Tag Archives: portrait

New foster: TANK!

May 23, 2011 By in TANK Tags: , , , , , , , , , 39 Comments

Introducing our new foster, TANK!

Have you ever seen such rugged good looks on a dog?

We have only had TANK for 36 hours, but are totally falling for this giant, puppy-like goofball. TANK may have that tough-guy look, but he could hardly be more of a softie! TANK lives for ear scratches, belly rubs, and big hugs. He also loves to give big, slobbery kisses to anybody who shows him a little kindness. He has such a big personality that when we say his name, or think his name, or write his name, we can’t help but use all caps: TANK!

This poor oversized puppy showed up as a stray at a rural animal shelter in South Carolina, where few dogs ever make it out alive. There he sat, patiently, quietly, and worriedly, waiting for somebody to claim him, but nobody ever came. And still. The shelter workers must have seen something really special in this guy’s sweet disposition and devastatingly handsome face, because he wound up being the first pit bull type dog to ever be released from the shelter to a rescue group! TANK is very proud of this great honor, and hopes that he paves the way for many other pit bulls who come from his former turf.

The area he came from is very rural and fairly poor, and we wonder: was TANK loved? Had he lived in a house and had his nails trimmed? Was he bred by bad people for bad purposes, but then failed to live up to their expectations? Has he ever played with a toy before? Slept on a soft bed? Seen the bright lights of a big city?

We wish we knew more about TANK’s history, and are really looking forward to getting to know him. We hope you’ll join us!

gonzo takes a stand . . . or a sit

March 21, 2011 By in Gonzo Tags: , , , , 17 Comments

Mr. Gonzo Bunny-Ears has excellent house manners, but in the first few days with us, he revealed to us his strong preference for sitting in chairs — it seems that in his old home, he may have had a little perch in a living room chair. Over his first week in our home he tested out the options here, and we had to have a talking to about dog beds being for dogs and chairs being for humans.

He eventually understood the new rules, but in the interim, we found him in various chairs around the house, looking very cute and very defiant.

the prettiest eyes you ever did see

February 3, 2011 By in Lollie Tags: , , , , , , , 15 Comments

Remember when we blogged about how gorgeous Lollie Wonderdog is (not that you didn’t notice on your own), and about her magnetic personality? And when we showed you how her older fosterbrother Chick was teaching her his famous puppy dog look?

What we haven’t highlighted specifically– but you may have noticed through Lollie’s photos– is that each of these qualities is greatly augmented by her stunning, expressive, artfully-shaped, rich caramel-colored eyes.

We’re clearly not biased, because she’s not our dog. But just in case, judge for yourself.

For more info on adopting Lollie, contact us at DCpetographer [at] gmail [dot] com or 301-520-7123.

the game of clue

February 1, 2011 By in Lollie Tags: , , , , , , 16 Comments

Lol and I took a self-portrait the other day while driving home* from an adoption show with Bully Paws (a fantastic pit bull rescue organization in Virginia), and while it’s simple, we think it offers many important clues about Lollie and about fostermom.

Among them:

  1. Lollie is a good car rider, sitting calmly at the center of the back seat so she can see everthing, but not climbing over into the front seat, which is both dangerous and against The Rules.
  2. Lollie has a very cute smile and very sparkly eyes.
  3. Foster mom is a Safety Girl and always wears her seatbelt.
  4. Foster mom sometimes ignores the 24-hour rule and neglects to shower on Sunday morning, thus mandating a clever hat.
  5. Lollie and foster mom have been together too long; they are starting to resemble each other—the same twinkle in the eye, and the same color t-shirt.
  6. Foster mom’s best friend is a pit bull (you would be able to tell this if the picture hadn’t been cut off due to poor camera handling skills. Foster mom is wearing this t-shirt in the photo.)

*Come on people, the self-portrait was taken at a light. We are not so reckless as to take a portrait while the vehicle is actually moving!

