Saturday, May 16, 2009
Cooper Cool

Today we went to the 12th Annual Basset Spring Games. The games are a fund raiser for the Basset Hound Rescue of Southern California. We do their newsletter, the Basseteer so we took the opportunity to get some nice photos for the next issue. But really I just wanted to go to play with the hounds!

This is Cooper, he was looking extremely cool just enjoying a nice day in the park. Aside from just being around a bunch of other hounds and the crazy hound people that love them. The dogs and their food slaves could compete in a number of fun competitions including drooling contests, synchronized swimming, kissing contests and Marathon Napping.

It's hard to take a bad picture of a Basset Hound, and I have about 18 gigabytes of photos to prove it. It was a really nice day!

Sunday, November 5, 2006
Basset Tongue

Every once in a while Zoe likes to chime in with her two cents. This is her comment when I aim the camera at her. She caught the flash in her eyes a couple of times YEARS ago now she has a deep dislike of any camera. Usually I just get a dirty look out of her but today was something special!

Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Hummingbird Tongue

I like the motion in this photo. I am not particularly fond of the frozen hummingbird photos you see in calendars and other places. They use a fast strobe to freeze all the action and it makes them look like stuffed animals.

This girl was just finished eating. She leapt from the feeder with her tongue still sticking out. They seem to like to lick their beak after eating, they are a lot of fun to watch.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Hummer Tongue

Hummers are very interesting. One of the things I find interesting is their habit of licking their beak after eating. This shot only got about half of his tongue.

Or maybe... they just don't like their pictures taken? This guy lives in the garden area of a Nursery in Carpinteria. Pretty cool place to live if you're a hummer. I have another shot of him online here.

Sunday, January 23, 2005
My Muse

So as I was looking for a picture to put up this evening I was reminded that it is Saturday night and that I should be flopping on the sofa, watching a movie. Who reminded me? My muse of course.

This is Zoe, my Basset Hound. She likes to sit on the sofa and stare at the back of my head and grumble when I spend too much time in front of the computer. These pictures are a little fuzzy because she is not very fond of the flash, so I usually get her with my little digital camera. (I get grumbled at for the flash too!)

Zoe was an early birthday present for me last year. I've loved Bassets for most of my life. But, until the beginning of last year, I lived in apartments that did not allow dogs. To get my recommended daily allowance of Basset, I have been volunteering for the Basset Hound Rescue of Southern California.

Zoe didn't come from BHRSC though. My best friend was watching the Ventura shelter for hounds that might need help (my birthday was only a month away, and she knew what I wanted. :) One evening Zoe popped up on their web site, she was a stray, and no one had come for her. The day we brought her home would have been her last.

Now, I have heard many comments about shelter dogs. "I don't want to adopt someone else's problems," "I want a puppy," "They are untrained and will make a mess in my home," "I want a pure bred dog" to name a few. Well, Zoe is about the most relaxed creature you can imagine. She plays like a puppy when I want to play, and curls up quietly by my feet when I am working. She is perfectly housebroken, (much more than you can say for any puppy). And she is pure Basset from her head to her toes (and that is about how long her ears are too.)

If you are looking for a four legged friend and still not sure you want to brave the shelters you should know that there are rescues out there for almost every breed you could possibly want. A good rescue will have dogs that have been in foster homes and have been tested in different situations so you know exactly what kind of companion you are getting. A good place to start to look for an animal in your area is PetFinder.com.

By the way, I inherited my love of animals from my parents who run their own dog rescue in Indiana. They specialize in Pomeranians, but will not turn away any creature in need. I am just waiting for the day a hurt skunk wanders into their yard, The dogs will love sharing their kennels with him! (Of course, there are even rescues for them.)

Right now though, I am being paged again from the sofa. You can read more about Zoe and see more pictures at her site, ZoesDiary.com.