Book: The New York Dog

Capturing the smile of a dog in a photograph is something that dog lovers do all the time. I often carry a camera with me to photograph my dog Winnie and other dogs I see at the park or the neighborhood. Some weeks ago I watched a video class at Creative Live with photographer Rachael Hale McKenna and I was hooked. The patience and the kindness she has to create photographs with animals is amazing.

Her new book "The New York Dog" is on bookstores now. I just ordered mine and I can't wait to read it. This is a description of the book:

"Following in the paw prints of The French Cat and The French Dog, The New York Dog showcases Rachael Hale McKenna’s signature photographic style in the Big Apple. Capturing both the atmosphere of the city and the personalities of its canine residents, Hale explores the life of the New York dog from many angles, showing dogs taking walks, riding in taxis, lounging in extravagant apartments, shopping in boutiques, visiting spas, dining in restaurants, and much more. From purebreds on the Upper East Side to loveable mutts in Queens, The New York Dog celebrates the wide variety of dogs that live throughout all five boroughs of this great city."

If you want to see Rachael in action, enjoy her video.

To get awesome tips for photographing your dog, read this post from the Design Sponge blog about Rachael and then... get those wonderful pictures!

Adopting a Dog: Testimonials #5

We have 7 beautiful stories from one happy home. I can imagine all those angels barking and running around, but most of all, they have a family now! Read their amazing stories from Lauren:

"Theo is our long-haired Chihuahua. He was surrendered by his abusive owners to the local humane society. He would not allow anyone to come near him and was labeled as "Unadoptable." One day, a foster mom from a nearby rescue group came to the humane society and asked about Theo's story. She proceeded to stay with Theo for 2 hours until he finally allowed her to pet him. The woman knew that Theo's time at the shelter was almost up. He was scheduled to be euthanized in two days!

This fantastic lady took Theo home with her and her 17 foster Pugs! Theo soon learned to love again and was placed on Petfinder.com for adoption. We had lost our very first dog, Spots, the year before. As luck would have it, my mom found out about Petfinder.com from her beautician. We saw his picture and fell in love! Theo is now loving his new life as the alpha male of our pack.

Adriel is our short-haired Chihuahua. She was rescued from a backyard breeder, where she had been kept in a cage all her life. Adriel does have an interesting feature. Her tongue is longer than her head so it always sticks out! She is the most caring member of our pack and is also a certified Therapy Dog with Therapy Dogs International. Adriel also passed her AKC Canine Good Citizen test.

Domino is our Blue Merle Chihuahua. His former owner was an older woman who had two other dogs. She lived inside a tiny apartment and never let them go outside. She dropped him off at a shelter in Missouri and didn't give the staff a reason why. Because Domino was forced to live in a confined spaces, he will "circle" (run around in tight circles) when he is nervous. Thanks to Chihuahua Rescue Midwest, we were able to adopt this sweet angel. He loves to cuddle and circles less and less every day.

Cole is our big baby. He is a 21 pound Min Pin/Chihuahua mix. Cole and his brother were found wandering the streets of St. Louis, MO. He actually had ticks embedded in his fur. They were so bad that he had to have them surgically removed! Thanks to the amazing people at St. Louis Senior Dog Project, we now on the happiest dog on the planet! His tail is always wagging and he loves to meet new people and animals.

Penny is one of our "special" babies. She was found as a stray in California and taken to a high kill shelter. No one wanted to adopt her because she has a severe overbite and a deformed front paw that looks like a stump with two "toes" on it. Essentially this makes her a tripod dog. Luckily, a friend of 2nd Chance Animal Rescue saw this little cutie and asked if they would help save her. Then, Penny was driven by Flying "B" Animal Transportation to Springfield, IL where she was fostered until my husband and I saw her on Petfinder.com and fell in love. Penny is such an inspiration to those that she meets. She doesn't let her disabilities stop her from living her best life. And she can even scale our 4 foot pet gate! Check out the video on www.pricelesspennyp.com.

Hope is our second "special" baby. She is a double dapple Dachshund. Unfortunately, she was the product of a backyard breeder. She was born without eyes and is deaf. The "owner" surrendered her to Dachshund Rescue North America (with a choke collar on). I saw her picture and knew that she was meant to be a part of our furry family. My husband and I are constantly amazed at Hope's resilience. She is able to jump onto chairs and navigates through our house as if she has lived there forever.

We feel so blessed to have these wonderful creatures in our lives! I am so thankful for all of the rescue groups that decided to help give these dogs the second chance at life that they so rightly deserve." -Lauren, Freeburg, Illinois

Adopting a Dog: Testimonials #4

This time our testimonial is about Belinda and her dog Lil Baci. Another doggie that found love, kindness and the opportunity to have a new life and a new family. This is her story:

"When I first saw Baci. She was languishing in a kill-shelter facing euthanasia. She had 3 strikes against her: She was a senior dog and had extensive costly dental disease as well as digestive issues... so she was bypassed... until I laid eyes on her. I saw perfection and a shy sweet angelic soul. I was hopelessly smitten. Without hesitation I adopted her.

