Faces of Dog

Dog Portfolio: Homage to Elliot Erwitt

Elliot Erwitt is one of the great photographers of our time. Many of his thousands of black and white images taken around the world have achieved iconic status. Erwitt is also a dog lover, and wherever he has been, whatever his assignment, he has had an astonishing eye for capturing wonderful photographs of dogs. In his book “Dog Dogs” he has collected 500 images dated from 1952 to1998. P.G. Wodehouse wrote in the Introduction to this book: “”What superb photographs these are. It does one good to look at them. There is not one sitter in his gallery who does not melt the heart.”   As Elliot himself said: “This is not a book of dog pictures but of dogs in pictures.”

I also am passionate about dogs, as you know if you have followed this blog. My aspiration, my ambition, is ultimately to put together a color portfolio of “dogs in pictures” that will meet the standards of Erwitt’s photography. 

I have started to gather some of my favorite images, and include them here.

Click on the photo to see the album.

Dogs in Berlin

The dogs in Berlin aren’t much different than here, except the Berliners tend not to dock tails, leaving breeds such as spaniels and Schnauzers with handsome feathery appendages. I was delighted to see that Jack Russells are popular, and somewhat surprised to see so many pit bulls (global world?) It was fun encountering dogs, talking to them in my dog German — “schoene hund! Was heiss sie?” (lovely dog, what’s your name?). I met Bongo, Elroy, Ina, Tommy, Willie, Choochoo, Zulu and countless others.  Like people everywhere the dogs’ companions kvelled with the attention their dogs were getting, urging them to pose for their pictures. 

I have appended an extra in this album for people who love art and dogs, enabled by the civilised allowance of photography in the city’s museums.

DOGS AT PLAY

Dogs are social animals par excellence, and, and if given the chance, most dogs love to play with other dogs. I have had enormous pleasure watching dogs at play, especially on my regular forays to the Venice Dog Park: Play bowing: “Hey, let’s play!” Ferocious snarling, snapping, grimacing while soft-mouthing their playmates. Racing to beat each other to a ball. Teaming up with their special play pals, and warning third parties to stay out of the game. Racing around playing catch. Rolling around in the dirt. Communicating intent with clear body language and voice, from greeting rituals to “I’ve had enough today.”

Faces of Dogs Part 3

By now my passion for dogs must be evident.

AGILE DOGS

From herding to hurdling: my favorite images from Agility Trials this past Saturday. All sizes, all breeds, dogs love agility work. Here there are the usual suspects — the brilliant Border Collies (flashing around the course so fast they’re difficult to photograph) and Australian Shepherds; but also dogs we are not inclined to think of as athletes: short-legged Corgies, the sedate Clumber Spaniel, the tiny black Schipperke (which translates to sailor in Dutch because they were bred to be barge dogs), the little curly coated PBGB (Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen), the dainty King Charles Spaniel, the serene Keeshond, saucy French Bulldog. They are joined by more likely breeds such as the Weimaraner, Vizsla, English Staffordshire Terrier, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Jack Russell Terrier, English Collie, Blue Heeler. It is glorious to see dogs running a complicated course, intense or smiling or barking, as they jump, tunnel, weave, teeter-totter, run up, over, and down a fairly steep A-frame. I have included a series of photographs of dogs managing this particular task.

HERDING HIGHLIGHTS

Several people have requested an album showcasing herding photographs. So I have culled the images I like best. Here are dogs herding sheep, cattle, and ducks (!). The breeds include the monarchs of the herders, Border Collies, the spectacular Australian Shepherds, German Shepherds, Belgian Shepherds (the all black dog), the Briard, Pembroke and Cardigan Corgies, and the amazing little Blue and Red Heelers (Australian Cattle dogs) moving animals a hundred times their weight, actually nipping their heels (hence “Heeler). I’ve included images depicting the famous Border Collie “stare,” which appears to exert more power over sheep than a bite, as well as the fearlessness of Aussies herding giant Black Angus cattle before transitioning to quiet, subtle herding of ducks who truly believe the dogs want to kill them.

