PLAY DATE

This post is really just about the photos. The dogs had a great time at play date. Enjoy. They did.

PS My guess is that some of these will be available as note cards in the very near future.

FASTDOGS NOTE CARDS - post 3

Number 3.

Dru and Raj - That's one big dog.

Kathy - Resting? Not for long.

Opal - Lazy days ahead.

Willow on the run.

Sunny happy boy.

Squeaky and his ears.

Jovi - treats?

Jovi - you did say treats.

Spats - The reach.

Willow - The hug.

Ike, Willow and Dru - Double team

Charlie, Willow and Jovi - Mine

Breeze - Bounding for joy

Willow - Time for a break.

FASTDOGS NOTE CARDS - post 2

Number 2.

Breeze out for a stroll

Breeze out for a run.

Breeze - Playing coy.


Willow - Again with that thing?

My girl Breeze - sepia

My girl Breeze - b/w

Breeze - Pillow fort

Breeze - Shy girl

Willow - Phhtttt

Dru - Mom! Look! Mom! Did you see me run?

AS SEEN ON BACKCOUNTRY PHOTOGRAPHY BLOGSPOT - GREYHOUND NOTE CARDS - post 1

As you know, I am a bit of a greyhound freak. OK I’ll admit it - obsessed really. I would have many more than my 3 if space permitted. So, the natural conclusion, if you have greyhounds and a penchant for taking photos, would be that there would be many, many, many, many (that’s not nearly enough ‘many’s’ but you get the idea) greyhound photos on your hard drive. (enough actually to warrant a separate external hard drive) It is like how peanut butter goes with chocolate. Hmmm, I could use a Reese’s right now…

Anyway, I digress.

I did, I mean, I do - have many photos of greyhounds: and a photography business. The amazing thing was it took a question from a friend to put the two (hobby and business not peanut butter and chocolate) together. “Why don’t you have greyhound note cards?” Again…hmmmmm.

So my first official ‘line’ of cards is the greyhound line. (heh. Another plug. You would think you were watching Josie and the Pussycats with all the ad placement. Which, by the way, you would watch often if it was the favorite movie of your favorite niece and you had movie nights often) But again – digressing.

So here we go. A line of greyhound cards. All note cards, an original photo attached to a heavy cardstock in either cream or white, come with envelopes. Prices are:

$3.00 each
4 for $10
or 12 for $25

As an added incentive, a portion of all proceeds for the greyhound cards will go to AGR (Arizona Greyhound Rescue) or GAL (Greyhound Adoption League).

Oh, one more thing. As I have mentioned before all my photos are un-enhanced. I now need to modify that statement as some of the greyhound photos have been edited. Mostly cropped to get the hounds more centered in the frame but there has been some removal of hands and legs of owners, etc. I have learned it is not easy to get an action shot of a greyhound running. Most of the photos I get are of blurry grass and the end of a tail. So…please note - all the fine art prints are still un-enhanced, the greyhound note cards have been modified.

Oh, a second one more thing…I’ve posted the photos in 3 separate posts for easy viewing. When you place an order let me know the caption and the post. This is post 1. Thanks!

Willow and Ike - Nom Nom Nom

Izzy - chasing the squeaky

Butters - (The anti-greyhound)

Dana
This photo was taken by my niece - so ... copyright Alexandra Morrison

Squeaky - HUH?

Izzy - Cool Rider

Jovi and Willow - Gotcha Covered.

Breezy and her squeaks

Willow, Breeze, Dru and Opal - Did you say "ride"?

Jovi and Charlie - "dude, move"

2-STEP

So in my last post, I mentioned how well Breeze is doing. Well, I accidentally tested that yesterday. I am back from a week long trip shooting photographs on the set of the TV show Meteorite Men, and picked the girls up from the dog resort (my friend’s house), where they are spoiled rotten with attention, plush dog beds, canned dog food, new squeaky toys, and a big yard that is perfect for greyhound crazy dog laps. Well, truth be told, when I have gone to pick up Willow there in the past she ignores me because when I show up it means she has to leave the luxury accommodations for the more basic lifestyle of home.

Reports on the dogs while they were there were that they were all getting into mischief. Someone (Breeze I’m looking at you) had jumped on the bed. There were laps around the house in the mornings. Then the stop and bark at each other to start the chase again. But, most importantly, Breeze going up to Mark – hanging out, getting snackys, letting him pet her – a huge accomplishment for her.

When I drove up to the house I thought they wouldn’t even recognize me. I might as well have had a face lift, eradicated my scent and become the invisible woman; for all that they would know me. “Aren’t you the person who used to chauffer us to the dog park in the mornings? Hmmm. Fine - fetch me my slippers and bring the car ‘round.”

But I was greeted with an absolute melee, pandemonium, bedlam, free-for-all. The cool part was that all 6 dogs were in the welcoming committee. Willow did play it off shortly after I arrived and went to lay on the doggie bed.

