Oliver and Jake at 13

Oliver and Jake, originally uploaded by phaird.

Two regulars to the park are Oliver and Jake. Jake I've known for as long as I've been coming to this park but Oliver and I are just getting to know each other. There is a beauty of senior dogs that just makes people melt like when the see a puppy. You dog lovers know what I mean. You see a puppy and you just want to pet them and play. Well senior dogs are similar to the point that you want to pet them and show them lots of love. They don't move fast or have big, excited expressions. They have seen the world and know all their is to know (for a dog). They know what is important: Their owner, a comfortable bed, a good soft treat, some time outside and love when they ask. Seems like they have the right idea.

Maggie flying solo

Maggie 2x, originally uploaded by phaird.

This weekend, Maggie was on her own. Normally, Maggie and Snuggles show up to the park and run, bark, chance and tag team all the other dogs. They do it all for fun but they can be loud and freak out some of the other dogs. We love them but this week, they decided to break them up. Maggie and Jake came but Snuggles went to another park. They were testing to see if Maggie could be on better behavior if she's just on her own.
I wasn't at the park long (still helping Toby deal with his issues) but it seemed to be a good start. Their are lots of Aussie's that come to the park so there is not shortage of dogs that want to herd anyone they can.
Maggie didn't stand around long, but I got these two nice shots of her just hanging out. I thought they made a nice pair. I need to take a photo of Snuggles to do the same thing. (I've got LOTS of photos of Jake so he shouldn't mind too much).

Happy new year

Bella waiting at the park, originally uploaded by phaird.

I'm excited that the new year is here. I'm already working on new projects and trying new ideas. I want to get to the park more and the way the weather has been, It should be pretty easy. Except for Halloween, there has been no snow. This weekend has already been in the 60's so I expect there should be lots of people and dogs out.
This photo of Bella shows watching the entrance to the park. She is always watching to see if her other Aussie friends are going to show up.
There are a more new people who have been coming to the park. A bulldog named Tank just started showing up. He's super cute and I hope to get some good photos soon. Last week, I didn't stay long because Toby was still upset but I'm planning on going early, tossing the tennis ball and see if I can get his energy out. He's getting up their in years but he still loves fetching.
Hope to see you at the park.

Maynard making steps toward a park

Acton park pano in October., originally uploaded by phaird.

check out the Maydog website to read about the small steps being made to a new dog park in Maynard. It's pretty exciting.

Toby needed a walk

To get Toby back in the swing of things at the park, we got there early and did the long walk on the paths behind the park.  I really love going on those paths when the weather is cool and the ground is hard.  In the warmer months, it can get really muddy and hard to avoid the swampy areas.  It's nice now because there is traction, not too slick and easy to get around.  Toby needed the walk to get his energy out and feel better about being at the park.  I had to coax him through the park but once we got up to the path, he was happy to lead the way.  We did the long walk that lasted almost 45 minutes.  He didn't seem that worn out even though I was but once we got back to the park, it was busy with people and dogs.  Toby wasn't ready to socialise yet so since he headed for the car, I followed and we took off.
This is a good first step for him and I hope he'll be back to his friendly self soon.  I don't want to be that guy with the mean dog that everyone keeps away from.  I like being that weird photographer guy who is always around with his camera, taking pictures and talking with people.

Holiday Pics, this weekend.

The next two weeks, I'll be doing a holiday photo shoot from noon to 4pm at Pet Source.  This weekend I'll be in Marlborough at their store and it should be a great event.  Everyone who gets a photo, gets a awesome goodie bag and if you sign up ahead of time, you can get a %20 discount on all your shopping at Pet Source that day.  I've already got a bunch of people signed up so I know it's going to be a BUSY day.  Hope to see you there.

There was some confusion about the dates and stores but it's all cleared up.  Come to Marlborough on the 10th and Concord on the 17th.

Starting over for Toby.

BW_Toby-Park, originally uploaded by phaird.

Looks like Toby is going to need lots of coaxing to get back into the park again. Last week he heard gun shots so this weekend, he didn't want to go. This isn't the first time this happened and I had to work hard to get him comfortable with the park. It will take some work but I know I can do it. The plan will bring him early, go for a walk in the woods and let him get his energy out. Once he's done that a few times, he'll be better off. I wish I had more time to bring him to the park but work and life gets too much in the way so far.
I decided to edit these photos I took of him to show how he was feeling. I'm using a program called Lightroom to edit my photos and it does a great job of allowing me to be creative. What do you think?