A Lucky Dog……Or Am I The Lucky One?

01.24.2009 Posted in dogs * pet portraits

A few weeks ago, I found a dog on the side of the road.  Thankfully, he hadn’t been hit.  When I walked over to him, he leaned against my leg and looked up at me with those sweet brown eyes.  Bang….a connection was made.  He stole my heart right then and there.

I scooped him up and put him in my van.  I didn’t see any homes in the area.  He didn’t have a collar.  If he did have a “home”, he certainly wasn’t getting the veterinary care he needed.  He had horrible looking skin with infected sores and let’s just say he didn’t smell like flowers.

I took him to my husband’s animal hospital where he was given a thorough exam.  The list of problems included mange, secondary skin infections, bilateral ear infections, and intestinal parasites.  His treatment began immediately.

Within a few days, he was looking and acting like he felt better.  He had also managed to steal the hearts of everyone at the office.  He is so incredibly sweet.  He makes friends with every person and dog he meets.  In short, he’s irresistable.

I’ve named him Nikon.

From his looks, he may be a Sharpei / Pit Bull mix.  You can see some of his skin issues on his chest.  One of my favorite features of his is the way one ear goes up and the other flops over when something gets his attention.  The wrinkled forehead is adorable as well.

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Here he is with “Tony”, the Greyhound foster that’s at the office.  The two hit it off right away.  Tony is quite a character-a beautiful dog too!

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by LME

7 comments

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Deborah - What a great dog. My husband and I always end up with strays as pets although we don’t have a veterinary hospital. Our most recent addition, six years ago because I put my foot down ever since) is a pit bull, German Shepherd, yellow lab mix. He has a droopy ear as well and he’s a character. The photo of the dogs together looking at the toy captures dog bonding behaviour to the max.January 25, 2009 – 5:56 pm

Jessica - OMG-what a sweet heart. You always manage to find such soul and personality in your dog portraits. Everytime I visit your site I’m amazed. I hear you’re coming to my hometown soon to do pet portraits. I’ve pre-registered and can’t wait for you to immortalize my dog Coaster(a mutt). Hey, maybe you’ll bring Nikon with you. I’d love to meet him.January 30, 2009 – 12:11 pm

LME - Deborah and Jessica, Thanks for visiting and commenting! Jessica, I look forward to meeting you and Coaster. I hope to bring Nikon with me! I probably won’t have him on the set as he’ll be a distraction but I was thinking of scheduling a play date at the dog park for all the dogs we shoot on Saturday. I’ll be shooting some “candid” photos of the dogs playing which will be included in the proof sets.January 30, 2009 – 12:17 pm

Shelly - HI, first off I love your photography…great stuff. I had a question…I’m out on the west coast California and was wondering where you buy your canvas backdrops that you paint and what kind of paint you use. I have been doing landscape/nature photography for awhile now, but keep getting asked to do portraits (dogs and people) for friends. Your backdrops look really nice and I thought maybe I would try making some to save a little money. Any advice or info is greatly appreciated. Take care.February 2, 2009 – 4:39 pm

LME - Hi Shelly-Thanks for visiting! I get my raw canvas from Allen’s Canvas ( http://www.allenscanvas.com ). I use regular latex paint watered down so it’s like a stain. I then apply it using rollers and brushes, overlapping and overlaying color until I’m happy with the color and “texture”. Then I use a clear glaze (Benjamin Moore)so I can hand wash and disinfect any accidents-and there will be accidents if you’re shooting dogs.

If you need more details on the process, feel free to e-mail me.February 5, 2009 – 12:16 am

Neena - What a wonderful story, Laurie! What a lucky little boy to have found you! Do the cats love him too? Love the pictures! You have so much talent!!!!!June 2, 2009 – 10:22 am

LME - Thanks Neena! He’s only been home for a few days so we’re still taking the kitty introductions slow. He’s been fine. It’s the cats that worry me. They can be mean to new family members. Nikon has already learned when a cat comes near, he has to lie down so they can approach him without feeling threatened. Two have already accepted him. He ignores them (which is perfect). It’s the kitties that run, that get him a little excited but there’s already great improvement. It’ll likely take a few more weeks of close supervision. As I type this, he’s sleeping under my desk, all tuckered out after playing with his girlfriend (Gracie, a black lab) from across the street- pictured here. http://www.lmeimages.com/news/dog-world-article-on-photographing-pets/June 2, 2009 – 10:35 am

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