Let’s Not Forget Koko

My Dog Koko – a 7 year old Black Lab Mix

After photographing my neighbors new puppy I decided it was time to take a few new photos of my dog Koko. The name Koko is a Native American name for night. She is a 7 year old Black Lab mix (possibly part greyhound), very rambunctious, fast as a bullet, and always ready for a game of fetch in the yard. I do wish I had of taken off her collar for the images but as you can see her dog tags have some nasty chew marks in them and that is because she likes to pass the time chewing on them and what would the photos be without her signature trademark 🙂 She regularly mulches any tree branches that fall to the ground in the yard as well. Unfortunately she does suffer from an hereditary eye disease called Pannus, which she receives cortisone eye drops daily to prevent the disease from causing blindness…she was first diagnosed with the disease when she was two and so far so good, but the eye drops may result in premature cataracts. Either way she is a lovable dog with boundless energy.

Do remember to click on the image to see the larger, sharper version 🙂

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How Cute is This?

Cane Corso Mastif Puppy at 8 Weeks

This morning I spent about an hour photographing my neighbors 8 week old Cane Corso Mastif. What a cutie! She is a very busy little girl, which made capturing a pleasing image of her quite a challenge. I am looking forward to creating more photographs of her as she grows older, but I don’t think  any of them will be quite this cute.

 

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Remembering a Good ol’Boy

Today’s post is for a dear old friend who left this world 10 years ago today. Sampson was my faithful photography companion for 6 years. He was my shadow and would follow me everywhere I went. He became our dog when he was 7 years old and lived to be 13 years of age. He was a large 105lb. German Shepherd mix. Due to neglect Sampson spent the first 7 years of life learning how to fend for himself and he became a skilled hunter in doing so. Often I would find him in the field behind my home hunting for meadow voles. When we moved into our home Sampson came by for a visit and never left, eventually his owners said keep him we don’t want him, and so we did. His favorite past time was playing ball with orange road hockey balls, but you would need to have 3 or 4 balls to actually play fetch with him. He would often stuff two or three of them in his mouth and would not drop them unless you had another one to throw. He also loved to play fetch, in the lake, at the cottage where you could not keep him out of the water. When he was done playing fetch he would chew on these balls as if they were bubblegum. We would often go for very long walks together through the woodlands near the family cottage or down the rural roads where I live. One day he just did not seem to be himself and he had lost his appetite. A trip to the vet would reveal a large tumor in his abdomen. The vet prescribe some medication to help Sampson through the next couple of months. When we arrived home from the vet I asked Sampson if he wanted to go for a walk, which he did. As we set out for our walk, about 20 or 30 feet down the road he stopped, looked up at me, and turned to go back to the house. We had just completed what would be our last walk together. The next morning Sampson died in his sleep. Sampson was cremated and his ashes scattered in the lake at the cottage.

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Dogs

For all the dog lovers out there I thought I should get around to posting a photograph of my dog Koko. Her name comes from the Japanese / Native American word meaning midnight. As you can see she is as black as black can be. This is a recent image taken over the Thanksgiving Weekend. I like how the carpet of out of focus white pine needles compliments the colour of her eyes. Koko is 4 years old and is a lab mix. Many people think she has a bit of greyhound in her and she just may have because when she runs she’s like a bullet. When Koko was 2 years old she was diagnosed with a hereditary eye disease called pannus which will cause blindness if left untreated. Her treatment consists of daily cortisone drops in both eyes to halt the progression of the disease. So far it is working. Koko has not really become a photo companion due to her excessive playful nature, but she is gentle and good-natured with my 3 year old daughter.

Below you will see a photograph of my brothers pure-bred husky. Her name is Kaiya. Kaiya is the most gentle husky I have ever known and those blue eyes are simply amazing. I always try to get a few nice portraits of Kaiya whenever I have a chance too.

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