the ring and then squished between the seat of Dayl's van, haha.

Man, he is really growing up all of a sudden. I still think 'goofball puppy. Now he's er... well, still a goofball. ;)

Show days, spring storms, and a good boy...

Weekend two of three weekends in a row for Caleb and I. Last week in Bremerton, he picked up a point, going BOW there on Saturday. Had a great time with everyone over at the house like I said in the post before, haha.

Of course, it's been miserable and wet all week. Simon just is bored to death with the limited inside time. :/ Sigh.



This weekend we went to Albany, Oregon, and had a blast. Well, okay, the opening was uh, not so much of a blast. First of all, a grand old storm decided to blow into our area. Sixty mile an hour gusts, driving rain, and man, it was a mess. Of course, I was walking Caleb onto the boat to meet Dayl on the other side, and first off the ferry was running behind. Secondly, oh man -- see, they don't allow dogs in the cabin, you have to stay outside on the upper decks or the front of the boat. It was bitterly cold, the ship was rolling and rocking, and the two of us were the only critters up on that top deck.

This was beautiful though. This huge rainbow was right off the point, and ships were passing underneath it right before we left the dock. I wish this shot showed a bit more on how rough it was -- doesn't look it, does it? Let me tell you, when we started to move, it got downright er, a bit touchy there. That deck was rolling and pitching like a rodeo bull, and the rain was coming down so hard that the covered deck was leaking above us. We kept scootching back and back to get under the cover. Luckily, Caleb handled it all like a little trooper; he just sat on the bench and cuddled with me and I sort of admit I was sort of thinking things I shouldn't as we were being tossed up and down unpleasantly.

"In case of emergency water landing, Cardigan can be used as a flotation device..." was running through my head.



Luckily, his little coat kept him pretty dry and warm... mine, not so much. ;) Grabbed the wrong coat, whoops!


Finally got over and met Dayl and her crew and then we got the joy of being stuck for three hours in bad traffic, ugh. Oh boy, that makes for a long drive from Seattle to Albany, eep! Apparently a big fir tree had crashed down in the storm, landed on the brand new guard rail and smashed it into a mangled mess, and there were branches all the way across the highway. :/ Hope no cars were under that or clipped, but I wouldn't have been surprised - traffic was bad. The rain wasn't helping either - at times you could barely see.

However, the show was a ton of fun. Pam was so sweet and gracious for letting us and the dogs crash at her house. The puppy party was fun and I learned a ton from a lot of breeders there, and I was thrilled to get some nice comments on my dog from them.

Caleb went RWD both days, and I'm really thrilled about that. The dogs there were very, very nice, and it could have gone any way either day. One thing I can say about Liblet is that he's consistent! Plus, the reserve earned us this gorgeous blanket as one of the supported entry trophies, embroidered with a wonderful Cardigan. What's so cool? It's the same shade of green as my walls, and it looks sharp on the sofa. Plus, it's big enough for me and the dogs to cuddle in.

Coming home, we made much better time, and the ferry ride home was much less of an adventure. Caleb is a good little traveler -- he takes it all in stride. He was so wiped out though he just flopped and sat on the benches, and I think his expression says it all. I love this shot for some reason. I think it's the crumpled ear and the softness of his eye...



Simon was overjoyed to see him -- and it was a roughhouse Cardi party for about half an hour. Me, I had to try and wheedle my way back into the cat's good graces. Dusty is not amused that I would leave for a whole weekend. I'm being shunned, hahah. At least the dogs still love me. ;)

Weekend photography...

I've decided I really enjoy taking photos of other people's dogs. It's more of a challenge than my own; I know how to shoot mine for their best sides, so to speak. I know how to adjust colors and backgrounds to make my dogs pop out and stand out. However, since the entire crew of Dune Cardigans and Aurigan was at my house for the Bremerton show, I'd been itching for a chance to practice my photography on someone else's dogs. You can see some of the pictures I took for Dune over on her blog. :) I love her dogs; they were so well behaved. Hunter was really a pleasure to work with - I think with a bit of practice he'd pick up modeling as one more career in his resume!

Of course, the highlight of my photographer's day was how much fun it is to photograph puppies. They don't sit still much. They don't have to look at you. But they do all these freaking adorable things and you hope you're fast enough to catch it on camera. I'll let Dayl over at Aurigan share most of them... this litter is gorgeous... but I have to share a few of my favorite shots of these beautiful pups. The photographer in me is thrilled with them.

One of the pups from Aurigan Cardigans... apparently Matt has good taste for girls. ;) Hey, I knew that. I also know he'd dump me for that pretty face in a heartbeat, sigh.

... Albany next weekend. If you see some crazy person ringside with a camera and a red-brindle dog, hahah, that's probably me and Caleb!

11/52, 12/52, and a quick photo drive-by...

11/52, "No, you give it!"

Simon says: I want that toy, dad! I wanted it five minutes ago when you asked me and I still want it now!

12/52 "Easy as..."
Falling off a log. Or Simon locking my keys in the unlockable car for three hours. Apparently you can do it if you step on the right button and do a Corgi Voodoo dance! No worries it was raining. :/ He was quite comfortable and took a nap. I sat in the barn and shivered after I realized there was no way I was getting into the car until Matt came to rescue me, hahah!

This is manic ball face. Manic ball face is somehow awesome when you catch it on film.




Caleb actually was with me at the Bremerton show this weekend. :) We got one point, going BOW on Saturday (Reserve on Sunday) and I was really pleased with him. He was much calmer, not a whirling, chatty, happy dervish. He really was happy and just going along, and I learned some really fabulous ideas for focusing him from some very nice people, and Dayl and I had a great time. I can say 14 Corgis in one house isn't as bad as three German Shepherds. (Gee, I still only have half a garbage can to scoop, hahahah!) Kim was wonderful as she always is, and so was Kate's mom, who did a wonderful job handling her girl out there! I really have to thank all the Cardi people up here... they've been so helpful.

Also: Caleb doing his best Zoolander impression. I cannot help but laugh at him, but man, it fits.

3/52 - "On the Rocks."

My 52 Weeks for Dogs picture this week of Simon.

I think we might do a local calendar this year of Simon on places on Bainbridge Island. :) We've had some pretty serious interest in folks thinking he might make a good card line as well...

I loved this shot, but didn't use it this week, it was so close to last week's shot in color and tone.





Tired. I will just sum up the weekend with Caleb = total happy idiot git. It was one of those moments when I wanted to throttle his little smiling, whining, barking face. Except at the hotel where he was a good good boy. He's got lovely hotel manners. <3 I'll take what what I can get this weekend.