Last edited by lovelife65; 22nd October 2017 at 03:00 AM.
I have just moved back to NZ from Victoria BC. Your background of the dogs in the water already make me a little envious of your location in that great part of North America. Still, I can't complain - lots of people would offer an appendage to live in NZ!
I DO envy your your dogs. All through my childhood we had dogs and cats. When I was living in the UK, my father worked on guided missiles (yes, he was a rocket scientist! ) and we lived on quite a few high security bases. When I was 7 we lived on a nuclear base. Our next door neighbour was a Provo - Air Force Police if you will, and he had a Great Dane / Doberman cross. The base had 5 layers of wire surrounding it and the dog patrolled between the 3rd and 4th layers. It was built like a horse and during the day we wold ride it, pull its tail, tweak its ears and it never ever looked like turning on us. However when he put his uniform on we knew not to go near it. It wasn't trained to bark or snarl, it was trained to take down intruders. My mother was very grumpy about it since we were still under rationing at that stage and the dog got more meat than us!
I love big dogs and wish I could have one, but our lifestyle is a limiting factor (Auckland is like Vancouver or Seattle) and my partner was savaged by a dog as a little girl and has a morbid fear of them now. Your dogs look super happy and healthy, sign of great owners.
Nice, I like the feeling of anticipation with the 2nd image.
Sharon - a suggestion. Rather than shooting the dogs from a standing position, try dropping down lower to get closer to their eye level. I think you will be pleasantly surprised as how that changes the way the image looks.
I note your comments, However, the 'action' is superb in this. The composition is excellent - the right amount of space around about the dogs. And the shadows excepted, the lighting is wonderful.
I agree with Manfred about your position relative to the dog(s). The difference between image 2 & 3 illustrates that well.
Yes they are. They are hams together. These photos are a couple years old. Yellow dog isn't quite so dark. As he gets older, his fur gets lighter, as I get older my fur gets darker... dang, he's lucky.
He used to wrinkle his forhead when concerned or just in pure emotion.
They are my heart dogs. Gonna be hard once the osteosarcoma no longer responds to treatment for our yellow dog.
Count me as one who may considering offering up. LOL . NZ looks so beautiful. Minus the earthquakes . But I've lived in the Bay Area and felt our house there swaying a few times (and in the Oak Hills where the big urban wildfire was but missed the home we lived in). And that Cascadian subduction zone where I live now... EKE. We are on a big solid rock here, but even so. No delusion of being safe it that puppy goes.
Interesting about the nuclear base... I was stationed at FE Warren Air Force Base (Cheyenne, WY) with the "Peacekeeper" missiles, so I completely understand. Very cool story about your Dobies. Beautiful dogs. I am laughing about you riding the poor dog. Under rationing! I cannot even imagine.
Auckland is a beautiful City from what I can see. As is Vancouver and Seattle It's always a trade off. We do at times need to get a city fix living in a small town. Vancouver is an hour and a half away, I'll take it. Need to get on the Ferry to Victoria.
Sad about your partner. I have a fear of German Shepherds for that reason... not savaged, but as a little girl one took me down and was pulling my hair and out for a kill before the owner got the dog back. His name was bear.
Thank you Trev, for sharing such a great story .
Our dogs are well loved and it's deserved.
Sharon, I feel the energy and love in your dogs... I love Labs. My daughter and son-in-law have an English Lab who is a wonderful dog. She also has had serious health problems but is doing fairly well now. She and my Goldendoodle, Holly, are great friends. Just enjoy your pal while it is still with you!
I love the Pacific Northwest. I lived for about a year on the Kitsap Peninsula about 20-miles outside of Bremmerton, Washington while my ship was in the shipyard at Bremmerton. I lived in a very beautiful place right on the Hood canal and I could watch salmon entering the feeder streams to spawn and have watch deer swimming across the Canal from my breakfast table. I had a dog who looked exactly like a Black Lab but was only about thirty pounds fully grown.
Trev, I have been chewed up by dogs on several occasions and just bitten on many other occasions. I picked up a Chihuahua mother with a litter of pups from one of our volunteers in Los Angeles. The mother Chihuahua didn't like me being near her puppies. I had the crate in the front seat next to me on my drive home. I stopped off at a McDonald's and got a burger which I fed to the mom as I drove. By the time we arrived home she was licking my fingers. I thought I had made a conquest at the cost of a Big Mac I stuck my hand in the crate to lift her out and the little lady bit me in five places before I could get my hand away. I am glad she was a tiny dog - a Rottweiler would have caused some serious damage (but then again, I wouldn't have been so complacent with a Rottie mother ). Anyway, the mom and I became great pals before she was adopted. It took a while but, she even let me handle the puppies...
Last edited by rpcrowe; 22nd October 2017 at 10:06 PM.
Sharon, nice pics of your dogs. Interesting narratives.
Bruce