Fun in the sun

After three days of grey skies and wet weather it was with delight that I awoke to blue skies once more. Once all the chores were out of the way I had a little time to play with my camera. This time I had the 50mm lens fitted on the front so I decided to leave it there and see how I managed. Its a lovely little lens but I find it rather restricting in that I can't always get far enough away from my subject. I really found that to be the case today too - I could not go any further away from where I had set up my backdrop or I would have been in the swimming pool!
I grabbed a handful of little dog biscuits and a sheet of firm plastic board - the sort used for real estate signs - and allowed one dog at a time into the pool yard. For food, my dogs will do almost anything!
First off the blocks was Byron and I managed to get a few good shots of him - but because of the restriction on distance I could not get any further away and head shots were my only option - and even then I was only just far enough away!

On a bright day, perhaps white was not the best colour to have as a backdrop! However it is nice to be able to get a couple of shots with nothing distracting behind the dogs. Byron is now eleven and half years old. He is a "designer dog", an Irish Poodle which is a cross between an Irish Water Spaniel and a Standard Poodle. We get his wool cut every three months. It is about a week since he had his last session at the poodle parlour so his coat is like that of the astrakhan sheep, soft and curly.
Now here is Samson.

Samson is a Curly Coat Retriever and he always looks this sad! He is as black as the Ace of Spades - but picture two makes him look rather blue! Oops! When we bought Samson from the Council pound (six years ago) we were told that he was two years younger than Byron but now he is looking a bit older than his woolly mate! The Curly Coat Retriever is one of the oldest breeds of dog, apparently the breed was used in England by the Game Keepers who looked after the grounds and pheasants for the Lord of the Manor.     
Before I close for today I am going to include two more pictures, this time from my garden. There are a few things in flower - there always are! But these are quite spectacular at the moment. The Calliandra pompoms are a favourite with the Little Wattle Birds. I hear them and see them a lot but they never let me get close enough to take a photo - they zip behind the tree to feed out of range!

I love this small tree because it seems to have these colourful flowers on it for many months, there are always new ones opening up. That little raspberry shaped bud is one of the emerging flowers.

Lastly the Poinsettia that stands beside my mailbox. This is a double one and the flowers would be 30cm across - or more. They are only just wide open, they and all their smaller cousins are brightening our gardens at the moment.
There is a round bush that is smothered in tiny little white star shaped flowers that is a type of Hibiscus that we know as the snow-ball bush and it is just making itself noticed! They seem to be in everyone's gardens - even gardens where there are only lawns and shrubs!
Click on any of the pictures if you wish to see them larger!
AJ

Change of identity

Byron has had a haircut today. This morning he was a cuddly, fluffy dog but by lunchtime his time with the pretty girls in at the poodle parlour resulted in a change of appearance - and a drastic change in personality. Byron is not in the least fazed by the thought of losing all his woolly coat, he marched through the doors of the salon with so much determination that I felt a wee bit jealous! No shrinking violet, he! In the early days he would have to be towed through the doors and would cry when one of the girls took his lead to take him into the shearing part of the shop - but these days he trots off with anyone with no backward glance. He knows I will be back.
Time for a few photos to show the difference a haircut made to him.
Before . . . . .

and after . . . . .

Now can you see what I am saying? These pictures were taken on the same day, the long hair shot was taken at breakfast time (I replaced the background! it was messy) The second shot was taken about one thirty just as I brought him home. The bandanna makes a colourful touch - that was put on by one of the salon girls. See how Byron's eyes look brighter and his shoulders no longer hunched - this next shot will show you the difference in his stance - he is a young dog again! (Byron is ten going on eleven years old.)

He even looks as if his nose is longer (maybe I brought the wrong dog home!)
When I was paying for his haircut the girl who had looked after him held up a little plastic bag with a round grey coloured insect in it - she had found a tick on Byron's chest. We had chosen to have him clipped at exactly the right time. Another day and that tick would have injected its poison and Byron would have lost the use of his legs then would be unable to swallow and a couple of days later, die. Treatment is hugely expensive but necessary and mostly is successful. (Hundreds of dollars in vet fees).
The clip is our way of being able to watch for these killer insects on Byron. When long, his coat is just too curly and thick to be able to feel a tick on his skin.
AJ

new breeds of dogs - to me

At the Pet Expo that I visited only yesterday I took a couple of pictures that I must share with you - of dogs that I found rather unusual. I had heard of the Chinese Crested Dog but I had never seen one except in cartoons so when I spotted one being pampered and admired in one of the little tents I asked if I could take a photo or two. Most of the body is covered with very short and quite soft hair so that it looks hairless. There are tufts of longer hair on the tail and on the feet and top of the head - so the poor thing looks quite comical. I like this shot because it conveys the character of the animal.

f/7.1  1/250  ISO 200    50mm

The green is a neck scarf advertising a local veterinary group that has been tied around its naked neck. The swish of long hair on its top knot and ears stuck out at right angles make me smile. I am quite happy that I do not have one!

