Look Ma, No Hands!

(or at least the doggie versions of hands, which can also be called “feet.”)

I guess it’s been so long since we’ve been to the beach that they were literally walking (running) on air?

Because Miles didn’t touch the ground.

And Addy didn’t touch the ground.

And Hollie Smallz didn’t touch the ground.

And Spring REALLY didn’t touch the ground.

Winter may have touched the ground a little bit, but I think he mostly touched water.  Also, I think this is the nicest photo of Winter I have ever managed to take, because Winter is just not very photogenic.

Miles touched Piper, which could have gone badly for him, but fortunately in her old age Piper’s reaction times are slow ;-)

TWooie, who is just not a fan of the beach (unless he’s catching Things From The Sea), made sure to touch the ground thoroughly.  This is about the deepest water he can handle, poor weirdo.

Unlike his brother, who likes the beach a lot.  Although Wootie’s leg is very sore, so he hasn’t been enjoying much of anything lately.  I can’t remember which cruciate he tore so I don’t know if it’s finally gone or if the other one went.  I still haven’t quite finished unpacking so the vet records are around here somewhere, but not sure where.  Poor old man.  Why are all my dogs getting old?  I wish that wouldn’t keep happening.  Fortunately, his ears remain absolutely fabulous.

It really was a glorious day to spend at the beach – not too hot.  Although Heather complained about it not being hot enough for no-shoes.  I forgot the Chuck-It (I remembered to check if I had a BALL, but not the stupid ball throwing implement, so the ball was useless … which anyone trying to throw a ball with their hand and then putting that sandy hand on their expensive camera equipment will know) so the dogs just had to run around willy nilly for 1.5 hours.  Which they did gleefully.

This is Miles, one of my client dogs.  His mum is super pregnant, so sometimes she FB messages me and says “Come take them away before I murder them!” and I rush to oblige ;-)  Miles has CEA which is a genetic disorder that causes blindness in collie type breeds, because his breeder didn’t do any genetic testing and believes either that CEA is “rare” in border collies (it is when you test for it, and don’t breed carrier to carrier, or anything to affected!)  and/or that his owner “caused” the blindness and/or is “lying” about him having considerably limited vision in order to discredit her.  And is still breeding from the same lines.  This is shameful.  Miles compensates pretty well for his vision loss, and I am always surprised how well he can navigate, even at top speed.  Although he doesn’t always see my legs, and I’m not entirely sure that’s unintentional.

This is Ammo, Miles’ brother.  Ammo is a very nice dog who can see perfectly well (because he comes from a different breeder who tests for things like genetic disorders that commonly affect the breed) but unfortunately for Ammo, his handsomeness does not translate on camera.  In virtually every photo I have taken of him, he appears extremely dorkish.  Sorry Ammo.

This is not unlike another handsome black and white border collie, whose completely embrace of The Derp ruins an otherwise perfectly lovely shot of athletic dogs racing each other into the waves.

Here’s Peetie, in a rare instance where she is not annoying the crap out of me.

Some of you on Facebook have already met Minnie, my very pregnant foster dog!  Minnie is my solution to puppyitis (her radiographs suggest she will give me FOUR puppies to fawn over) and also to feeling like I’m not doing very much in the way of rescue since I no longer work in a shelter and my rescue is no longer busy, ever.  So I offered to foster this little lady for another rescue, because I have the time, and I have the space, and I really like puppies!  She’s been with me almost a week and now thinks her name is “Mini Mama.”  She’s a sweet little thing who is a bit shy, but when she gets comfortable she starts showing some personality.  Today I got her to play biteyface with my hands for the first time, and got her excited about the Bum Pinching game … which was a mistake because then she got all excited and started bouncing around and bit me in the back and in the face before I could stand up (I was sitting on the grass chucking the ball for the big dogs)!  Little imp.  I’m not sure when her puppies are due, but I swear her belly gets bigger by the hour!

She doesn’t share well though.  She doesn’t share food, she would rather not share my lap and she really, really didn’t want to share this empty crab shell that she found and rolled on to forever mark it as Hers.

I’m going to need lots of socializing volunteers when the puppies arrive, so I hope lots of you are up for visiting Casa de Food Lady in coming weeks!  I will work on getting more photos of her too.  Until recently, she has simply glued herself to my heels wherever I walk, but she’s starting to relax and explore the farm now when we are out.

Mini Mama came at a good time, because it feels like EVERYONE except me is getting a puppy!  I keep getting these FB messages from friends who are like “I’m getting a puppy, but don’t tell anyone, it’s a secret still” and it’s a good thing I can’t punch anyone through the computer screen because I am SO JEALOUS.  *I’m* not getting a puppy, I only got Peetie, she sucks donkey balls.

Like, my friend Christine told me a while back that she was getting a puppy, and then sure enough, she shows up at my house on the weekend with this SUPER F*CKING ADORABLE PUPPY.

Gah!!  His name is Pip, and he is a purpose bred border collie X whippet  (I think they’re the new borderjack).  His big brother is Skye, whom you may remember from many years ago when he had The Whole World In His Mouth.  Yes Skye turned out enormous, and yes Pip is still quite teeny (he’s just 12 weeks old) and pair of them are just SO FREAKIN’ AWESOME.

I have coveted other people’s border collie/whippets for a long time now, and Pip only made me want one even more!  Until I introduced him to Addy, and the two of them WERE EXACTLY THE SAME.  The started speaking “sighthound” to one another right away, and got the simultaneous ‘craze’hounds.

And then I remembered that although Addy is one of my most favouritest dogs ever, she is also REALLY REALLY NAUGHTY and she only gets away with it because she’s a whopping 11 lbs.  If she were 40 lbs, there’s a good chance I’d drop kick her into the next solar system.

Still though … so much cute in a whippety looking package.  It’s very hard to resist.

If you like, you can see more photos of Pip and his Combo Session on my photography website, under “client galleries” (and yes, I redesigned the site again.  It’s a compulsion, I can’t help it!)

Here’s a photo of Fae, because I totally omitted her snotty little self from the blog today.

And here’s a photo of Piper, because she’s awesome, and who knows how many beach trips she has left in her anyway?

She found a lady at the beach who had NOT stupidly forgotten her Chuck It, and she decided she liked her better than me and was never coming home.  It took quite a lot of convincing to get her to leave the stranger and head back with the rest of us!  That’s gratitude for you – 14 years of life I give her, and I forget the Chuck It ONE time, and I’m dead to her.  Harumph.

This weekend I am at my annual gig shooting the ASC of BC trial in Tsawwassen.  If you’re of a mind, come out and visit!  If you want me to like you the nanosecond I meet you, come bearing a Frappucino.  Or this Tweedlet.  Either one is cool ;-)