FACES OF DOGS 2

This past Saturday and Sunday I had a glorious time at the Eukanuba/ AKC National Show Dog Championship, the second largest dog show in America, after Westminister. Dog galore: two hundred and two breeds! I spent most of my time prowling the grooming and prep areas where up-close-and-personal is possible — including patting. I did watch some of my favorite breeds in the ring: Basset Hounds, Bull Terriers, Newfoundlands, Border Collies, Australian Terriers, Great Pyrenees; as well as some of the newer, exotic (to us) breeds: the Dogue de Bordeaux ( giant reddish mastiff type), Treeing Walker Coonhounds, Norwegian Lundehunds (with double dew claws on all four feet to aid in cliff climbing to snare sea birds), Entlebucher Mountain Dogs, and the Xolotzcuintles (three sizes of Mexican Hairless dogs).

I took hundreds of photographs, including continuing my Faces of Dogs project, and those are the images what I decided to put up on facesofdog.com. (Coming later: “Tails and Toes,” “Hair of the Dog.”) All except one dog in this gallery were actually competing.

FACES OF DOGS

This is a work in progress, mostly gathered over the several months I have been spending time at the Venice Dog Park enjoying the wondrous community of dogs that are congregated there between eleven and one-thirty every week day — sometimes up to 45 dogs together at a time. Brought together by professional dog caregivers they romp, tumble, chase balls, chase each other, dig holes. (You can see these activities on http://camerarennie.com under Dogtown Dog Park.) Taking photographs of dogs looking directly at the camera has been one of my most challenging projects ever—their faces and eyes rove constantly,  and it took several patient weeks to get some of these pictures.

Note Max, the eyeless Basset Hound, who lives a happy life as a rescued dog after severe glaucoma required their removal.  The strangest looking dog is a Mexican Hairless, the Xoloitzcuintle (sholoschunkintle). The tiniest is the black mass of hair, Hubble, a Toy Pomeranian. The rare Basset Hound with one blue eye is Chuckles — up for adoption from Basset Hound Rescue of S. Cal.

Bassets Hounds are the dog world’s most pleasing dress-up artists. Clown, Easter Bunny, Halloween — they give the costumes a special dimension. If you are interested in testing this opinion, look at these Halloween Basset Hounds photos which I took as a contribution to Basset Hound Rescue of Southern California at their Halloween Basset Brunch. Pirate, Chicken Taco, Yellow Submarine, Butterfly, Bumblebee, Sheriff, Cheer Leader, Pumpkin, Jockey, Jailbird, Ladybug, they are as cute as pumpkin pie.

Sunday took me to Surf City (aka Huntington Beach) for the second annual Surf City dog surfing contest. The weather was disappointingly foggy — making photography very difficult — but the dogs were fabulous. The waves were so huge and challenging that the usual order of surfing was reversed, the large dogs going first, and the smaller dogs last as the tide went out. I have changed the format of the album to show each of seven dogs riding the waves from start (being carried out) to finish (wiping out or gliding in). It’s a display by some of the top dogs in surfing in the following order:

Nani, Bernese Mountain Dog; Pudge, Bulldog; Otto, Boxer; Toby, Shih-Tzu; Deagan, French Bulldog; Richochet (aka Rip Curl Ricky), Golden Retriever; Chester, Boston Terrier; George, Landseer Newfoundland; and Mr. Jones, Jack Russell Terrier.

The last in Richochet’s series shows her surfing with a young paraplegic, seventeen year old Patrick, with whom she surfs to raise money for his medical expenses. Also included are a couple of dogs in drag spectators. And, yes, Bulldogs can swim.

Enjoy.

Sur-furs Hang 16 at Coronado Bay

In a rough sea sixty-five dogs vied for the Coronado Bay Surfing Championship on Saturday. They ranged from 5 pound Gorgeous Bobby, a Pomeranian who flew in from Hawaii, to Nani, an 85 pound Bernese Mountain Dog. Other stars included Buddy, a 12 year old Jack Russell surfing champion; the “Twisted Sisters,” Kalani and Richochet (AKA Rip Curl Ricki) — golden retrievers who competed both solo and as a pair on one board — Dozer, an English Bulldog; Toby, an 8 year old Shih-Tzu rescue; and Abbie Girl, an Australian Kelpie rescue who won. (Her photographs are at the end of the album.)

If you don’t know dog surfing, the “surfurs” are carried out on their boards to the breakers and then sent on their way when they catch the right wave. Styles vary from standing up, to crouching, to lying down, to sitting. Some dogs surf backwards, others move around pointing frontwards and backwards. The majority of dogs on Saturday were hugely enthusiastic about their surfing and eager to get on their boards. Others weren’t quite so gung-ho, but they surfed for their people.