Short of Stature, Large of Heart

Dog of the week: Oscar

Oscar is not what one would call a "dignified" dog. In fact, he's quite the opposite. With a head and coloring reminiscent of a Rhodesian ridgeback and the the build of a Basset hound, he looks a bit like a sculpting assignment gone wrong. But when he scurries excitedly up to you, stubby legs and big paws scrambling, and peers adoringly at you with his mismatched eyes, all you can think is what a wonderful, charming dog he is!

Oscar lives with my friend Sandy, who saw him in the county animal shelter seven years ago and decided to foster him for the SPCA/Humane Society of Prince George's County. Given her love of Basset hounds (her first dog as an adult was a Basset), it came as no surprise to her friends when she decided to make him a permanent part of her family's pack.

It's a decision she's never regretted...despite a couple of orthopedic incidents: surgery to straighten a foot (his) and a broken finger (hers). The first was caused by inherited conformation issues; the second was the direct result of Oscar chasing a squirrel while attached to a leash held by Sandy.

And then there's Oscar's penchant for stealing--and eating--panties and socks. Fortunately, surgical intervention has never been required...although it's been a near thing a couple of times.

But with his big heart and exuberant, happy-go-lucky personality, it's easy to forgive Oscar his few foibles. He has a way of making every day--and every evening--a little brighter.
 

Bringing People Together

Dogs can--and do--bring people together in many different ways.

My husband and I first met friends and neighbors Janet and Mark when he spied them walking their Welsh springer spaniel Stickley past our house and called to me to come see the puppy. I met my friend Sandy, along with many other wonderful women, when we both attended a volunteer orientation for the SPCA/Humane Society of Prince George's County and began fostering rescued shelter dogs. I connected with friend Jen, an author and active supporter of of several Maryland dog rescue organizations when she ordered ten copies of my first book, Black is Beautiful: A Celebration of Dark Dogs. I've made friends with people after attending obedience classes and canine behavior seminars and after photographing their dogs for my books. I've even become friends in cyberspace with people I've never met in person as a result of our mutual love of dogs.

Dog photo of the week: Pickle

This week's Dog of the Week--Pickle--is an example of how a dog can bring people together. I met Pickle when my friend Sandy and I were traveling in Wales. I saw him being walked by his "mom," Shari, in the castle town of Chepstow and couldn't believe how much he looked like one of my husband's and my dogs. It was all I could do not to dash across the street for a closer look.

 Instead, I did the appropriate thing and asked if I could greet him. Advised that he could be wary of unfamiliar people, I sat sideways to him a short distance away and let him approach me at his leisure. Soon, Sandy, Shari, and I were chatting about dogs, and Shari invited us to accompany her and Pickle on a walk through the countryside around Chepstow. That evening we met up for dinner at a local pub.

It's now been more than four years since Sandy and I met Shari but we still keep up via Facebook...and get to admire photos of the handsome Pickle. And who knows? Maybe we'll meet up again someday. But even if we don't, our lives are enriched by our chance encounter brought about by Pickle.

Five Dogs in Five Days

I was recently nominated by a Facebook friend to post five dog photos in five days...a task I was more than willing to to take on. Dogs, as my friends know, are one of my favorite photographic subjects. But deciding which five photos to share turned out to be more challenging than I had anticipated. Out of my hundreds of digital dog images, how would I choose just five?

But choose I did. And although these images aren't necessarily my "best," there was a reason for each selection.

First was a wire-haired Jack Russell terrier I met in Ireland. It seemed the logical place to start since I'd traveled in Ireland with the woman who nominated me for this visual exercise. The little guy (I forget his name) was perched on his front stoop enjoying the sun in the charming seaside town of Kinsale. He had a look of disinterested confidence that said,"This is my neighborhood. I hope you enjoy your walk in it. If you want to take my photo, you may; just don't expect me to smile."