For more info on adopting Lollie, contact us at DCpetographer [at] gmail [dot] com or 301-520-7123.

gifts from a handsome suitor…

January 12, 2011 By in Lollie Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , 17 Comments

… or so Lollie would have you believe. Fostermom had the pleasure of photographing Vicktory dog Handsome Dan and his family a few days before Christmas Eve for StubbyDog, and as an incredibly sweet gesture, Dansome got a box of doggie Christmas cookies for Lol and Chick. Lollie has a big crush on Handsome Dan of course (what ladydog wouldn’t?) so she has been shamelessly pretending that the cookies were a gift of love (not friendship) and only for her (not also for Chick).

Here she is with their box of cookies, showing Dansome her most winning “come hither” look: 

Dansome is a real role model for dogs like Lollie, because he has overcome such cruelty and adversity and become a wonderful and gentle family member to Mark, Heather, and their two kids. Dansome is quite shy and wary of strangers– which is understandable after everything he went through at the Vick property– but he doesn’t have a mean bone in his body, and as time goes on, he is learning how to trust and love. He is worlds from where he was.

It was especially moving for me to meet Dansome because I had been following the Vick dogfighting drama from the start, and almost obsessively tracked the progress of the dogs at Best Friends and BAD RAP. I still remember the overwhelming emotion that washed over me each time I read a newspaper article or saw photos about the unfolding case or what was happening with the dogs. I remember seeing the Best Friends article about Dansome being adopted, and thinking how kind, gentle, and warm Heather, Mark, and their son Cam looked in the photos. I remember thinking how stark of a contrast his future life was going to be from his dark beginnings.

Well Heather, Mark, Cam, their new baby Josephine, and Handsome Dan himself all easily lived up to my imagination. Here are a few photos from our session:

Calling All Questions for Lollie!

December 21, 2010 By in Lollie Tags: , , , , , , 39 Comments

***For every comment* left on Love and a Six-Foot Leash posts from December 15th-December 31st 2010, we will donate one pound of high-quality dog food to Lollie’s sugar daddy, the Montgomery County Humane Society. Together, by spreading the word about adoptable Lollie Wonderdog, we can find her a forever home!!***

First things first. Lollie wants to know: does this hoodie make her look fat? At 50 pounds of pure muscle and bone she is far from it– in fact, getting her to put on weight has been a real challenge. Still, she almost threw a fit when she saw this photo. I think she looks adorable; she thinks she looks fat. Dear friends, please settle our debate.

Second: tomorrow is Lollie’s second open-forum Q&A session for her readers!! You can check out the first one here. We will be accepting questions all the way up to tomorrow morning, so if you have a burning need to know, just tell us! You can post your question in a comment or email us directly at DCPetographer [at] gmail [dot] com.

And last but certainly not least, our dear friend over at Love-A-Bull is offering a cash donation to our fabulous local animal shelter for every responsible pit bull owner’s story in the comments on her blog. If you are a pit owner and lover, please stop by and share your tale!

*limit 250lbs of dog food

Long-lost siblings?

November 5, 2010 By in Lollie Tags: , , , , , , , 4 Comments

Dylan McKay and his soul sister, Lollie

Date: yesterday during a 90210 rerun. Location: the dining room “the studio” Feeling: in touch with my beverly hills roots.

Admit it, you’re thinking the same thing as me. Lollie was clearly chanelling her inner Luke Perry (circa 1992) during our photo session last night. She pulled out those soft, brown Dylan McKay eyes, and I instantly fell in love with her just as we all did with Dylan in middle school.

the ever-moving subject

October 31, 2010 By in Lollie Tags: , , , , , , , 2 Comments
Lolita is not a hyper dog, but she is constantly in motion. Maybe it’s because of all the time she spent at the shelter. Her greatest passions right now are the free-range rabbit next door, Max, and the squirrels that trapeze across the canopy of oaks in our yard. To maintain her rabbit fix and her squirrel fix, she patrols constantly while outdoors, darting from Max to squirrels and back again, never staying still for more than a millisecond.
This makes her exceptionally challenging to photograph. Whereas resident wonderdog Chick is a natural in front of the lens, Lollie refuses to be contained. Our attempted photo session this afternoon produced this dazzling collection:

whichwaydidhego?

Clearly, a long way to go before she develops Chick’s modeling skills:

my left side is my best side . . . as is my right side.

Tonight I explained to Chick that Lolita’s photophilic development is one of his key roles as her mentor. He sagely nodded his Cone of Shame and went back to sleep.