i still have many 4-legger clients to share with you from our fall sessions, but they’re either Christmas presents and their blog entries can’t be mounted yet, or I still haven’t completed the post work on them.   but they’re coming.  there’s a queue …

… and i can’t help but jump that cue with a little shoot i had yesterday afternoon with my own little scruffie, merrick.  with the crazy schedule i’ve had lately, this was my first opportunity to shoot this little goober in the snow … unless i count those first couple of days when we brought him home.

upon letting him out with matea midday, he always stops to look back at the house … hoping, praying, pleading that i’ll come out and play. dang, i love this dog.

but he knows he has to “go do his business” first …

… then we can play!

and if i don’t throw his training bumper fast enough, i get told off.

this bumper — made by Chuckit — is the BEST.  perhaps a little odd discussing flotation toys while ankle-deep in snow, but i’ve gone through a number of float/retrieve toys over the past few months since merrick loves the water so much.  sadly, all have failed for various reasons.  although i haven’t had a chance to use the Chuckit bumper in water yet, i know it’s going to be a hit.  it won’t sink deep in the water before coming back up to float like some of the toys we’ve been disappointed with, and it will sit high enough on the surface so that shorty here will be able to spot it.  too many flotation toys are too flat and can’t be seen in even slightly choppy water, or by the low-swimmers like merrick.

regardless, this bumper won’t be seeing water for a while, but he loves it anywhere … and in deeper snow, i always prefer a bumper on a rope over a ball … although merrick is tenacious when it comes to searching for his ball, and i’m sure he’d dig through 10′ of snow to find his beloved balls.

of course, no snow shoot would be complete with out jumping …

… and for merrick, swinging …

now, let me say, these shots were no easy feat.  in one hand, i am balancing just under 5 lbs of camera, while with the other, i’m swinging 22+ lbs of dog in a circle,  2′ off the ground.  and yeah, he loves this … this is something we have built together through encouragement and confidence building.  he’s a pro.  while matea, well, she just doesn’t get how it could possibly be fun.

i love these next two.  i generally don’t let him chew on the bumper since it’s for training, but after the swinging, he got to have it for a few minutes.  not to be upstaged by all the attention merrick was receiving, matea found herself a stick to show off …

and there she goes!

okay, here’s my girl.  although she was once as wild and zany as merrick, age has offered her a perspective which allows moments of calm and, dare i say, wisdom?

of course, the cost of all this fun, alas, is snow balls.

but we’ve got that covered.  i gave the little goober a good trimming tonight, so hopefully with shorter hair on the legs and feet he’ll at least be able to go out for a pee without bringing half the yard back inside with him.  AND merrick got a super duper, high-tech snow suit that i’m picking up from the tailor’s later today (the legs had to be taken up, of course) just for our hikes.  wait till you get a load of him in his new super-suit!

happy weekend, everyone.  try not to spend your entire weekend shopping and get out and enjoy the snow!