Monday Morning Sneak Peeks 12/10/2012

The DogBreedz studio is quiet until just after Christmas, but I've been keeping busy in the meantime. Don Osborne was the photographer for the annual ESRA Santa Shoot at PetSmart (I step into the role of photographer's assistant and do the doggie posing for him). But during some of the "down time" over the weekend I was able to snap some photos with my own camera. Read on ...

Last week I announced the winners in the Gift Tag give-a-way. One of the two winners is a SoCal Springer friend. His dog was our Ambass-a-dog at this last weekend's event so I was able to take a good Holiday photo of Calvin to make dad's gift tags uber-personalized ... not only his favorite breed, but his best buddy, too!

Calvin the English Springer Spaniel poses on the Holiday photo set
The PetSmart shoot isn't just for the animals in our lives! Children and adults alike enjoy some one-on-one time with Santa. Just ask Wendy ...

Wendy tells Santa what she wants for Christmas!
And one image - the Cocker Spaniel Lap Blanket wasn't my only doggie related knit project. My next endeavor was a creation for the annual Volunteer dinner auction for English Springer Rescue America. However it wasn't finished in time for that event. Now that all the finishing touches are complete we are trying to decide if it should be raffled or auctioned. What do YOU think?

Hand Knit/Dog Approved! English Springer Spaniel hand knit afghan - ready to be auctioned or raffled for Rescue!

Indie and Bennett - planning a Big Surprise!

Welcome back to the DogBreedz.net Blog. As many of you already know, Indie and Bennett are my own furkids, and they light up my life every single day. Although they are both adopted from a wonderful Rescue as puppies, they have "formal" names as well as their more familiar "call" names. Indie is Kodak's Canyonview Little Miss Independant and Bennett's big-boy name is Kodak's Canyonview The Best Is Yet To Come.

Indie and Bennett have been working undercover for many weeks now on a Big Surprise. They've been getting me up early, before the heat of the day, going to a Top Secret Location and putting their heads together with one of their Cocker Friends named Flirt (is it any surprise that she is a Parti, too?!). Flirt's parents, Peggy and Joe, have been put through their paces as well.

The Big Reveal is scheduled for August 3, 2012. And let me tell you, they are excited! And a little apprehensive - they want the news that day to be that their hard work has paid off. Stay tuned for more - and keep your paws crossed!

Let Indie and Bennett know through the comment section below - what do YOU think their Big Surprise is going to be?

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** Indie (bottom photo) and Bennett (top photo) are modeling the July Beach set, celebrating the Dog Days of Summer. This is all done in studio - no sand in the fur or paws scorched by the hot pavement walking to the shore! The set is suitable for large dogs and other species too, so book your July Beach Session now. $35.00 for 15-30 minutes on set (whatever your pet needs to get comfortable and have fun!) and that includes a print credit that will pay for a 5x7 or it can be applied to other sizes, as well.

Have you signed up for the DogBreedz.net monthly Newsletter? It comes direct to your inbox and you can learn about all sorts of great things before they are posted to the blog - like the Beach Set (modeled in the newsletter by Salsa the Border Terrier). Click HERE to learn more.

Thanks for the visit - please hug your pet for me today!

Bring on the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels!

I think this is going to be a FUN weekend! I've been asked by my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel friends to set up at their summer celebration party and take some portraits of the cute Cavaliers ... and boy do I *l*o*v*e this breed! Proceeds from the shoot will go to Cavalier Rescue to help with their work. I've also partnered with them to photograph their intake Rescues from this area - professional photos really help the dog to stand out on the adoptable pages of the web site. There are a couple of things that make the fundraising shoots a little different from the similar mini-shoots here at the studio, besides the donation to a Rescue organization. The three most popular sizes (4x6, 5x7 and 8x10) of prints purchased from fundraiser shoots are priced lower than my regular scale and the pet parents get one free 8x10 for each purchased session. And the timing couldn't be better, as the Cavalier is on my "Breedz Wanted" list for this month (you can read about that by clicking HERE)!

Enjoy YOUR weekend - and I'll "see" you online on Monday!

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