What's Up Doc?

We brought Charly to the vet yesterday. He's been acting normal, except for he's been limping on his back hind leg for the past three weeks. The thing is, he's been going on all his walks, he's continued to run around and play with his brother Gus, and he's has had no problems jumping up onto our bed and back down again. Despite everything looking relatively fine, (except for his gate of course) we took him in.

A half hour later and the vet couldn't find anything wrong with him. She told us his muscles, his bones, his ligaments, everything was looking really healthy. So has Charly recently acquired a bad walking habit? Is this his new strutting style? His new runway walk? What the ???

By the way if you saw Charly today he'd look like the dog in this Doodle Dog painting! Seriously, you can't tell anything is wrong with him he's so energetic and exuberant.... except he's got kind of a funny walk...

Pit Stop

Jason Stenvold Glen Lake Photography

Dan and I traveled to Spartanburg, South Carolina this weekend to attend the wedding of our very special friends Lukas and Julie. On our way we spent a day in Asheville, North Carolina for a small visit to the Blue Ridge Mountains.

We were planning on doing some hiking but it never stopped raining, so instead we explored the quaint and lovely town. While strolling through the main drag we came across two young men and their lovely pit bull dog. Of course we approached them and asked politely whether we could pet their beautiful friend.

They welcomed our enthusiasm for the mama dog and let us know that they desperately needed to find her a new home. With no money, no automobile, and some friends waiting for them out West, they needed to get on a Greyhound bus as soon as they made enough cash, and when they did they would need to leave the mama dog behind, since Greyhound won't let dogs travel on board.

You have no idea how badly I wanted to take this dog home with me to Minnesota. We had flown though, so that would have been pretty impossible, considering the dog had no papers, no vaccines, no history, etc. Not to mention Gus probably would have had a major fit with the addition of another dog to our household. We stayed petting the dog and talking to the men for longer than we should have, and left reluctantly, after dropping a ten dollar bill into their collection hat.

If this had happened to us in Minnesota I would have immediately called A Rotta Love, a Rottweiler and Pit Bull rescue group that fosters unwanted non-traditional breeds. Not being from North Carolina I didn't know who to contact at the time, and instead mentioned the mama dog to every person I continued to meet on our stroll through town.

Coincidentally, A Rotta Love is co-sponsoring an art show with Lintu Art, celebrating Rottweilers, Pit Bulls, and other non-traditional dog breeds through art. I missed the gallery opening this past Saturday, but First Thursday at the Northrup King Building is coming up this week, and Lintu Art should be open for showings.

Chicago Is For The Dogs

Dan's off to Chicago this weekend to visit with some college friends he hasn't seen in a while. I think it has been quite a few years since all of them got together, and I'm pretty sure it's going to be a crazy weekend.

Inspired by Dan's trip to the windy city, I thought I'd search for a Chicago themed dog product and found this city-wide art contest Chicago held last year. High school students were asked to design a 2009-2010 City Vehicle Sticker under the theme “Dog Friendly Chicago," and the elected sticker will be displayed on nearly 1.3 million automobiles! Check out the 10 finalists!

Morning Commute

We're remodeling our entry closet this afternoon, and because our dogs are, like many others of their species, not so welcoming towards workmen, we had to get them out of the house for the 2pm. installation.

So, this morning, I got up at 6:30 sharp, while the sky was still dark, and the temperatures were at 15 below zero Farenheit. I took a quick shower, had a cup of coffee, and made it out the door by 7:15AM, with the dogs in tow. Dan and I are still sharing a car, and I've got a number of different appointments I need to make this afternoon, thus I was tasked to get the dogs over to grandma's house, so the closet installers wouldn't have to deal with their incessant barking.

I drove from our place in Minneapolis, to my mom's house in Saint Paul, and back to downtown Minneapolis, and still made it to work by 8:00AM. That's the Twin Cities folks! Yes, it's freezing in the winter! Yes, it's a damn long winter! Yes, it's not Chicago, or New York, or San Francisco... But you can make it just about anywhere in the cities in under an hour, even during rush hour! And I like that.

This French antique clock circa 1810 can be found on the website of Gavin Douglas Fine Antiques Ltd. It's a bit spendy at 10,750 English Pounds...

Missing In Action

Wow! Has it really been that long since I've written a post? This may be the longest amount of time I've gone with out updating this blog since I started it almost a year ago. I'm sorry for the delay... moving back across the ocean can take up a lot of physical and mental energy, thus my three week long absence.