My Day 2 choice was the direct result of Winter Storm Jonas, which had just dumped three feet of snow throughout much of the Washington DC-area. Faced with the reality of shoveling in the bitter cold, I was yearning for summer sunshine. And although the photo--of a friend's Chinese hairless crested, Funny Bones--was taken on a stone patio, the light, the windblown look of his hair, and the bluish color of the background (enhanced through some editing) gave the image a "beachy" feel that warmed my soul.

Working at an animal shelter, I photograph a lot of dogs and cats, so I turned to these files for my Day 3 inspiration. None of the shelter residents were more pitiful or needy than three terrified, essentially feral puppies rescued by the Humane Society of United States from a Korean dog meat farm. These puppies lived for weeks in the shelter's Behavior & Training office, receiving ongoing socialization and behavior modification. All three (there are three puppies in this image; the brown one had burrowed under the other two in an effort to go unnoticed) eventually went home with experienced adopters who had other dogs to serve as canine friends and role models. At last report, they were all doing well.

For Day 4. I chose a more personal image: of Ceiligh, a JRT/pointer/Lab mix my husband and I adopted after seeing her as an eight-week-old puppy up for adoption in a pet supply store that we visited to buy goldfish for our pond. Her adoption was something of an impulse (we already had two dogs) but it's one we've never regretted. At 13 years old, she's now senior canine of a household that once again contains three dogs. I took this picture of Ceiligh (pronounced Kaylee) sitting in one of our Adirondack chairs when she was four months old. It later served as the basis for a gorgeous pastel by my talented artist friend Liz Holm.

 

I decided to conclude the series with a photo that looks to the future. Yaya is a rescued pit bull terrier rescued by friends of mine. She is one of many dogs who have posed for images that will appear in a book I'm working on called Fetching Art: Murals, Graffiti & Man's Best Friend. If all goes as planned, I'll finish shooting this summer and have the book printed before the end of the year.

And so, my Five Dogs in Five Days collection is complete. But I so enjoyed reviewing my photos--some of which I haven't looked at in years--that I've decided to continue the process in my own way...by posting one dog photo a week here, So, dog lovers, check in once in a while; you might like what you see.

Castles & Canines: Edinburgh Has Plenty of Both

As a former history major with a passion for all things British and only a week available for travel, Edinburgh seemed an ideal destination. The city, itself, is chock-full of sites and sights. Add to that the 15 or so castles in the surrounding area, and you have a vacation tailor-made for admiring the present and investigating the past.

Preferring a leisurely approach to travel that allows us to “experience” a locale rather than just rush from one place to another, our biggest challenge was narrowing down our list of “must sees.” Having already had the good fortune to tour Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, probably the two biggest tourist sites in Edinburgh, we struck them off our list.

And although our focus was on castles, we did want to allow some time for exploring other aspects of the city. We strolled the Royal Mile, the shop-lined road linking Edinburgh Castle and Holyroodhouse; took a guided tour of Mary King’s Close, a narrow, medieval street now covered by more modern buildings; wandered along the Water of Leith in the city’s quaint Dean Village; and sampled craft beers in off-the-beaten-path pubs.

 Then it was on to the castles!

Our first stop was Craigmillar Castle, something of a hidden gem nestled in parkland on the fringe of Edinburgh. Although it took just 15 minutes or so by bus from Princes Street, this 14^th century semi-ruined edifice seemed worlds away from the hustle and bustle of the Royal Mile. Accessed via a modest gate on the side of the road, the castle was invisible from the bus stop. We walked up a path though fields of waving grass, shared only by a man jogging and a woman walking a black Lab, before the castle came into sight. And what a sight it was…so hard to believe we were still within the boundaries of Scotland’s capital city. With the castle almost to ourselves, we spent the next hour or so exploring the towers and ramparts and imagining what life had been like six centuries ago.

 

Lying fewer than 25 miles east of Edinburgh, Dirleton and Tantallon castles made for an easy and enjoyable day trip. Each had something unique and special to offer to our castle experience. As a Scottish Heritage staffer put it, Dirleton “has the gardens” and Tantallon “has the views."

