Friday, February 17, 2012

Project 52-7: Mood

I am a member of a network of professional pet photographers from around the world. We have a challenge project: a blog roll (Project 52) where once a week we take a photo to fit the week's theme, and then link to the next participating photographer. This week's theme is MOOD. I hope you enjoy this blog post with photos and feel like leaving a comment at the end. I love visitors! After you are finished reading, please do take a moment to click the link at the bottom and see what the photographer after me came up with for the theme. In fact, sit back and take five minutes, and keep clicking thru until you come back here - I think you'll enjoy yourself!

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****


You'd think that with a topic as wide-ranging as "mood" it would be easy to come up with some images to fit. I can easily look thru galleries of past photo sessions and find finished images that would be perfect. But that would be cheating - besides sharing great images with you, my Blog Followers, the goal of this project is to take NEW pictures to fit a pre-chosen theme and to grow as a photographer. But ... looking thru those galleries gave me just the inspiration I needed to get me going. The dogs and I went off to play at the local dog park and the mood was:

... PLAYFUL!

... and FRIENDLY!


***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Thanks for visiting the Project 52 Blog Roll for Week #7. Now, please do take a moment and click thru to the blog of Karen Weiler of Posh Pets Photography, located in Toronto. If you keep clicking through to the next photographer, you'll end up right back here. Enjoy the photos and give YOUR pets a hug from me. Remember: Every Moment Matters!TM

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

2/14/2012 - Specials of the Valentine Week!

  • CURRENT SPECIALS
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    ***** Dog Breedz Cotton Throw Blanket: Save $40 on either size! Expires 2/21/2012. Use one of my images or submit one of your own.

    ***** DogBreedz Photo Galleries: 10% off orders of $20 or more (tax and shipping excluded). Use coupon code Feb142012 at checkout (enter it on the same screen you enter your payment information). This offer is good for prints and gift items at DogBreedz.SmugMug.com. Coupon expires 2/28/2012.

    ***** DogBreedz 2012 Wall Calendars and all items at Lulu: Free Ground Shipping. Save up to $50 on your next order through February 17, 2012. The fine print from Lulu: Enter coupon code FLIGHTLESS at checkout to receive this deal. The maximum savings for this offer is $50. Sorry, but this offer is only valid in US Dollars and cannot be applied to previous orders. You can only use this code once per account, and unfortunately you can't use this coupon in combination with other coupon codes. This great offer expires on February 17, 2012 at 11:59 PM PST, so don't miss out! While very unlikely, we do reserve the right to change or revoke this offer at anytime, and of course we cannot offer this coupon where it is against the law to do so.

    ***** DogBreedz Gift Items from Zazzle: 14.02% off all orders for one day only (today)! The fine print from Zazzle: Enter coupon code HAPPYLOVEDAY at checkout in the "Zazzle Coupons/Gift Certificates" box 14.02% of the product net sale price will be deducted when one or more qualifying products are purchased and the coupon code HAPPYLOVEDAY is applied at checkout. For most products, the net sale price is the price of the product (excluding shipping and taxes). For Zazzle Custom Stamps, the net sale price is the difference between the price of the Zazzle Custom Stamps (excluding shipping and taxes) and the face value of the postage. Offer is valid until February 14, 2012 at 11:59pm PT. This offer does not apply to past purchases and may not be combined with any other Zazzle promotional or volume discount offers. If a volume discount applies to your order, you will receive either the discount set forth in this offer or the standard volume discount, whichever is greater. Offer valid on Zazzle.com only.

    ***** DogBreedz Gift Items from Zazzle: Free Shipping on all orders over $50 through March 31, 2012! The fine print from Zazzle: enter coupon code FREESHIPFORU at checkout in the "Zazzle Coupons/Gift Certificates" box To qualify for this free shipping offer, one or more Zazzle products must be purchased with a net sale price equal to or greater than 50.00 dollars. The coupon code FREESHIPFORU must be entered during checkout to receive the offer. The free shipping offer is for standard shipping to U.S. addresses only. Shipping charges will apply to oversized orders and orders being shipped on an expedited basis or outside the U.S. Offer is valid through March 31, 2012 at 11:59pm PT. Your order must be placed during that time to qualify for this special offer. This promotional offer may not be combined with any other Zazzle promotional or discount offers. Offer valid on Zazzle.com only.

    *****Visa and Mastercard Gift Cards: FREE shipping on all gift card orders of $75 or more! The fine print from GiftCards.com: Get free 1st Class shipping on all Mastercard and Visa gift card orders of $75 or more! Use code CUPID2012 at checkout. Offer good until February 14, 2012. Happy Valentine's Day from GiftCards.com!




    HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

    Monday, February 13, 2012

    2/13/12: Breedz Wanted to Photograph

    Reminder: BREEDZ WANTED for Feb/Mar 2012

    If you have one of the following breeds and would like a complimentary session before March 10, 2012, please do contact me. Your dog might appear in a national magazine, on a greeting card or in a calendar! I'm currently looking for the following breeds:
  • West Highland White Terrier
  • Airedale Terrier
  • South African Boerboel
  • Irish Red and White Setter
  • Olde English Bulldogge
  • English Foxhound
  • Puppies, adults and seniors - I need them all! They must conform to breed standards, but they don't have to be show dogs; purebred-looking pets and rescues are available for this offer as well.

    Contact me at DogBreedz (at) yahoo (dot) com to arrange your free private photo sitting. Shoot participants that are chosen for the National Magazine will receive a copy of the issue they are published in. All participants will receive 20% off any prints they wish to order from the free session.

    Studio sessions will be held at my Santee studio and location candids are available at San Diego area parks or beaches. If you are in the SD, CA area and have a great house/yard to photograph in, then I may be able to come to you for the shoot. I would also love to do "lifestyle" shots and include the owner, if you are up to it. Does your dog do a job or fun activity? That is a possible shoot, as well. I look forward to hearing from you!

    Friday, February 10, 2012

    Project 52-6: Noses

    I am a member of a network of professional pet photographers from around the world. We have a challenge project: a blog roll (Project 52) where once a week we take a photo to fit the week's theme, and then link to the next participating photographer. This week's theme is NOSES. I hope you enjoy this blog post with photos and feel like leaving a comment at the end. I love visitors! After you are finished reading, please take a moment to click the link at the bottom and see what the photographer after me came up with for the theme. In fact, sit back and take five minutes, and keep clicking thru until you come around full circle back to here - I think you'll enjoy yourself!
    ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

    As soon as I heard the topic for this week (Noses) I just knew Bennett was the dog for the job! I really don't know if the image even NEEDS me to patter away about it. I tend to think it speaks for itself ...


    Working on this assignment reminded me of two foster dog photos in particular from years' past, so I thought I'd share them with you as well. Enjoy!


    ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

    Thanks for visiting the Project 52 Blog Roll for Week #6. Now, please do take a moment and click thru to the blog of Terran Bayer of Westway Studio - just up the road from me here in Southern California. Enjoy the photos and give YOUR pets a hug from me!

    Wednesday, February 8, 2012

    Valentine's Day and Your Pet: Keeping Everyone Healthy


    Our dogs are our best friends, our cats demand to be spoiled and served like royalty. We can't help but cater to them! With Valentine's Day less than one week away on the 2012 calendar, here are some tips to help keep everyone safe and lovin' the healthy vibes this year.

  • PetMD.com has 5 Pet-Conscious Tips for Valentine's Day that bear repeating year after year. I chose this article to link to, because it also tells you the proper methods for artificial respiration and cardiopulmonary respiration (CPR) for your pets, should anything happen.

  • The AKC website has some great printable lists! For this holiday these are especially appropriate: dangerous household items and foods and hazardous plants.

  • You can still indulge your dog's sweet tooth - but do it with something that is healthy for him (and even delicious for you!). Here is a recipe from the good folks at Pawluxury for Homemade Valentine Peanut Butter and Carob Biscuit Treats. Yum! (note: these are made with whole wheat flour. I avoid wheat about 90% of the time in my Cocker Kids and 100% of the time in the dogs that have any wheat sensitivities. You can successfully substitute white flour in this recipe, although you might want to cut back on the liquid just a bit (-1/4 to 1/8 a cup) to help keep the denseness of the final cookie.

  • I didn't forget our feline friends! Kitty's love their special treats too. Take a look at three purr-fect treat recipes from Catster.com: Nik Nak's Valentine's Tuna Treats, Catnip Heart Cookies, and Kitty Valentine Sardine Treats.

  • If you are like me, you are a chocolate lover, and will outright swoon at just the right chocolate dessert. Here is one I just have to try ... I could almost eat it right off the screen: Chocolate Decorator Cookies as posted at Chocolate, Chocolate and More Chocolate.

  • I would be a bad bad friend if I didn't put up a recipe that combines chocolate and peanut butter (a combination my roommate loves). Give this one a try if you love PB&C: Peanut Butter Cup Brownies in a Jar. Easy to make, yet elegant to present!