After getting her extensive dental work done, I needed to deal with her challenging digestive issues - which made her extremely finicky about what she would eat. After exhaustively going thru countless high-end dog foods, I decided to head to the kitchen and develop my own grain-free, organic all natural food and treats for her which would provide her with peak nutrition. I shared the food and treats with other "dog parents" which is how the Company "Lil Baci's Grain-free Naturals" was created.

I never fathomed that adopting Baci would result in launching my own Organic grain-free Dog food/Treat Company. Saving Baci's life simultaneously changed mine tremendously. And I will always be grateful to her." - Belinda, Boston.

Origami Dogs

Time for a break! After all day working with the computer it is fun to make something different. For your kids or for you, make these origami dogs. The videos are easy to follow.

Adopting a Dog: Testimonials #3

This is the third post with testimonials about adoption. I am so excited to see how much love people put in to the writing of their stories, That reflects kindness and a desire to show others what a blessing these dogs are in their lives. This week's testimonial is from Gloria and her dog Sonny:

"While fostering my second Brittany our state coordinator sent all volunteers a photo of a 12 week old puppy, looking for his forever home. His mother and 2 of his siblings had been surrendered and had already been adopted. He was the runt, last dog left. Having no plans to ever raise a puppy again, I asked about his personality. He was described as a middle of the road type dog. PERFECT. The hook was set.

Training a puppy, what was I thinking? WOW, what work! Will I be able to exercise him enough? Other challenges? Yep, he got mange, developed a limp with his growing pains and has a calcium deficiency and broken teeth. Luckily everything is under control now. Sonny stoically withstood being medically probed, creams applied, and medicine given.

Sonny’s personality developed into one of the most flexible dogs I have ever encountered. His easy-going nature, his fearlessness, and his joy of play readily welcomes every dog (and human) into his home. He shares his toys, food, humans, and furniture, whatever. Sonny makes sure each dog is exercised to their individual ability. When he plays with a puppy or small dog, he somehow becomes a small dog. Sonny can take on the big dogs, too. Labs, Setters, Aussies, bring them on; he’ll play on their level. If a dog wants to dominate, Sonny is ok with that. If they are submissive, he encourages them to relax, be comfortable and secure. With Sonny’s expert help, confidence is quickly built. He shows other dogs how to sit, come and generally how to behave in and out of the house. It all seems to come naturally for him. Sonny is equally content to entertain himself as an only dog or party with a group of dogs. Oh, and did I mention he is a cat-like dog?He’ll climb on anything. His favorite place to nap is on the back of a couch.

Sonny has been a great addition to our family and a super asset to ABR. With his assistance, fostering is more rewarding. He has a job to do. He trains, exercises and offers friendship. Sonny really enjoys his work.

Sonny passed the Canine Good Citizenship Test and he was only 1 ½ years old. Sonny is 10, now the oldest after our Dalmatian passed away at 16 1/2 years. He is a big brother to two other rescued dogs." - Gloria, Florida

This is Mimi, Gloria's last showgirl dog. Sonny grew up with Mimi. After she crossed over the rainbow, her family decided to get into fostering.

Adventures: Walking with your Dog

One of the best parts of my day is when I take a break from working at my home office and I take my dog Winnie for a walk. We go out 3 or 4 times a day alternating short and long walks and some times when I am stressed or inspiration is not around for a project, I just say "let's take a walk!" and it takes a second for Winnie to be ready and jumping at the door.

There are many benefits for you and your dog from taking a walk to the park or around the neighborhood. The dog feels that he is WITH you, that you care about him and feels loved. What a better experience for your friend than smelling the flowers and playing detective discovering clues from other dogs that were around before?

I could mention many benefits but here are a few:

- Creates a stronger bond between you and your dog - Helps your dog (and You) socialize and make new friends - The dog enjoys quality time with you - Improves your health (and your dog's!) - Releases stress and fills you with renewed energy - You (and your dog) will sleep better at night

You may had a hard day at work, or you don't have much free time during the week, but it is worth to see your dog's wagging tail and excited to go out, even for a short walk, don't skip it. If you have a garden where your dog enjoys being outdoors, do it anyway and enjoy the adventure. What a better partner to motivate you to do some exercise?

Some tips when you are out:

- Try not to walk long distances in extreme weather - Bring water for your dog if you will take a long walk - Watch your dog if there are young children around

What is your favorite spot to go for walk? a park? the beach? around your neighborhood? Share your experience on the comments section : )