But we're back in Minnesota now, and life seems to be getting back on track. It took a couple of hours for Gus and Charly to adjust to our homecoming, but they've been super dogs since moving back into our place with us. Grandma brought them to the airport when she came to pick us up a couple of weeks ago, and although they were both jumping and wagging their tales when they saw us, they also seemed a bit confused by our re-appearance. An hour or so later, they were both acting as if we'd never been away, and now, two weeks later, we're back into our normal routine: 7:00 am morning walks in the blistering cold, twice a week shuttles to and from grandma's house, snuggles on the sofa, and lots of hugs all around.

I love this painting by Lisa Ballard, and although it's already sold on her website, you can find many more dog inspired prints on her Etsy shop. It sure would be nice if the dogs could drive themselves to grandma's wouldn't it?

A Dog Is A Dog Is A Dog

In his fascinating article "The Truth About Dogs", Stephen Budiansky explores canine genetics and uses science to explain dog behavior. Budiansky half jokingly calls dogs the greatest con artists, the best pickpockets, and some of the most manipulative animals on earth! Somehow dogs have convinced humans that they're loyal, trustworthy, selfless, loving, courageous, noble, and obedient...  Which of course they are, but Budiansky asserts that it's genetics, not the usual conventional explanations, that make them our best friends. 

The article is long, and can be a bit difficult to understand for those of us who are scientifically challenged, but if you can, I highly recommend reading the first page and the last paragraph of the piece. Those of you who own a mutt won't be able to hide your pride. I know I couldn't. 

And just to show Charly I'm proud of him too, regardless of Budiansky's pretty persuasive arguments, I'm featuring this poster from Obey The Pure Breed.

Who Let The Dogs Out?

There's been a lot written about Jeff Koons' sculpture exhibition at Versailles. In fact, the opening of the show was so wrought with controversy that it sparked artistic debate all over the world. 

There's not much I can add to the commentary, other than to say that I for one loved the exhibition, especially and to no surprise, the Balloon Dog sculpture.

It's one thing to see a photo ( I took this one!) of this work of art, and another thing to be in the same room with it. I really enjoyed the contrast between the modernist dog sculpture and the historic art and architecture that is Versailles. I was also able to see many similarities between the two: both extravagant, intense, and over the top works. 

I honestly think Louis the XIV would have enjoyed this exhibit, if only for the giant pink balloon dog. I know I did. 

Gus Look!

I've been in Germany now for 5 days, and the truth of it all is that I'm missing those dogs. Yeah, the ones at home with Grandma... those dogs. I'm comforted knowing that they're having a good time at least. This would would have been impossible if we'd had to find a dog sitter for three months. We just wouldn't have been able to leave. 

So despite the acute sense that two of my best friends are so far away from me, I'm relieved that they're in loving hands. Just yesterday I received  a hilarious email from my mom that went on and on about how she has recently discovered how to trick Gus into going out for walks even when he's not up for it. She writes: 

With Gus, he is usually pretty easy going, and will follow Charly on most of our walks. But lately, he has started to put his foot down, and especially in the evening, when he sometimes doesn't want to go anywhere at all, and just simply refuses to go anywhere but back home. It is very disconcerting because this delays the walk, makes it slow, and sometimes prevents it all together. 

What did I find out? I found out that the rascal understands : Look! So, when I can't get him to move, I will say: Gus! Looook!!!! And I will point towards the direction I want him to go! He perks his ears, he wags his tail, and he starts running as fast as he possibly can, towards that rabbit he thought I was pointing at! 

I don't know how many times I will be able to cry wolf before he takes the hint that I am tricking him, but so far it has been the solution to our walking problems.

The funny thing about my mom's newfound insight is that Daniel has been working this trick for years now, and Gus is still falling for it. Ha!

And our product today is this incredibly cute and apropros piece of wall art from Ballard Designs called The Inconsolable Print. Well,  I'm not quite inconsolable, but I do miss my boys. 

Correction

Ok, well, it's possible I spoke too soon, jumped the gun, whatever... because it looks very nice out there today! The sun is out, the weather is temperate, not cold or too hot, and the weekend is here...

I should clarify my last post a bit by saying that PTK/PRK/laser eye surgery is definitely not a terrible thing. A recurrent corneal erosion every week is a terrible thing, and this compared to that is a piece of cake. Seriously.

And may I just add that my surgeon was the best! The surgery literally took 15 minutes total, I was awake the whole time (localized anaesthetic!) and didn't feel a darn thing. Of course two hours later I definitely felt some pain... my eye stung quite a bit, and watered a whole lot. This discomfort continued for about three more days, but decreased with every hour that passed.

So yesterday I felt great, and today even better.

I love this chalkboard from Trendy Puppy. Mine says: Out for the weekend!

