A-Z Challenge 2014 - 'R'

R - Rottweiler, Retriever

Crufts, The greatest dog show in the world, has been on while I have drafted some posts for this year's Challenge. The Best in Breed for the Working Group turned out to be Barney, a Rottweiler. 

I don't have any photos of him but it just so happens that a five months-old puppy has recently come to live in my village.

Max - Rottweiler puppy

Max walks quite well on a lead even at this age and he is getting used to meeting people. Now that he recognises me he wants to play and not sit still to be photographed.

Max

Rottweilers are an ancient breed once used in wild-boar hunting and as a cattle dog. More recently they have been used for police work and as guard dogs.

I introduced you to the "Gang of Four" under 'L' for Labrador.Now it's the Retriever's turn in a second "Gang of Four," also owned by my daughter and her husband.

Black Lab Mutt (Gem), Retrievers - Cody, Scout and Lily

Cody and Scout were special mates since they came from the same breeder. Cody had been cared for there for a long time after his owner died. When Scout was a puppy and and the breeders had a licensing problem their dogs were being taken into care while the problem was sorted out. When the premises were being cleared Cody had hidden Scout in a cupboard and laid down in front of the door so that he would not be found.

They were both 'loaned' out with number of other dogs to stay with Gem and blind Sam (see 'L'). Cody and Scout proved inseparable and they stayed when the other dogs went back. After Sam passed on the new "Gang of Four" was formed when they were joined by Lily, a Golden Retriever puppy.

Cody being teased by Scout

Cody died last summer. He was a dog who had some favourite positions, usually spreadeagled on the floor.

With one eye on his tennis ball

They all like swimming in the lake, probably Scout most of all.

Scout coming back to land

Lily, looking angelic

But as befits the youngest she's the one always in trouble.

Anyone would think she had had a busy day

IPhone Dogs - Thematic Photography

I thought that I would have to miss this week when I saw that Carmi was proposing for us to post photos taken with a mobile device. I am a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to such equipment; my mobile phone has no camera and a £10 top-up lasts me c6 months.

I have many photos of dogs, especially those owned by my daughter. Often you can't take 'posed' photos of dogs with a digital camera and I can see that impromptu shots can be snatched easier with a camera phone.

Lily and Scout (Iphone 3G)

This photo was set up. I was stroking Scout just after he had been clipped; Lily as usual wanted to be petted too not knowing that it was her turn next.

The next shot is one of Lily in disgrace caught on the IPhone just after she had been scolded.

A muddy Lily (IPhone 3G)

Here is Cody in an Elizabethan collar; I'm not sure whether he's asleep or whether he has is just fed up. He is easier to photograph as he will stay still when told - he's 14 now.

Cody's collar (IPhone 3G)

The next two shots are with an IPhone 4S; you would be very lucky to get the shot of the two dogs with anything other than a camera phone. The 4S phone gives exposure times for the photos where the 3G photo data only records the aperture as f/2.8

Gem and Scout (IPhone 4S f/2.4, exposure 0.67sec)

For comparison here's an outdoor shot with the same IPhone where you could take your time before taking it as the subject will not move.

Hanging basket (IPhone 4S; f/2.4, exposure 0.005sec)

Thanks to my daughter for sending me these shots.

Now I'll let you be the judge of the results. I confess that with my digital camera it's just a question of point and shoot and that I have no experience with IPhone photography.

For other different takes please check out Thematic-photographic-207

Dogs in My Life

From an early age I was used to playing with dogs, The first I remember was an Airedale named Punch, then Laddie, a white Labrador/Lurcher, followed by a whippet named Flick. But the first photograph I have is this from the 1950s.

Major

Major belonged to my wife's sister, but was looked after by her parents. We have never owned a dog ourselves but our younger son and our daughter have made up for this. My son has had three Irish Water Spaniels over the years, two of them at the same time.

Milly and Cara

You may read about Milly and Cara here

Sam and Maxie were my daughter's first two Golden Labradors who became known as the Dogs of Troy.

Sam and Maxie are the stars

The pictures in the video also appear with a commentary at this post.

Later they became part of the gang of four known as the Deer Trail Hounds.

Gem, Sam, Jack and Maxie.

Gem is still alive; Sam suddenly went blind when he was 10 but survived another two years; Jack was known as the brown bomber because of the havoc he could cause while Maxie found fame as the Trash Queen in Dogs Today.

Gem now has to share the house and grounds with three Retrievers - Lily, Scout and Cody. Lily is the youngest and always in trouble but will run for miles after a tennis ball. Scout spoils the games by hiding the balls and has earned the title of Scouty-Two-Ball, which is strange because he hasn't any, as he can run with two in his mouth at once.

Lily and Scout in water; Cody and Gem on land

But Alan's prompt was, let me remind you, man and dog,

So here's one of me.

Cody - more in hope, than expectation.

For more shaggy dog stories you need to check out others at sepia-saturday-111

Michigan Wild Dogs

Yesterday I mentioned boisterous dogs frightening birds. Here are two of them, admittedly when they were a bit younger, resting after their exertions..

Lily and Scout

Those of you who followed the April A-Z Challenge will have read of Lily's escapades before. Neither they nor the older dogs, Cody and Gem, are really wild dogs although their ancestors were many years ago, There's nothing that they like better than to live up to their Retriever genes when chasing after a tennis ball.