  • Not a chocolate person (really, they do exist!)? Then try this to-die-for recipe from Apron of Grace and make some delectable Rose Bouquet Stawberry Cupcakes to sweeten up your Sweetest Person this Valentine's Day.

  • If you are into fun (easy!) hand-crafted goodies, this project really struck a chord in me: Stuffed Paper Hearts (special thanks to Michele at The Scrap Shoppe for telling me about this craft, and the cupcake recipe above)!
  • Do YOU have a favorite something-something for Valentine's Day? A recipe (for you or the pet in your life)? A tradition? A favorite memory? I'd love for you to share it in my comments section below! Happy Valentine's Day!





    Top: Scottish Terrier Puppy; Bottom: Himalayan Cat

    Tuesday, February 7, 2012

    2/7/2012 - Specials of the Week!

  • CURRENT SPECIALS

  • Shop and Save!
    Have you been wanting to get a DogBreedz calendar, greeting card or other fun goodies? Now is the time with these current specials.

    ***** DogBreedz Greeting Cards at Greeting Card Universe: All Valentine's Day Cards $1.99 each - Use code 2012VAL199 - ends TOMORROW February 8th, 2012. (regular price $3.00/each)!

    ***** DogBreedz 2012 Wall Calendars and all items at Lulu: BOGO - Buy One, Get One 50% off. Save up to $50 on your next order through February 12, 2012. The fine print from Lulu: Enter coupon code DOUBLEBOOKED at checkout to receive this deal. The maximum savings for this offer is $50. Sorry, but this offer is only valid in US Dollars and cannot be applied to previous orders. You can only use this code once per account, and unfortunately you can't use this coupon in combination with other coupon codes. This great offer expires on February 12, 2012 at 11:59 PM PST, so don't miss out! While very unlikely, we do reserve the right to change or revoke this offer at anytime, and of course we cannot offer this coupon where it is against the law to do so.

    ***** DogBreedz Gift Items from Zazzle: Free Shipping on all orders over $50 through March 31, 2012! The fine print from Zazzle: FREESHIPFORU at checkout in the "Zazzle Coupons/Gift Certificates" box To qualify for this free shipping offer, one or more Zazzle products must be purchased with a net sale price equal to or greater than 50.00 dollars. The coupon code FREESHIPFORU must be entered during checkout to receive the offer. The free shipping offer is for standard shipping to U.S. addresses only. Shipping charges will apply to oversized orders and orders being shipped on an expedited basis or outside the U.S. Offer is valid through March 31, 2012 at 11:59pm PT. Your order must be placed during that time to qualify for this special offer. This promotional offer may not be combined with any other Zazzle promotional or discount offers. Offer valid on Zazzle.com only.

    *****Visa and Mastercard Gift Cards: FREE shipping on all gift card orders of $75 or more! The fine print from GiftCards.com: Get free 1st Class shipping on all Mastercard and Visa gift card orders of $75 or more! Use code CUPID2012 at checkout. Offer good until February 14, 2012. Happy Valentine's Day from GiftCards.com!

    *****Sale Items at Dog Is Good: Check out these current items on sale at Dog Is Good: Hoodie: Property of Dog; Jewelry: Bolo Necklace; Jewelry: Dogvergnügen Necklace; Tee: Never Surf Alone (Pink); and Tee: Never Surf Alone (Sapphire).


    stay tuned for tomorrow's post where you will find healthy ways to
    Treat Your Pets this Valentine's Day!
    pictured above: Bennett the American Cocker Spaniel

    Monday, February 6, 2012

    2/6/12: Breedz Wanted to Photograph

    BREEDZ WANTED for Feb/Mar 2012
    If you have one of the following breeds and would like a complimentary session before March 10, 2012, please do contact me. Your dog might appear in a national magazine, on a greeting card or in a calendar! I'm currently looking for the following breeds:
  • West Highland White Terrier
  • Airedale Terrier
  • South African Boerboel
  • Irish Red and White Setter
  • Olde English Bulldogge
  • English Foxhound
  • Puppies, adults and seniors - I need them all! They must conform to breed standards, but they don't have to be show dogs; purebred-looking pets and rescues are available for this offer as well.

    Contact me at DogBreedz (at) yahoo (dot) com to arrange your free private photo sitting. Shoot participants that are chosen for the National Magazine will receive a copy of the issue they are published in. All participants will receive 20% off any prints they wish to order from the free session.

    Studio sessions will be held at my Santee studio and location candids are available at San Diego area parks or beaches. If you are in the SD, CA area and have a great house/yard to photograph in, then I may be able to come to you for the shoot. I would also love to do "lifestyle" shots and include the owner, if you are up to it. Does your dog do a job or fun activity? That is a possible shoot, as well. I look forward to hearing from you!