California Dreamin'

This morning I went to what I thought was supposed to be my last visit with Doctor Everson, my Eye Surgeon/Doctor at Edina Eye Physicians and Surgeons. Mom was kind enough to drive me out there, since my eye has been pretty light sensitive and I haven't been able to drive long distances. Of course she insisted on bringing the dogs along for the car ride, so all three of them chauffered me around town.

The appointment was short and sweet, with the the doctor assuring me that I'm doing just fine, but I'll need a couple extra visits with him to monitor my progress. By the time I got back in the car, I was feeling quite capable of driving myself back home, but happy not to to be the one fighting the traffic on Hwy. 62. Plus, Gus decided he wanted to ride shot gun as well, so he climbed in on top of me and curled up in my lap for the whole way home. Now remember, this is a 65 pound Pit Bull! And he did not get up or move once! Seriously!!!

So I've had a bit of an off week because of laser eye surgery and all that. Five days and several doctor's appointments later, I'm starting to feel like my old self again. I say that with some degree of hesitation, as they told me a full recovery will take a few weeks. But at least I no longer feel like somebody's repeatedly stabbing my right eye with a pitch fork!

Here's a refreshing look at pet photography. Sabrina Hela of Cookies and Water takes a documentary approach to her photo shoots. No forced posing, no cute outfits, just your dog, her camera, and if you're in Los Angeles, the beach, boardwalk, Rodeo Drive, or wherever your pet wants to play.

Yet another reason I wish I lived in California...

Coffee Break

Last night, on my way to meet a friend for coffee, I stumbled by a small gift store in Edina called Gather. I happened to have 15 minutes to spare, and with House and Hound on my mind, I quickly ducked into the shop for some browsing.

And look what I found! Lots and lots and lots of adorable dog inspired gifts and accessories. I especially liked this dog tray from HomArt. Gather had several different dog breeds to choose from, but no Schnau. And Dan put the kabbash on my dog art shopping spree, so I had to walk away empty handed. That doesn't mean you have to!

The Clay Pot

I took my first pottery class five years ago at the Minnetonka Center for the Arts, and for the next several years I made all kinds of bowls, cups, vases, and plates. At first my work was pretty mediocre, as I struggled to understand how to use the potter's wheel. But over time I got better and better, and my collection grew.

I was pretty prolific for the first four years after that class, but lately I've been struggling to find the time to get into the studio. I miss it though, the creative process, the feel of the clay between my hands, the unexpected outcome...

My last find at the Uptown Artfair were these very cute ceramic bowls from Homquist Pottery. You can buy their standard pottery designs, or you can send in a picture of your dog and they'll customize your piece.

Lucky

I love where I live, particularily because it's so close to downtown Minneapolis where I work, and every morning, instead of getting on a freeway for a half hour, I get to drive around Lake Of The Isles, and I'm at work in less than 15 minutes. I wouldn't trade this for anything. I had a job once that was about a 25 minute drive away, out in the Western Suburbs of Minneapolis, and I lasted about 2 months.

I was reminded today of how lucky I am to have such an easy and pleasurable commute, when towards the end of my trip around the lake, I saw a family out for a morning stroll. The mother was carting a baby in a stroller, and the father was handling two dogs, and sipping his morning coffee. I thought it was really special, for a family to be enjoying some time together on a busy weekday, and for me to catch a glimpse of it, rather than to be stuck in traffic on the interstate.

I spent some time exploring Nick Wroblewski's booth this weekend at the Uptown Art Fair. Even though he doesn't have dogs in his work, I just absolutely love his art. And when I went to his website yesterday, I did find some foxes and wolves.

Ambidextrous

Now, back to art.

My dogs do this all the time, except they hardly ever look quite as peaceful as this pup. Usually they've heard somebody at the front door and they're all excited because they know it's grandma, or they're barking like crazy because they think they have to protect us from some sort of evil trespasser.

You can't tell by the photograph, but this piece by Amy Wood and Dean Lucker is actually a hand held dexterity game. You know, the ones where you try to get the tiny steel balls to roll into the small divots on the surface?

I love how the artists have transformed a simple game into a very unique piece of artwork. You can try your hand at the game, or if you're like me and have a limited amount of patience, you can set the piece up like a picture frame, or hang it up on the wall.

Score!

People! I'm so incredibly excited about this print I bought at the Uptown Art Fair yesterday. I spent a couple hours there on Sunday afternoon looking for dog inspired art, and to my surprise, I actually found quite a few different artists who I'll post about this week.

This is a Dolan Geiman print that I saw and immediately had to have. I spent $150 dollars for it (there goes that floor lamp I need from Pottery Barn), and I couldn't be happier. I just love it! In fact, I was so excited about my purchase yesterday that I probably took it out of the bubble wrapped bag at least 4 times to show different people I met on my walk home.