 

Dating from to the 13^th century, Dirleton Castle was a fortress–residence for three successive noble families…until a siege by Oliver Cromwell’s soldiers in 1650 rendered it militarily unserviceable. We were duly impressed by the massive wood “bridge” over a dry moat that served as the castle’s entrance. But, like a Labradoodle named Isaac, we were captivated by the colorful blend of perennial blooms in the gardens, which date largely from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and include the world's largest herbaceous border according to the Guinness Book of Records.

Like Craigmillar, Tantallon Castle is invisible from the main road. After parking the car, we walked along a narrow lane between fields bordered by hedgerows to the small ticket office/visitors’ center before finally catching our first glimpse of this formidable14th-century stronghold. It took my breath away! 

Perched on a promontory overlooking the Firth of Forth, Tantallon is haunting, romantic, and ruggedly beautiful in its own right. It also offers spectacular views of the rugged coastline and Bass Rock, home to more than 150,000 gannets at the peak of the season.

To the west of Edinburgh, on the way to Stirling, lies the Palace of Linlithgow, birthplace of both James V and his daughter, Mary Queen of Scots. Its role as a tranquil retreat from affairs of state came to end when it was destroyed by a fire in 1746. Today, the shell of the palace and the adjacent park and lake provide a tranquil setting popular with walkers, picnickers, and tourists.

 

 

A bit further from Edinburgh, in the village of Doune, lies a castle of the same name. Smaller than some of the others, it nevertheless has a long history, serving as home to Robert Stewart, the 1st Duke of Albany and ruler of Scotland, in all but name, from 1388 until his death in 1420. It also just happens to have been Camelot in Monty Python and the Holy Grail and more recently a location in the pilot for Game of Thrones and the fictional Castle Leoch for the TV adaption of the Outlander novels. Kind of cool.

 

 

Much larger than Doune Castle—or any of the other castles we visited, for that matter—was our final stop: Stirling Castle. Situated high on a volcanic crag, Stirling served as a well-protected royal residence complete with a chapel, a vast great hall, and opulent living quarters designed to proclaim James V’s power and sophistication. The outer walls provide sweeping views of the surrounding countryside. It made a fitting end to our Scottish journey. 

While the wealth of castles made for a truly memorable experience, anyone who knows me will tell you that dogs play an important part in my life, whether at home or "on the road." Anywhere I go, I find myself walking up to complete strangers and asking if I can greet--and perhaps photograph--their dogs. And Scotland was no exception. Here are just a few of the many cute canines I met:

Izzy, a border terrier who lives at our Edinburgh B&B, The Guest Room, headed the canine welcome wagon.

Sadie, a rescued beagle mix from Sardinia, was among the tourists on the Royal Mile while am English spaniel played fetch with a plastic bottle nearby. 

 

A husky mix pup and a Chihuahua enjoyed a stroll on the riverside path in Dean Village.

Elsie, a Labradoodle pup, and Robby, a senior Dachshund, socialized with diners at an outdoor eatery in Doune.

A golden retriever and a Brittany enjoyed swimming in the Allan Water near Stirling.

And a Westie named Hannah enjoyed strolling the parkland adjacent to Linlithgow Palace while young black Lab Orla took a well-earned break after working on her "manners" with a trainer.

 

Sadly, our interactions with these charming ambassadors of Dogdom are now just a lovely memory. So...where to next?

Pics of Portuguese Pups

Everyone who knows me knows that two of my greatest passions are travel and dogs. And more often than not these passions overlap. So while most tourists focus their lenses on historic sites, natural beauty spots...and each other, I find myself zooming in on local residents of the canine variety.

And, as these images from Portugal--from small pampered pups to a huge wolf companion--demonstrate, there's never a lack of furry four-legged "models." (Click pictures to view larger images.)


Thank goodness!