    Top: Airedale Terrier CH Hoorah Ferocious Gentleman Branch
    Bottom: West Highland White Terrier Taramour's Kayla of Arbroath

    Sunday, February 5, 2012

    Vote for your favorite!

    Last week I showed you my favorite greeting card that wasn't my own and promised you that there would be more fun with it. Today is the start of that fun (actually, last Thursday was, so I'm behind ... help me make it up and send your friends over here to vote, too, if you would)!

    Behind the scenes at Greeting Card Universe it is a fun family-type atmosphere among many of the Card Designers. We share ideas, inspirations, critiques-for-improvement, and we let our followers know about other designers. There are a LOT of talented folks creating greeting cards just for YOU over there! A Blog Mash Up Challenge was issued - those of us who wanted to participate would pick our favorite card (that we didn't design) and then YOU would vote for your favorite. The artist chosen will get a fun little surprise for winning. Without further ado I present to you: Artists' Favorite Cards and the Poll (hint: I chose number 4 - isn't it a fun way to cheer up a dreary day?!)

    1. 2. 3. 4.

    5. 6. 7.

    8. 9. 10. 11.

    12. 13. 14.


    There are some creative cards there, aren't there? Have some fun, vote for YOUR favorite, and make an Independent Card Artist smile!

    VOTING CLOSES ON FEBRUARY 7th - ONE VOTE PER PERSON
    Poll: Vote For Your Favorite Card!

    2/9/2012 Results! - congratulations to the designer of Card #11, and the nominator! They each won their choice of a $10 Amazon Gift Card or 5 free card credits from GCU!

    *** *** *** *** ***

    In case you are like me, and find it interesting to know why people do what they do, here is a master list of the blog posts where artists nominated the cards they chose - happy reading!
    1. Judith Cheng nominated Studio Porto Sabbia
    2. Aqua Lee nominated Lauren Reeser
    3. Doreen Erhardt nominated Stephanie Laird
    4. Peggy Mundell (me!) nominated Colleen @ Great Scott Designs
    5. Cindy Johns nominated Ramelle Richardson
    6. Annie Lim nominated Judith Cheng
    7. Elizabeth nominated Dreaming Mind Cards
    8. Betsy Bush nominated Sharon Fernleaf
    9. Robin Chaffin nominated Barbara Schreiber
    10. Sharon Fernleaf nominated Betsy Bush
    11. Sri Devi nominated Susan Alison
    12. Laura J. Holman nominated Betty Matsumoto-Schuch
    13. TANITU nominated Betty Matsumoto-Schuch
    14. Robert Bulanadi nominated Makiko Kimura
    Have a great rest of your weekend and thanks for being a part of the fun!

    Saturday, February 4, 2012

    I'm an Abnormal Dog Owner ... and I'm proud of it!

    I'm a moderator on a Cocker Spaniel forum that I have been a member of for some time. One of the forum members posted this link today, and I think it's worthy of sharing with my blog readers. Click through and read on about "The Myth of 'Normal' Dogs". For illustration, here is Huckleberry the Labrador Retriever .... being a normal dog and eventually ready for his photo shoot (I still laugh when I think about this session)!

    Friday, February 3, 2012

    Project 52-5: Bridges

    I am a member of a network of professional pet photographers from around the world. We have a challenge project: a blog roll (Project 52) where once a week we take a photo to fit the week's theme, and then link to the next participating photographer. This week's theme is BRIDGES. I hope you enjoy this blog post with photos and feel like leaving a comment at the end. I love visitors! After you are finished reading, please take a moment to click the link at the bottom and see what the photographer after me came up with for the theme. In fact, sit back and take five minutes, and keep clicking thru until you come around full circle back to here - I think you'll enjoy yourself!
    ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

    I wasn't sure I'd be able to participate this week ... I had a couple of ideas up my sleeve about where I'd be able to locate a bridge to use as a shoot location but nothing was really standing out. Last weekend I was up in San Bernardino doing ring side candid photography for some dog show clients and as soon as I entered the event venue I saw it: a serene lagoon with a charming wood and stone bridge at one end - perfect! Now, who was I going to use for my model? When Demi the Dandie Dinmont Terrier's owners and breeder offered her services to me, I knew the pairing couldn't have been better scripted!

    Thanks for visiting my part of the Project 52 Blog Roll for Week #5. Now, remember to take a moment and click thru to the blog of Stephanie Madeline (of Chase and Snap Pet Photography - located in New Jersey). Enjoy the photos and give YOUR pets a hug from me!

