Portrait Day at the kennel is always very amusing. Each dog, of course, smiles and poses somewhat differently. And in order to get that ‘perfect smile’ or that side angle appearance those of us “grunts” work very hard: We run in circles, squeak toys, toss gloves in the air, open and close the door, do pull ups (okay… maybe that’s a fib), toss kibble in the air, tease biscuits in front of noses… and on.
The other problem is often the glove that is being tossed in order to get that “be in love with the camera” feeling from each canine, is tossed right in front of the lens. No… I mean… RIGHT in front. Those are of course the best shots.
Much of the time patience is really what works in the long run. Is this a lecture? Yes… patience. Give each pooch a chance to assume a position that they are comfortable in and have them focus on Jeanne and her camera lens. But, sometimes the focus isn’t quite on Jeanne. Sometimes a dog is just is happy being themselves and NOT posing.
Two people generally stand on either side of the dog. Two leashes are sometimes needed, but not always. The “grunts” have to remember that THEY are not the object of the photo shoot. That can be tricky at times. Because as magical as Jeanne can be with photoshop and removing leashes… she can not remove an entry human leg or head from the frame.
And of course we have to end with our annual shot of the ONE the ONLY… Tig. Also known as.: The black floppy eared dog that fetches sticks and doesn’t pull.
For those of you who might feel that we are a bit ‘unkind’ to Tig during the Halloween season, take note: she ripped the ghost costume to shreds when she jumped out of the log dog house. Apparently there will be no more ghosts at SPK on Halloween! Party pooper.
Congratulations to Carol Griffiths who is a fan of Barista! In celebration of the entire ‘Coffee Litter’ (Barista, Bean, Sanka, Creamer, Perky and Decaf) Carol wins a SP Kennel ‘to go’ hot beverage cup and a small sample of North Pole Coffee Musher’s Blend Roast. Perhaps we will toss in a few a Sipping Streams Tea sampler in case Carol is not coffee inclined.
“My Princess Wedgy is doing great. Wedgy is actually omnivorous and spent the summer eating all our cucumbers from the garden and the raspberries from our berry plants. Now that it is fall she picks apples that hang down low on our apple trees and munches them down core and all. No, she’s not starving; I’m feeding her plenty of food and treats!
Brothers Pepe and Nelson have gone just down the road to long-time good kennel friends who have a commercial kennel where they will get to be big fish! The visitors to the kennel love them and being Iditarod dogs they attract quite a lot of attention. They are very happy hanging out with each other and will enjoy showing visitors to the Fairbanks area the local mushing trails.
Nelson is a whirling dervish with non stop energy. He twirled like a top whenever he stood in one place. He added energy to every situation – whether it was wanted or not! Nelson is addicted to running and we will miss his sweet and enthusiastic manner.
Sled dogs run and pull. They love it. It is part of their being and they do it every chance they get. So when Two Rivers Dog Mushers Association decided to have a 5K Canicross Event, many of us at SPK thought: “Oh my. Let’s do it!” Even Allen’s daughters, Bridgett and Jennifer, entered the race.
Overall, the race was great! Jeff and Junior took off like the rabbits they are and charged to the finish. Bridgett and Quito hotfooted the 5K like pros. Jennifer and Scout ran a stress free 5K and put another race under their belts.
