Addicted

He’s on that computer machine day and night. 

I think he might be selling our stuff on ebay.

 

 

He just twittered, didn’t he?  Huckleberry…

Mr. Berries

He’s such a gentleman. I love him more every day. 

 

Cosmo

As someone who has grown accustomed to life with mellow, ankle high dogs, moving in with a fully charged, hip high lab was an adjustment. His name is Cosmo. His youth is evident in his every leap and bound, his insatiable appetite for tug of war and his endlessly replenishable source of energy. Our dogs are like empty-nesters. They relish in a quiet evening at home with a book and an afghan draped over their lap. Not Cosmo. He’d prefer to kick things off with happy hour, hit the batting cages, go rollerskating, ride to the top of the space needle, hit the slots then rendezvous for dinner downtown and hit every dance club on the way home before topping the night off with a speakeasy after hours party. And of course, boldly shatter the calm of the following morning completely restored, with a hankering for a brisk morning jog. And we were lucky enough to spend almost two weeks with him over the holidays. By New Year’s day we were exhausted. In fact, I think all four of us, dogs included, aged a year and half. In dog years, that’s like over a decade or something. Lost. Completely gone in the name of a lab on the go.

But in truth, we loved every minute of it. He breathed new life into us all and renewed our sense of adventure.

So, here’s to Cosmo. He may sneak out of bed before you get up in the morning, but you won’t regret a moment of it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It wasn’t always about life in the fast lane. Sometimes our dogs would rub off on Cosmo just a little. He would lean over their shoulder to see what they were reading, try sipping a cup of tea, or just generally not move, tremble or fidget for more than 30 seconds. And sometimes, he even tried to imagine himself as a small dog. I can’t look at this picture without hearing Chris Farley in Tommy Boy singing “fat guy in a little coat”.

“Big dog in little bed…”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My personal favorite…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matt & Ani

Meet Matt and Ani. They own my friend and fellow photographer, Jeff Reifman. These are two of the best lookin’ 14 year old cats I’ve ever laid eyes on. His love must have anti-aging effects, because these two cuties barely look a day over five.  

Jeff and I spent a chilly Saturday afternoon romping around his beautiful Green Lake home, luring his cats in every direction with heaping piles of Greenies and catnip.  We got them completely intoxicated, filled their bellies to maximum capacity and made a huge mess. It was very irresponsible. And totally worth it. 

Jeff is involved in all kinds of projects, including his very own NewsCloud, a fantastic, community oriented, independent news source featuring stories from all over the web. No corporate interests here! Check it out for yourself at www.newscloud.com. 

But first, check out these two! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love to isolate little cat features. Especially tails and toes…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was a toy carrot we dangled in front of Ani’s face for eye contact. She was less than amused. It’s one of my favorite shots of the day. 

 

 

 

Good old fashioned carrot-danglin’…works like a charm. 

 

 

Matt and Ani grew up together – and have been with each other since kitten-hood.  When things quiet down, they sit back, relax and groom each other. 

It’s precious. 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes Matt tells Ani secrets.

 

 

But then she just goes and spills them to Jeff…

 

It’s an unspoken understanding.

 

 

Then came the catnip…

 

 

 

 

 

We binged.

 

Matt just completely lost his mind. 

 

 

Yet his paw-eye coordination remained intact!

 

 

 

Thanks Jeff, Matt & Ani!

Frozen little haunches

Haunch loves the snow. No really, she does.

 

Wolfie, the cat

It’s true that I’ve become somewhat of a “dog person” over the years, but my love for cats is decades old and will never fade. Spending time with Wolfie during his photo shoot was bittersweet last month. He is gorgeous and sassy and all of the quirky, wonderful things my Funk used to be. I miss him every day…

Here is Wolfie. Wolfgang, officially. He’s got me all mushy. 

done

Wednesday

I just don’t know anyone that likes Wednesdays.

I don’t even like saying the word Wednesday.

 

Holidog!

I had the exciting privilege of photographing HOLIDOG, a local fundraiser/block party for my neighborhood dog park today. Patrick Jones, dog park extraordinaire and loyal steward of Capitol Hill’s Plymouth Pillars Off-Leash Area put on a super fun event for  all of us dog lovin’ Seattle folk today. Among the festivities, we enjoyed complimentary dog grooming, free soup from Soup’s On!, dozens of raffle giveaways from local vendors, including MudBay, The Feed Bag, droolz, Tango, Galactic Boutique and many, many more.  And the best part? All of the proceeds went to the COLA (Citizens for Off Leash Areas) as well as the beautification of our neighborhood dog park.

Way to be, Patrick. We are all so lucky to have such an enthusiastic community organizer right here in our own back yard. 

And if that weren’t enough, thousands of people marched past our block party as part of a national protest of the California vote that banned gay marriage. Good vibes all around – and gorgeous, crisp weather to top it all off. 

Here are some of my favorite photos from today: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marvelous Mars

Meet Mars. He is such a dapper gentleman. His schedule is what I envision most dogs must follow in dog heaven. This is Mars’ typical Saturday:

Wake up. Eat. Hang out in the back yard and sniff the fresh tomatoes. Get some serious snuggle time with mom. Go to my girlfriend Lucy’s house for some slap & tickle, I mean – wrestling and tug-of-war. Get a sudsy, wonderful bath. Get a thorough teeth cleaning – ah, minty fresh. Get some serious snuggle time with mom. Eat. Snack. Nap on the couch and get some serious snuggle time with mom. 

He’s got it made. But then again, so does his mom Andy. Mars is one of those dogs so completely devoted and head over heels in love with his owner he can’t take his eyes off her. It may be one of the sweetest things I’ve ever laid eyes on. But I’ll let you be the judge. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mars loves to make out. 

 

 

 

But not ALL the time. 

 

 

 

He has irresistible forehead wrinkles. 

 

 

 

They howl together. It is the best sound in the world. They made me feel right at home.

 

 

 

There are no words that do this one justice. It’s interpretational.

Insert quote here _____________.

 

 

 

He’s got the look that says “I’m too cool for school.”

But he wouldn’t just be saying that. Because he really is. I’ve never been as cool as Mars is in this photo right here:

 

 

 

Real love

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this here is proof that you can pull off an outdoor photo shoot in Seattle in October.

Because eventually, it will stop raining. And the beautiful, diffused light of our dreary city will stream through the clouds and drench us in delicate, silver light.

 

 

 

Beautiful Andy…

 

 

 

Beautiful Mars…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Only a dog will appreciate the tender offering of a slug, and then appreciate your sacrifice of a slimy finger thereafter. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We thought this was hilarious. Mars, not so much. 

His expression says it all. And I believe it includes an expletive. 

 

 

 

Thank you, Andy. Thank you, Mars. 

You are marvelous and unforgettable… 

Mojo

I snapped this shot of my sister’s puppy Mojo back in August during my visit to Idaho. I just came across it and couldn’t help but share it with the world. Isn’t he perfect?