My next dog is one that I could happily own, I thought him so beautiful.

f/8  1/400  ISO 400  50mm

I assumed that this dog was an albino but the owner assured me that his dog was not albino but was a white Swiss Shepherd and that there were approximately 5000 of them in Australia alone.  But this is one gorgeous dog - and during the day at the Expo I saw one other being led around, so maybe there is a club either here on the Gold Coast or in Brisbane.

Finally a really beautiful dog that is easily recognised. A golden retriever - a lovely pale colour! I want one!

f/8 1/800 ISO 400 50mm

AJ

Samson the strong

Beautiful black Samson has been a member of our family for only a couple of years but in that time we have really changed his personality and Byron has found a good friend. From his initial behaviour we deduced that Samson had been neglected - a big dog shut in a small back yard with no company and nothing to do.

Now he has a whole acre of land to stretch his legs and run but what does he do? He lies in his hammock and sleeps all day! The dog bed is just outside the door and when ever anyone comes out, he is head up and eager eyes, and should you talk to him; well! He is on his feet and pressing close against you before you can say "Jack Robinson"!

We reckon he is the perfect security dog. He is black so no one would see him at night, he is silent so no one would know he was there but he would hear any one who came into the garage and he would be there and for sure he would trip them up!

This afternoon Colin and I went down through the yard to go and pick a few mangoes from the trees that lean over the creek at the bottom of the block. Neither Samson nor Byron needed any encouragement to join us - they were right there leading the way. Samson is a lizard chaser and we are rather fond of the big lizards that live in that part of the property so we had to call him back as he raced down to the water.

He was easily distracted by our call and raced back to join us as we made our way rather slower than he had, down to the mango trees.

Colin managed to persuade both Byron and Samson to pose for me with one of the pine cones from the Bunya pine. Byron is a little closer to the camera so looks to be larger but both dogs are identical in size however while Byron is a "designer dog", Samson is a Curly Coat Retriever which is a pure breed. It is also a very old breed of dog. The English Game Keepers of the landed gentry would have a curly coat retriever as their working dog.

The Curly Coat retriever has short hair over the face to the top of the head. The coat is hair and unlike Byron, moults. There is black hair all over the garage floor and we have to sweep it up every day. Poor old Byron is getting really woolly and I shall ring up tomorrow and book him in for a clip. He will then look more like a greyhound!

So now you have met the most important young members of our household. We worry about them when we go away any where and complain that it costs as much to have them looked after as it does for us to have our holiday - but we wouldn't have it any other way! They are always so pleased to have us home. Dogs are very forgiving!

AJ

Top dog in the family

Today I am going to introduce you to my best boyfriend - well I shouldn't say that or I will make my other boyfriends jealous! Tomorrow I will show you my equally best boyfriend - the one that lives downstairs!

Byron has been a member of our household for almost ten years - I know that because he celebrated his tenth birthday on January 12th and he was a young pup with eyes wide open when we bought him - but he was fortunate enough to be allowed to stay with his mum until he was about 12 weeks old because Colin and I were away on holiday and couldn't pick him up when his brothers and sisters left home.

Byron is a "Paddy poodle" an invented dog! His father was a huge handsome standard poodle and his mother a cute Irish Water Spaniel. Irish = Paddy... see?

We used to have a golden Cocker Spaniel - he lived to be 15 years old and it wasn't until six months after we lost him that we realised that Colin was not sniffling and coughing any more. He had been allergic to the dog hair and we hadn't realised it. Byron does not have hair, he has wool like a poodle. He does not shed any hair so can live inside the house and not make a mess on the carpets. He does not smell all doggy when he is wet so again he can come into the house and (Except when he has had a lamb bone) we can breathe easy around him. It was a chance chat with a friend that I learned about Byron being available and how he would be "anti-allergenic" so without even consulting the man of the house I decided he was to be ours! Its a good job there wasn't a divorce!

With Colin it was love at first sight so no divorce!

Byron now has a new friend - well not so new now, we found Samson at the Council Dog Pound a couple of years ago now and they are firm friends. I will take some pictures of Samson and introduce him to you tomorrow.

Byron is a delightful dog and is an instant hit with all who meet him. The eyes are getting a little cloudy now but since he does not read very much we will not be paying thousands of dollars to a doggy eye specialist to have the cataracts removed. He can see very well still and he is a happy chappy and to us that is all that matters.

AJ