fur photos on friday

we had so much fun this past friday afternoon. a photographer came to our home to photograph our dogs.

i was sorta dreading it all week. it’s hard work to have a “stranger” come into a 5 dog pack - get the dogs to play nice, put on their best face, act decent, not bark, not jump, not argue/growl/grump with each other, & to smile, all the time worrying if the house is clean enough, the grass is short enough, if even a single photo will be in focus because not one dog is willing to sit perfectly still long enough for the photographer to exhale.

well let me tell you about ms robin adams, pet photographer extraordinaire. worry about the dogs jumping on her? she kicked off her shoes on the porch, walked into the living room, sat down in the middle of the floor & welcomed every sniff, kiss, nose bump, slobbering lick she could get from our pack. she reciprocated their acts of love by bringing bully stix for all, giggles, treats by the dozen, infectious laughter, enthusiasm & joy to our little pack, including my husband & me.

the dogs were so animated & loved her so much she could barely get far enough away from them to take their photos.

-lucas made all of his funny elvis faces for her
-eiyso stretched out in her “i am the zen dog” pose with those magical soulful eyes gazing deep into the camera lens
-mojo woofed & pranced & kicked in all her longhaired, smiling face glory followed by several vogue poses just to prove she’s still got what it takes for the cat dog-walk.
-sparrow did some vertical jumps, raced like a banshee-fied tasmanian devil & promptly retired to her crate stating “...& i’m spent.”
-ditto displayed the downward dog over & over so that robin could get just the right light while we giggled nonstop about how stinkin’ cute she is. (ditto, not robin. though, yes, robin is cute, too!)
-chris & i were left with huge smiles, feeling proud of our pack & we simply cannot wait to see the woof proofs. (we’ll be sharing once we get them!!)

robin is amazing with dogs. & amazing with the camera.
she’s a wonderful person, dog rescuer, cat lover, compassionate, talented, creative, has a zest for life & spunk that i admire. i recommend her for ALL your photographic needs.
check out her website FUR & Robin Adams Photography

she’s got a pack of new fans with the jones clan!!!

update.....here is the link to our proofs - they are awesome!!!
the jones family

running for relaxation

throughout june, chris & i have been out and running many mornings. we must get up & go early to avoid this oppressive big heat / humidity issue we’ve got going here in north florida.

i mostly enjoy our by dawn’s early light jaunts - or try not to think about it - i just wake up & run. my mantra is: it’s just another part of my day, like brushing my teeth (a huge thank you to kate for getting me off on the right foot with this!)

on days that we have to be at work, chris & i and get up at 0500; that’s 5 am for you non-military types, [beep beep beeeeeep ...pet peeve alert] aka “5 am in the morning.” [silly syllable wasters, you don’t have to say both “a.m.” AND “in the morning” - the definition of “a.m.” is amante meridiem: before noon] not one of our 5 dogs will get up with us at this way ridiculous hour. it’s just me & my guy huffing & puffing through our neighborhood.

weekends have risen to a new level of happy for us. we don’t get up until 6 am (yes, in the morning), the latest the dogs will let us sleep. (as you know & the dogs clearly realize, there’s a long long hour & a lot of sleep to be had between 5 am & 6 am). then it's coffee, newspaper, & out for our run by 0700. at this time of day, every one of our fur kids is begging to accompany us on our exercise expedition.

i love running with one of my dogs by my side; two is usually too much for me to think about - i’m busy concentrating on breathing & remaining upright. chris & i just circle around the block and swap them out. the little loop is for mojo (too much fur and mild hip dysplasia to go an entire mile) and lucas (not quite 2 years old, and a bit thick over the ribs.) the other 3 dogs can go on the big loop (2.3 miles), each of us taking one.

when we’re finished, chris and i are ready to relax and thankfully, so are the dogs. there is nothing better than a tired dog, unless, of course, it’s 5 tired dogs. an exhausted, happy dog has few requests & sleeps like a sweet little baby. they’re so relaxed i can clean teeth, cut nails & even eat a snack without being “hounded.” [that’s funny - i've never used HOUNDED when talking about my dogs - i love that!!]

i hope you have a way to keep your dog busy & tired. if you can’t run, walk or skip! if you don’t have time for activity with your pooch today, think about taking them to mojo’s backyard to play. get out early, get back home & enjoy the rest of your day with a calm canine.

don't tell the dogs their dad used to run without them.