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Welcome to the scruffy dog blog . . .

... this is where the photos of scruffy dog photography meet the heart and soul behind all those fun and whacky photo shoots and the long hours of digital editing that go into your dog's images ... a behind-the scenes peek at the madness of an exclusively pet photographer, and her two trusty sidekicks. for more details on us, check out the "about" section at the bottom of the blog.

what you will find here is the past year or so of blog entries -- selected client shoots, sneak peeks, news and announcements, promos and specials, as well as info on canine health and general dog chat. * previous years of blog entries have been archived.

so, grab a cup of jo, give Rover an organic, free-range beef tendon to gnaw on, and enjoy the photos and ramblin's.

shy girl ginny

meet Ginny.

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… probably one of my top three shiest clients to date.   with these types of high-fear cases i tend to start out from a distance.

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… and work my way in slowly.

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to the point where i’m eventually getting some attention from them.  Ginny was no exception to that handling technique … even giving me a little flourish with those brilliant papillion ears of hers.

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thanks, Ginny, for being such a little trooper.  and thanks Janet and Mark and Julianna and James!  i hope you enjoy the rest of Ginny’s images.

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what are you doing to beat the heat?

are you doing this?

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or maybe a little of this?

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with the temps soaring into the upper 30s these past few days, and the humidex nudging that oppression up over 40 — that’s 100+ degrees for all of my good friends across the border — well, ask any dog and, in between the drooling pants and hangdog looks, they’ll probably tell you it’s just too doggamn hot.  unless, of course, you’re able to scoop up the very last kiddie pool at Toys R Us … and don’t even bother trying Walmart or Zellers or Canadian Tire.  they’re all out.  but blessed Ashley down at the Toys R Us was Merrick’s savior today with the last dusty pool kicking around the place.

i’m not sure, but i think he kinda sorta just a little likes it.

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as for my saner girl matea …

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this crazy dog will collapse and luxuriate in the deepest, muckiest, slimiest, smelliest, scummiest puddles she can find on any trail … but no way will she get into a shallow pool of clean water.  however, give this girl a hose …

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and you’ve utterly and completely made her day.

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so, do what you have to, but stay cool!

i love me wrigley

just had to share a few images of one of my favorite clients, Wrigley, from our shoot a couple of weeks ago.

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why is he one of my favorites?  because he’s a lab and he’ll do just about anything for treats.  :)

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and because he’s a big, fun-loving goofball …

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… who only pretends to be a hunting dog when he hears a pretend noise.

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plus, the camera just loves him, no matter what he’s doing.

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thanks for the fun, Cynthia and Shane, and most of all Wrigley.  i can’t wait to see your gorgeous face on canvas!

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lazy oakley

meet Oakley …

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he’s a lazy, King Charles Cavalier spaniel … or so i was told.  i was also told that he wouldn’t run, and often needed to be prodded just to keep up on walks.  and sure, there were many times during our 3+ hour shoot when the O-man refused to do anything but lie down.  still, at scruffy dog, we have ways to motivate …

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with family here in the K-W area, Oakley’s mom and dad decided to come here for their shoot, so i took them to one of my favorite shooting spots where we could take advantage of a variety of scenery.

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the story behind Oakley is that he almost caused a divorce.  Cheryl wanted a dog, but Mike didn’t … one of those it’s-me-or-the-dog scenarios.  but guess whose dog Oakley ended up being?

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we had a great afternoon … in the woods …

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… by the water …

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… and more running, in spite of the mosquitoes which you can actually see in the photo below, flying out of speedy Oakely’s way.

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Oakley was a great subject …

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… even though he lay down on the job a lot.

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and i was so pleased to discover that my favorite purple flowers are now in full bloom, and should be for the rest of the summer.  they’re my absolute favorite as a backdrop so you’ll likely be seeing quite a lot of them over the summer in the blog.

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we shot into the early evening when the light is the most spectacular … although Oakley would never have noticed in between his cat naps.

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thanks, Chery and Mike and family, and thanks Oakley, for a fun afternoon.  i hope you enjoy your gallery of images, and i look forward to seeing you at your studio consult.

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tough collars for tough dogs with FREE tags!

… AND at unbeatable prices.  many of you have probably seen those biothane collars at your local pet-supply stores … those soft, rubbery-plastic collars that come in a myriad of colours, are extremely durable, easily cleaned by simply wiping off, and don’t hold odors.  the ones you get at your local pet-supply store are great, but they can be pricey.

so how about going to the original source of these kinds of collars.  although they seem new to your local pet store, these collars have actually been around for a long time in the hunting dog world, and they don’t cost a fortune.  what’s more, Steve Snell of gun dog supply sells all of his collars with an awesome FREE brass plate ID tag.  these are definitely one of my favorite dog things and matea — my crazy, muddy, puddle-loving wirehaired pointer — has always worn one of these collars.

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of course, she doesn’t normally wear it in the house.  this is her ‘field’ collar.  these TufFlex collars resist mildew and bacteria, and, as such, are odor-free.  they’re soft and flexible, even in our canadian winters; and even after years of abuse, this collar shows no sign of wear.  i have always preferred the “centre-ring” style, pictured above.  i never understood why this style of collar isn’t more popular.  (A) the centre-ring collar is a “rollover design” that aids in your dog’s safety in case it gets snagged on something in the field, and (B) when it comes to clipping on the leash quickly, bam! the ring is right there.  no struggling to find the ring under your Rover’s chin.

i prefer the 3/4″ collar but it also comes in a 1″ sizenote: you want to be sure to buy the right length (sometimes a little small) so that the centre ring stays at the centre of the neck.

AND, you can get a leash to match …

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… luxuriously soft, won’t burn your hands, and far more ‘grippy’ than any other leash (other than my super dooper rubber leash which i’ll share with you in another “things we love” entry).

and as i said, the tag is FREE if you order from gun dog supply.

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and these plate tags are awesome.  no dangling, dingling, clinking, clanging … and no lost ID!

now, admittedly, gun dog supply is a US-based site, so you’ll end up paying shipping, but you won’t get hit with duty if your order is under $20 or so … and these collars are UNDER $10!!

of course, the only thing matea cares about when it comes to a leash and collar, is whether she gets out for a walk.

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