Nizhoni Pet Photography Blog

For those following my dramatic saga as a dog fosterer and humane society volunteer…  I think I may now be serving as the “Interim Dog Coordinator” for the HSWT.  It hasn’t been explicitly stated, but I have been handling a lot of the dog info since the previous dog coordinator left last week.  Perhaps more telling, I have overheard myself being referenced as the dog coordinator twice now.

Either way, I have been helping out quite a bit, and part of what I’ve been doing is finding places for a couple “return” dogs to stay.  Prince Edward was adopted several weeks ago and returned because his owners were having trouble with housebreaking (from information gathered later, I’m not sure Eddie was the problem).  Regardless, finding him foster care has required that he be shuffled around a bit, and this resulted in him being at my house for a few hours on Monday night between picking him up at one home and dropping him off at another.  While normally I would prefer to avoid the shuffling game, in this case I thought it well worth it because I suspect that I may never see Prince Edward again.  The foster home I was taking him to had kept him overnight previously and had quite fallen for him.  I am HOPING that after keeping him for a week, they will decide that he should stay with them forever.  Fingers crossed til Saturday!

He is so sweet, its easy to see how they fell for him.  He’s the most docile little dog, and terribly shy, especially around men.  But we got him out in the yard with the rest of the pack and he lit right up.  And that little pink nose is to die for.  He reminds me a bit of the dog on the RCA commercials.

As for the story of Dash, I was set to give the Akbash rescue the go ahead to begin the search for a forever home when Ken showed some hesitation.  So he is “thinking about it” and, pending his decision, we may be keeping the big white beastie.  The downside to this is that it would put an end to our fostering until we move out into the country and can consider putting in some kennels.  That and there is a gentleman here in town who has expressed some interest in Dash and who has an incredibly special story.  I think Dash could be really good for him, and it would be a good home for Dash, so if Ken does decide against keeping him, hopefully we can get the two of them hooked up.  Stay tuned for further developments…

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Are you all sick of seeing Dash yet? I can’t help it… he’s just such a sweetie, I’m infatuated with him. Check out these long, supermodel legs!

And lord knows no one is going to break into our house anytime soon. This is the backside of what anyone coming up to our front door sees. Poor mailman probably thinks we’re crazy.  Not the best quality, but not bad considering it came from my phone!

The poofy tail in the back is Kodiak, then Nizhoni, Dash, and Penny. It can get seriously loud in here from time to time.

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Finally, as promised early, here is Joey.  Joey is the lone female cat in the household and as a result she has to put up with a bit of harassment from the boys.  She’s a sweet girl though, and once she warmed up for the camera, she was more than willing to put up with me in exchange for the toys that came along with me.

Another new favorite…

The blank kitchen wall made a perfect backdrop for some texturing action.  Love those big eyes!

Ok, I lied.  I know I said Joey was next but I went with Ray Ray instead.  This guy hated the camera even more than Brutus did and couldn’t even be lured out with catnip OR the all enticing turkey.  He was dead set against appearing in any silly photos, which is really too bad because he’s a beautiful handsome cat.  There’s just something about long haired cats that I love.  They always look so regal.  Still, with some trickery and stealth maneuvering around the couch I managed to sneak a few before he could run off.

Um, hello green eyes…

I snapped some pictures of Dash lying around the (newly decorated) house yesterday and I thought I’d share.

Also, caught him standing up looking for a squirrel that had hopped the fence.  Thought it was a good indication of his size.  That’s a six foot privacy fence…

In addition to our dogs and Dash, we now also have Penny, a four year old springer spaniel that we will be dog sitting for the next four months.  She’s a bit high strung, but absolutely beautiful.  I can’t wait to get some pictures of her.

Brutus was not a big fan of me and the camera at all.  For a bit, I thought the closest I was going to get was this first picture.  If only I had a longer zoom, I thought…  But eventually, with a little time and a whole lot of catnip, he loosened up and let me get close.  Which was good, because he’s a very handsome fellow.

Nothing says happy cat like a scratch pad covered in catnip spray.

I’m headed out of town this weekend, you know… to pick up yet another dog.  But once I get back I’ll have some pictures of Joey, the lone female cat from Tuesday’s session.  Enjoy the weekend, everyone!!

Red is the first of four cats from Tuesday’s session.  He seemed to enjoy hamming it up for the camera, and he certainly did his share of posing.

After he checked out the camera up close, of course.  This one may be my new favorite cat image.

Up next, Red’s brother Brutus.

In addition to working with the Humane Society of West Texas, I also belong to another animal rescue organization in the Lubbock area. Every day there are multiple messages about dogs that need a home, sometimes they are abandoned, other times rescued from abuse or neglect. And sometimes even because they are being surrendered by owners that love them but can no longer afford to care for them. All the stories are sad, but generally they register on my “awful things that happen” meter and I manage to go about my day. But every once in a while, one strikes a chord and I get sucked in. Dash was one of those dogs.

Maybe its because we got involved back when he needed a ride to Colorado Springs and was going to hitch a ride with us when we went to my brother’s wedding. Or maybe it was the picture in the last post, with those pathetically skinny hips and protruding bones. Either way, the girl who can’t say no agreed to take him in, just for a few days.

I managed to convince Ken that we were his only hope and it was our responsibility to rescue him from the shelter. It was very dramatic and may have involved some tears. But regardless, Ken reluctantly agreed that we could foster him, with the agreement that he had to be gone by the time Penny arrives this coming weekend.  Ironically enough, Ken is the one that Dash really seems to be attached to.  He doesn’t much care what I say, but will come when Ken calls him and follows him around the house.   Dash seems oblivious to my rational arguments regarding who is responsible for saving him.

What we didn’t know is what a lovable giant Dash is. He is crazy tall. In fact, when we pulled up to meet the folks who brought him to Lubbock, I must have had a look of shock on my face, because they were laughing at me before I even got out of the car. “I told you he was big,” the gentleman said. I took him with me on a run one morning and even at an all out sprint on my part, he barely broke out of a trot.

He’s awfully cute when he smiles, which is rarely. Mostly he sleeps, or looks afraid; but we’re slowly bringing him out of his shell, and we get to see that goofy smile a little more often every day.

That’s right, I will take up your entire back seat.

Seriously, how could anyone neglect a face like that?