Dan says that for every piece of dog art that goes up in our house, one must come down, or we'll end up being those crazy dog people that live down the street. I'm thinking I'll just have to rotate the artwork, maybe every 6 months or so, because this is getting dangerous...

Cooperation

I was thinking the other day about the dogs and the shared custody agreement we have with my mom. Basically, the dogs get shuttled back and forth between our house in Minneapolis, and my mom's house in Saint Paul. Every three or four days, she'll come pick them up if she's in the neighborhood, or we'll drop them off on our way to an event on the othe side of the river.

This arrangement works wonders for us, since it gives us some flexibility in our schedules. If we've got a softball game after work and can't make it home until later in the evening, usually my mom can help us out with the dogs, so they aren't home alone too long. She'll bring them over to her house, and they'll sleep over there for a couple of days, until the next time we're in her neighborhood and can pick them up.

We never last too long without the dogs, and they usually stay with grandma for two days max., if we can help it. By that time we're missing them so much that we need an immediate puppy love transfusion. The dogs seem to enjoy these weekly visits to grandma's house, where they get walked 6 or 7 times a day and get fed lots of treats. When they come back to us they're always dog tired, and happy for the four or five days they get off from their workout.

I asked Dan on Saturday if he thought it would be possible to create some sort of Puppy Pool adoption center, where families adopt dogs and sign a dual custody aggreement. Would more people be willing to adopt a puppy if they could share him? I know so many people who won't adopt a dog only because they wouldn't know what to do him if they had to go out of town or on vacation. Bording kennels and petsitters can be expensive, and so are dog walkers, veterinarians, and groomers. If two families could share these expenses, schedule their vacations around one another, and shuttle their pets back and forth, would it work?

I love this poster from Linnea Designs. With gas prices as high as they are, and getting higher, Dan and I are biking and busing a lot more than we ever have. It would be wonderful if we could take our dogs on the bus or lightrail when we're shuttling the dogs around town.

I Love It

Oh my gosh! I came across the wonderful artwork of Keiko Yagishita this weekend at Art-A-Whirl in Northeast Minneapolis, and I love it!! I saw her screenprints exhibited in jewelry designer Karin Jacobson's studio at the Northrup King Building, and I was immediately taken aback by the large and colorful illustrations of Pit Bulls, Labradors, and Terriers. Keiko's work is so fun and full of energy. These prints would make a great addition to anybody's modern art collection or hip decor.

Smile!

I ordered a bunch of photographs a couple of days ago from iPhoto, but I haven't received them yet. I'm getting really impatient, because I've only seen my photoshopped work on the computer screen, and I'm anxious to see what the photos of Gus and Charly look like on paper.

Today I thought I'd share two more of these photos with you. Here's hoping they look just as good when I get them in the mail on Monday. I'm also sharing another cute picture frame I found on Pictured Pets. This one would look great in a black and white themed room.

Row Row Row Your Boat

Good Morning! It's Friday and I'm so excited for the weekend. It looks like spring is finally here in Minneapolis and we're looking forward to enjoying some time outdoors. It's been so nice this week, but most of us with office jobs haven't been able to frolick about as much as we'd like. We've got the weekend though, and we're gonna live it up! Daniel and I are planning on attending a picnic hosted by a friend of ours at her beach house on Lake Pepin, one of the most beautiful spots in the state of Minnesota. If we were dogs, here's what we'd look like this weekend:

This is a print from Stephen Huneck's gallery Dog Mountain. A self-taught sculptor and painter, Huneck creates beautiful artwork that has been featured in countless galleries, magazines, and books. This particular print seems to capture the wonder of dogs so simply. They'll do anything for their friends, and every day I'm awe struck by their fierce loyalty.

Click Click Click Click Camera

I spent at least 5 hours on the computer yesterday, photoshopping photographs I took of Gus and Charly earlier this winter. I'm just now learning how to use this magnificent program called Photoshop 7.0 to enhance my somewhat elementary photography skills.

As an interior designer, I use Photoshop to render my perspective drawings of interiors. This helps my clients visualize their future kitchen, bathroom, or living room. But I haven't had the opportunity to explore Photoshop for photography until now, and I have only one person to thank for that: Ree, The Pioneer Woman. She has inspired me to take my amateur photographs to the next level, with help from her simple and easy to understand Photoshop tutorials.

I've posted a couple of the photos I worked on yesterday. Today I need to get these printed and find appropriate picture frames. Here's one I found at 2 Paw Prints. It's a hand altered bone picture frame that I think is really cute.