Pet Portraits & Negotiations

Here are the pet portraits I promised from yesterday. A little more wall quality than you get at Pet Smart with the Polaroid. As always, there is a story that accompanies this day!!!

Mrs. Potter (Makenna's teacher last year and now an awesome friend of mine) got a new dog. It is my opinion this dog falls completely out of the dog category and into something all it's own....closer to a real live stuffed animal. Zuzu is lovely...sweet and cozy! She's an Australian Labradoodle and if you're thinking you'd like to have one like her, just wait...she was born to breed and in due time, Mrs. Potter may have a few more just like her running around her home! As soon as the website is up and runnin', I'm gonna link her here so you can all watch Zuzu grow and blossom!

I brought my two helpers who LOVE donating time at the AWS and they were all too happy to hold her for a photo!

Here are a few more of the good-looking pets I was lucky enough to photograph (my portfolio was in need of some new pet portraits and I got my fill Sunday!). Side note: Black dogs are HARD to photograph!!

This is Otis....doesn't he look so serious and official? He's a BIG puppy, full of curiosity and mischief. One of the gals at the shelter adopted him when he came in as part of a big puppy mill mess. She has some great stories to tell of this fine looking pooch and makes me laugh so hard when she tells her tales.

This is Tigger....he's a long term resident of the shelter....he's still waiting for a family to adopt him. Looks like he has a thing for white hair....and beards!

Deli...(maybe a doxen/terrier mix) she has been adopted (the morning we were there) but because she is not spayed, she had to stay at the shelter longer...which meant she had more time to bond with my boys...who fell completely in love with this scrappy little ball of sweetness. She loved being held...and the boys had no problem accommodating her with that. Remember, Cameron doesn't get long exposure to dogs so his few hours with this one made him completely head over heels.....which leads me to my next story........(oh yes, no post with photos only...this day, I have stories!)

If you know the relentless begging nature of a nine year old, you can just imagine how things went after nearly 9 hours of working with dogs and cozying up to a 12 lb. mut with a face like that was! When we left the shelter, we met up with Jean to take Branden to his hockey game. The car ride was 45 minutes....45 very interesting minutes on the ride home! The ride up the boys gave the girls every detail of the day....you know, how cute Deli was (over and over and over) and Makenna was so great just listening and participating in the oooh's and ahhh's like a supportive sister. Jean and I chatted and enjoyed the ride. On the way home the conversation began with Cameron asking Jean why they couldn't have a dog. All the reasons were spelled out and Cam had an answer for each one...my favorite was: I was too little to care for a dog myself the last time (he was only three). The promises of daily walking, scooping poop, hugging, grooming, watering and feeding were all planned out and shared with Jean. He left no stone unturned....he was prepared for this conversation and had his words well rehearsed. He would do his chores and spend his weekly allowance on dog food and other needs....but most of all, he would love it so much!

Later in the evening as the boys prepared for bed, the conversation was still about a dog. I heard Jean negotiating the details ....I was completely shocked at what I was hearing. The boys must prove their responsibilities by keeping their room picked up and doing chores without being asked for 60 days. They are allowed only one warning...second offense means they start their 60 days over. You see, my husband read somewhere that it takes 6 weeks to form a habit and he figures if they can be independently responsible for 60 days, then just maybe they are ready for the responsibility of a dog. When I was listening to them discuss the details, I wondered if my hubby had gone soft....or....did he not have confidence in the boys to complete the mission? Either way, he was calmly discussing this with them....and it was important...I was so happy for the boys...they have hope now!

My feelings go both ways because I know a lot of it will fall on me because I'm the one who is home all day. Next year I will have a partially empty nest for the first time in thirteen years....I think I will need the company.

This Friday I will hand Cameron his first $5 and watch him excitedly put it in his "secret spot" as he saves for a dog bed for his room and some food (that's his plan). He informed me that "nothings gonna stop him from proving to dad that he can do this"....he will do this, I'm confident!


Enjoy!
~kel~