Anyway we got home and they all crashed out on the floor in the living room – not too far from me on the couch. Breeze had fallen asleep, deeply asleep, and I didn’t know she was out. I reached down to pet her. She went from asleep to awake and standing, by way of leaping straight up about 3 feet, in half a heart beat. The other dogs were then on their feet wondering what the commotion was all about. There was mass confusion. You would have thought I had jumped out at her wearing a guy mask and swinging a stick. It took a while to settle down the house. Then I goofed and turned off the ceiling fan (because it is freezing). She didn’t like that with the speed changed the fan blades were now visible. She eyed them cautiously and moved to the other room. 3 steps forward and 2 steps back.

THE TRANSFORMATION

I got home yesterday to a different dog. Let me ‘splain. No, there is too much…let me sum up.

I’ve been gone for 3 weeks. During which time a friend went above and beyond, by picking up the girls twice a week to take them to dog play day. Do you know how difficult it is to transport 5 dogs, 4 of which haven’t been out for exercise in days? Just getting the leashes on them is enough work to require a nap.

This morning, we met the greyhound group at the paddock for their bi-weekly run. My girl, Breeze, was confident, prancy, had her head held high, ears up, looked people in the eye, came up to the whole group of us humans, demanded attention from us, and even took snacky treats from the newest addition to the group. It was as if she was possessed with the spirit of a normal dog; one with confidence, no fear or worries.

One that hadn’t been abused.

I spent most of the morning open mouthed, gaping at her behavior. No comprehension. There were only a couple of times she shied away from someone and that was the result of quick motion from one of the guys. She went up to one guy and leaned against him as he smothered her with attention. She absolutely demanded Dawn pet her. She stood at the Barb’s side, head pressed to leg, sopping up the affection. She behaved as she does when it is just me around.

Now I know most of you are like “Huh? What’s this?” You feel as though you’ve accidentally picked up the second book in a series and read it before the first and you have all those typical plot questions. “Wait: her cousin was a vampire who was killed by an evil vampire after turning a were after stealing a bracelet from her girlfriend the Queen because the Queen is marring the King of Arkansas? Huh? I didn’t know she had a cousin. Did I miss a book?”

Anyway a little back story, Breeze is the one wouldn’t come into the house when I first got her. The one that wouldn’t continue a on a walk because there were kids playing basketball in the back yard of a house across the street from where we were. The one that ran outside in absolute terror the moment you looked at her, or stood up, or walked, or raised your hands, or spoke to loudly or threw a squeaky toy to the other dog. Who, at her first play dates, wouldn’t even play with the other dogs, and just stayed at the opposite end of the field as everyone else. The one who would circle the group of humans at 20 feet so she would not be within hitting distance.

So…what the hell?

Now granted we have been working quite diligently for the past 11 months on her seemingly overwhelming issues and she has made progress no one dreamed (hoped, not dreamed) she would ever make. I had people tell me she would never be a normal dog. That dogs this badly abused could not live a normal existence, would never acclimate, never trust people, never be just … a dog.

I say to that: Ppphhhhttttt.

Yesterday her behavior was just to a whole new level.

Barb said (gleefully, might I add) at the last play date one topic of discussion was the abrupt change in Breeze’s demeanor over the past 3 weeks while I've been gone. They decided Breeze has been working me; complete falsifying of data, she has me bamboozled and wrapped around her little toe, she’s milking it. Then, on a more contemplative note, relayed that they (Phyllis and Barb knew her a year ago when she was at the kennel and have seen the transformation that has happened) think this most recent improvement was because she was incredibly lonely since I’ve been gone so long and was at the play dates without me as her safe place.

Basically she had to get her affection, touch, and security from someone else. And she did.

Barb also thought Gregarious Breeze would revert back to Cautious Breeze once I returned and was amazed when she continued with her new found independence. Phyllis who did the transport of the dogs, is now calling Breeze, Bobble-head Breeze. Something Breeze does with just a limited few (me, Sheryl, her foster Mom who took her from the kennel originally and started this whole journey, and Dawn, who walked with us with her two greys most mornings) is to bobble her head back and forth almost like she is shaking her head ‘no’ when she comes trotting towards us and she’s really happy. The happier and more comfortable she is the bigger the sweep of the head bob. Apparently she has been quite happy and comfortable the past few trips to the play date.

So as I stood there catching flies, watching my girl in amazement, I realized that there was a huge hurdle crossed while I was not there to witness it and in fact the reason it was crossed was because I was not there to witness it. My girl…growing up.

Play Date

We (the girls and I) have been meeting with two different greyhound play date groups a couple of time a week. (Though both Willow and Dru have cuts on their front paws so to their dismay they have been grounded from the past few play dates.) During a recent visit, I was busy with the camera; well actually I’m always busy with the camera when there are dogs around. My friends haven’t finished a conversation with me since we’ve started meeting. “Oh, photo op, be right back”, tends to be the abrupt end to many a story. I do send out photos in an attempt to make up for that rudeness.

We have a few new dogs that have joined our weekend group as of late. My 3 girls had a grand time meeting the 4 new ‘it’ dogs for the first time. The subsequent running, playing and all around silliness enabled me to fill up almost one and a half 2 gig scan disks with photos. Heh.

Enjoy.