Working Dog Goes on Strike
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Jazz is our ten-year-old mixed-breed pet dog. For the past five years, I have run the photo business out of my home. Jazz and I mostly spend the workday at opposite ends of the house. She prefers to snooze and lounge in her doggie bed in the dining room, next to the tall windows that extend almost to the floor. This spot offers Jazz a view of the day-to-day events that unfold along our quiet street. She is my watchdog. Her vocabulary consists of six barks–one for the postal worker, one for the FedEx guy, one for our neighbors' fluffy white dogs, one for solicitors, one for clients, and one for when Sara, my wife, comes home. It is convenient having a dog with a repertoire of barks. She tells me if I need to get up from my chair, pull away from the studio, or ignore whomever is at the front door.
Jazz is also great to have around for those occasions when it is helpful to have a warm body to sit and pose. A wee bit of cheese or a biscuit is all it takes to entice her to the studio. She models for me when I need to test lights, cameras, and lenses. Her attention span is limited to about five minutes, which is usually about the amount of time it takes to run a test.
She is a canine helper, my working dog.
Today, during the morning commute from the master bedroom to my office, I glanced over to Jazz's spot by the window. Sara had not opened the vertical blinds yet. Jazz had somehow managed to weave herself in and out of four or five of the vertical slats. Wanting to capture this novel sight, I quietly and quickly walked across the wide expanse of carpeting to my office and grabbed a camera. By the time I got back to the dining room, Jazz was gone. I presume she advanced to the living room in my wake, while I was en route to the office. Stealthy dog she is.
Upon returning from the dining room, I found her sitting next to an ancient stain she had left on the floor, near the coffee table. She gazed right through me. I aimed my camera at her. She wanted no part of it and strode back into the dining room. I followed her. She tried to ditch me by going underneath the dining room table. I crawled under the table and squatted across from her. Every time I put the viewfinder up to my eye, Jazz averted her gaze–no early morning photo op. She dissed me.
After a couple minutes, she stretched out, rolled onto her side, and assumed her naptime posture. I snapped four or five close-ups of her nose–big deal. "Working dog goes on strike," I mumbled to her.
Sassy Dog and Funny Noises
Monday, July 11, 2011
It is time to rearrange the studio.
Instead of gazing at this picture of my messy studio, sit back and watch a movie about a sassy dog and funny noises. Here is a movie that my summer intern, Jake, produced. It is about getting a good photograph of a dog that does not care to pose for the camera. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgGaDz_G2ug
Youtube Dog Video Must-See
Friday, February 11, 2011
Every so often, a blogger needs a break. One of the great things about the web is that there are places to go to like youtube that are notorious for eating up hours of one's time. A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled across this delightfully musical doggy video. Please sit back and enjoy.
Pellet or Kibble? That is The Question
Thursday, February 10, 2011
My dog Jazz is remarkably consistent. Every day between 5:45 p.m. and 6 p.m., she saunters into my office, pokes her nose in my thigh, and pleads me to dispense a cup of dry dog food into her stainless steel dish. In the morning, she wakens my wife between 5:45 a.m. and 6 a.m. for breakfast. Jazz will not bother with me; I do not awaken easily.
Dogs and humans have cohabitated for at least 20,000 years. So naturally, pet dog food has gone through 20,000 years of evolution. From discarded carcasses, to table scraps, to canned meats, to dry morsels, here is a subject that deserves at least a Ph.D. candidate's dissertation.
Have you ever picked up a kibble or a pellet? Nobody that I have talked to has ever commented about how much they enjoy the smell, feel, or taste of dry dog food. This is not surprising. Dogs have about a fifth of the amount of taste buds humans do. Conversely, dogs have anywhere from forty to two hundred times the amount of smell-sensitive cells that humans have. Dogs find the odor irresistible and aren't as particular about taste.
After spending the better part of an hour researching dog food on the web, I came across an article written by Lew Olson. He states that dry dog food originally came in two varieties — biscuits and crumbled biscuits known as kibbles. Then, in the 1950s, Purina came up with a new process called "extrusion." The extrusion process involves combining ingredients into a liquid and then pushing the mush through an extruder. Upon exiting the extruder, the mush expands, and is then baked to evaporate the liquid out. I am not sure at what point the food turns into pellets — pre or post baking.
So, hence the question: what is Jazz eating — pellets or kibbles?
Weiner Dog Photo of the Month
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
My buddy and his wife usually take their dachshunds along for the ride during their annual 1.5 thousand mile trek from central Florida to Missouri. They love to check out local attractions along the way. Here's a snap that Craig took with his iPhone. Here we see his two dogs, Yadi and Cooper. His wife prefers to remain anonymous.
Dog Days of Summer (remember summer?)
Monday, February 7, 2011
Happy dog! A thoughtful master brought along his best friend's wading pool to the dog park. Nothing like a nice dip after an intense round of fetch. Dogs residing south of the equator rotate counter-clockwise.
Daylight Dog Vision
Sunday, February 06, 2011
In daylight, dogs see the world differently than humans. They are not able to see the world as clearly as we do, and their range of color perception is limited.
Clarity: A dog's visual acuity is approximately 20/75 (visual acuity is the ability of the eye to distinguish fine detail such as leaves on a tree or letters on a sign). So, if a dog with normal vision is just barely able to discern an object from a distance of 20 feet, its human counterpart is able to see that same object from a distance of 75 feet.
Color: A dog's eyes only have 20% of the color receptors (cones) that human eyes have. Dogs are dichromatic, meaning that they are able to only distinguish two primary colors – yellow and blue and combinations of the two. Human vision is trichromatic. People with normal color vision are able to discern three primary colors – red, green, and blue.
A normal dog's night vision is superior to that of humans. Dogs perceive motion better than humans too. I'll be addressing these and many more aspects of dog vision in the future.
Where is the Chihuahua?
Thursday, 03 February 2011
While a third of the US is hit with one of the worst winter storms in recent memory, a gentleman, a Great Dane, and a Chihuahua enjoy sunny times in Lakeland, Florida. Kudos to the nurse at my doc's office who captured this on her phone.
If you've already spent too much time trying to find the Chihuahua, scroll down.
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