Last week my blogging schedule had gone to the dogs due to the introduction of the new puppy, Pancake. Although I managed to get 3 blogs posted the 1st week he was home, this past one I could barely catch a break from refereeing the constant melees between the 2 bullies, cleaning up an assortment of digestive activities and repetitive runs to the laundry room to wash bedding that had been marked the moment my back was turned. For the follower of the litter, he is surprisingly wily and cunning.
But I have to admit my heart breaks a little for the dough ball. It can’t be easy crashing Bitty’s court; he has reigned supreme without interruption or abdication for 11 years. A quick scan of the photographs on display would indicate that best in show belongs to Bit. When Little Bit was a puppy, accessible digital photography was at its infancy and 35mm was the popular medium of choice. Polaroid had the Joycam, Izone and a variety of film formats all in production. APS film provided 3 different photo sizes to chose from in one roll. Within a year the entire kitchen had been wallpapered in Bit Bit’s image only because photo development was instantaneous – ok, maybe a little had to do with him being unbelievably adorable too.
So not only does Pancake have a single photographic format stacked against him, (seriously, how often does one really develop digital photographs?) but it is difficult to snap a shot when his big brother isn’t sharing the lens with him. This dilemma doesn’t just affect 2nd dogs, but children as well. I have yet to encounter a client who possesses an equal balance of documentation of each child. The firstborn is the sole focus until the 2nd arrives whom then gets a few individual moments as a baby, but eventually gets co-opted during family events and holidays. By the time baby number 3 hits the scene, the two elder siblings are probably in school and the newbie gets more attention then her predecessor.
When Heather Swanson of Heather’s Photography mentioned she was interested in shooting the puppy in all his glorious butterball roly-poliness, I could not refuse the opportunity. Pancake was going to have his moment in the spotlight and claim honors as top dog, if only for 90 minutes. Of course, he was a natural in front of the camera – he is a bulldog, the canine world’s most frequently photographed breed.
Now that Heather has most graciously given me access to the jpegs, the onus is on me to select, submit and procure printed photographs to prove that every dog has its day.
Putting on the dog,
xxoo.
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