    Thursday, February 2, 2012

    Westminster Best In Show Records - interesting!


    Whether you are a dog show enthusiast or the average dog person, following the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show judging is probably on your must-do list. Some will be watching every movement on screen, others will have it on in the background while going about other tasks in the home. There are people who will only watch when "their" breed or group is in the ring and then there are those that really only care who the Best In Show winner is. No matter what your MO is regarding the Big Show, you just might find some interesting facts in this link: The Westminster Kennel Club Best In Show Records. This page chronicles the Best In Show stats from 1907 - 2011. Did you know there was no Best In Show awarded in 1923? I didn't (and now I'm wondering "why?"). Take a look at all the various breakdowns in the stats: What breed has taken the most BIS ribbons from this event? Which group has had the best BIS showing over the years at Westminster? There is a chart of the oldest and the youngest canine to take top honors. You can even view the charts of which handlers were there in the ring with the BIS dog.

    For those nuts about watching the WKC show on the television - can you just imagine the thrill of actually BEING there live and in person, cheering on your favorite dogs? I am overjoyed that one of the nicest people I have ever met is getting her dream come true this year - check out Kelly's blog post about her upcoming experience.

    *** *** *** *** ***

    And for all you Groundhog Day folks out there who still haven't heard: Punxsutawney Phil, the most famous Groundhog of all, stuck his head out, saw his shadow, and promptly ducked back into his home and slammed the door on the waiting reporters. I've never quite gotten the whole Phil thing. I mean, really, if he sees his shadow wouldn't that mean it's sunny? And warming up? With winter ending sooner rather than later? I can see him being a ninny: getting scared and running off to hide again, but what does being a scardie-cat have to do with reporting on the onset of Spring? Seriously? Come to think of it, did I really just question the seriousness of a large rodent-type animal predicting our weather?!

    Wednesday, February 1, 2012

    Back to the Shows: Orange Empire Dog Club 2012

    December saw me taking some time off from the show circuit while I tended to more domestic pursuits over the end-of-the-year Holidays. It sure felt good tho, to fire up the truck and head out on the road again - this time to San Bernardino, CA for The Orange Classic to see some old friends and to make some new ones. Half of the classes were being judged indoors and I concentrated on the goings-on in the outside rings. My full gallery of images will be up in about another 10 days (prepaid Priority Requests are processed in only 3 days from the show - all the details on my pricing can be found on my main web site).


    I started off my weekend ringside at the Obedience Rings. Watching these dogs work as a team with their humans was inspiring! Lyric is the Golden Retriever in my photo here. Can't you just see the concentration on her face as she searches for the dumb-bell that was "scented" by her owner and placed in a stack of other dumb-bells? While I was enjoying the Obedience classes I was treated to a totally cool meeting ... one of the SoCal Pet Photographers that I've admired for awhile came out to the show to enjoy the doggies and to take a few minutes to meet with me. Kienan (and her husband Alvin) are the VERY talented photographer team at Cowan Impressions. They have some stunning bully portraits, and their magic continues over to other breeds as well. I recommend you take a look at their work!

    By the end of the day Saturday, I was running out of available light for the Group and Best in Show Judging (all done indoors). But this boy - GCH Graybulls Moonshine In A Mason Jar - just stole the show during the Non-Sporting Group judging. The is one Bulldog that knows that attitude and humor are an important part of being a Champion. He took third in his group on Saturday.

    Sunday was just as beautiful and I enjoyed my second day on the showgrounds. Besides hanging with some favorite breeds, I had a chance to meet the Dandie Dinmont Terriers, up close and personal. I've admired the breed for awhile, but never knew much about them (you'll have to wait until Friday for my Project 52 post for that photo). I made a point to spend some time at the "Miscellaneous Breed" ring. The lighting made for some nice portraits - this example is the Russell Terrier Sierra Vista's Doc Diggins.

    My weekend was finished up watching Lynda O'Connor-Schneider take Best of Breed with English Springer Spaniel CH Ramblewood Don't Stop Believin' (call name Barney). Springers are close to my heart (although Cockers HAVE my heart!) and it was a fitting way to close up my trip to San Bern. I'm back home now, editing away on ALL of the photos from the show. Thanks for visiting for this look into what's to come when the editing is done!


    PS: The big winner for the weekend? Both days saw Ally (GCH Brighton Lakeridge Encore) the Standard Poodle taking home the big rosettes. Congratulations to Ally, and to everyone for another wonderful dog show weekend!