Welcome to our new blog! Borias and I have been meaning to move to wordpress for some time now, and happily, the move has been made! I have a little time this three-day (birthday) weekend. I kind of want to skip over the birthday part. I’ve been feeling older, and so has Borias. Very disheartening to say the least. I’m hoping part of it is the heat, he’s having bad allergies, and was on antihistamines. That made him drink more, and it’s harder for him to hold his bladder then. It wasn’t helping, so we’re stopping those now.
It’s shocking how fast dogs age. Seemingly right in front of your eyes. Ten is by no means ancient, though many people seem to think so. “Oh, that’s OLD for a Shepherd!” they’ll gasp. I tell them his mother lived to 16.7 years old. So there. He’s from tough stock. His bad back takes it’s toll, though. I saw an eleven year old GSD running after a frisbee, during a photoshoot the other day. Made me wonder if it weren’t for his herniated disk, would he be doing that, too ? I’m grateful that he has mobility still. But I’m bummed to see the vigor and stamina wane. Gone are the days he could walk to Hillcrest, the park, and back home. We could cover a lot of ground in our day.
He still likes to dance, though. It’s just a little less crazy and spazzy. And watch out! He’s the pigeon police!
August 1, 2011 | Categories: Assistance dogs, Borias, disability, dog photography, German Shepherd, German Shepherd. Service dog, German Shepherds, heart dog, older dogs, Service dog, service dogs, Uncategorized | Leave A Comment »
For nine years now, my significant other has been my dog. My main, close relationship. I’m so used to it that way, it would be strange to have it otherwise! He helps me when I need it, lifts me when I’m down, argues with me, a lot, and makes me laugh even more.
He’s such a good sport about getting photos taken, too. Here’s our Valentine’s Day pic.
Happy Valentine’s Day all!
February 15, 2010 | Categories: Assistance dogs, dogs, German Shepherd, Valentine's Day | Leave A Comment »
Thought I’d share some pics from a zoo trip this past week. Borias loves the zoo so much. Great place to walk him around, seeing all the animals. It’s so interesting seeing how they react to them, and vice versa. It’s amazing, I just realized that Borias has been going to the zoo since he was 5 months old! I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve been.
You would think that he’d get used to all of the animals by now, but some still freak him out a little. The big cats who look like they want to stalk and eat him specifically. One can be pacing back and forth, and that’s fine, but if they glare with eye contact in a certain way, he wants to bark. He also succumbs to the teasing of the primates. The worst being the Bonobos. The little chimps throw things at the glass, leap up and hit it, and generally do whatever they can to get a rise out of him.
It works. He crinkles his nose at them, like he’s saying “don’t tease me!” Falls for it all the time. Everyone gets a huge kick out of watching the interaction. I know I never get tired of it.
February 1, 2010 | Categories: German Shepherd, San Diego Zoo, service dogs | Leave A Comment »
A few days ago, I finally got to do something I’ve been wanting to do for some time; a photo session with Borias’ wonderful mother. She’s going to be SIXTEEN in October!! Unbelievable, huh? And for her age, she’s really going pretty strong! Her back legs wobble, but she’s still mobile. Inside, she’s in good shape. She’s on Adequan just like Borias, which helps her with arthritis.
So Borias’ breeder was coming down from Ventura county for a doctor’s appt., and brought Rhena with her, so we could meet up at a park for the shoot. It was quite interesting that as we approached, and Rhena was being helped out of her crate to the ground, Borias started pulling me hard to get to her. He sniffed her intently, and I wondered if he remembered her. After all, he remembers his breeder quite well, and is always overjoyed to be reunited with her. I didn’t let him get too friendly, however, so he wouldn’t inadvertently hurt her.
Actually, he seemed quite respectful of her personal space after that initial sniff. I tried to get him to lay next to her for a few photos, and he didn’t want to be that close. Even at her age, she’s still got a presence, and perhaps intimidated him a bit! I laughed when Kathy, his breeder, told Rhena to “platz”, and she went halfway, still resistant, and having a mind of her own. Now there my boy is a lot like her. But when it comes to toughness, he didn’t inherit that quality. He’s kind of a ninny ; )
Rhena came to be Kathy’s at 6 years old, after being with 5 other owners. She had had a hard life in that time, too, with some heavy-handed training. It was another one of those ‘meant to be’ stories. A beloved dog of Kathy’s passed on, and there was room for another dog. Rhena had just been passed on to a new Schutzhund competitor, and he called Kathy, asking if she still wanted her. (She was available awhile before, but Kathy didn’t have the room). She jumped at the chance, and brought Rhena home, promising her that she would be there the rest of her life. She turned out to be her dream dog.
I’m so grateful that she gave birth to my heart dog. That her blood passes through his veins. Such a noble, beautiful girl, full of such grace at her advanced age. She was a great working dog, possessing a toughness usually only seen in males. In fact, she still marks like a male!
And my Borias pees like a girl, and is a drama queen ROFL!
I love how they have such individual personalities. Rhena has amazing character. Here’s hoping that she makes it to 16, and I’m there to take more photographs at her celebration of life!
Aly, Kathy’s daughter, Kathy, and Rhena.
August 11, 2009 | Categories: dog photography, German Shepherd, older dogs, Schutzhund | Leave A Comment »
