Wordless Wednesday – Eventful Week

Something happened this past Thursday and something fun is going on this week. Thursday, Maya and I were in a minor car accident. We are both okay. You can read more about it on my other blog. The article is titled “Why My Dog Wears a Pet Car Harness“.

My bumper will need to be replaced from the rear end collision on Thursday.

The second thing is my dad and stepmom are here from Texas for a visit!

My step mom made me this beautiful quilt! This is me wrapped up in it. Yes, I am aware my hair is a mess. 😉

My dad petting Pierson

My dad and step mom reluctantly come outside to play with dogs. That’s Clover by my dad, not Maya.

My step mom is trying to get Maya to play.

My dad is getting Maya and Pierson to do tricks for treats.

Pierson shakes my dad’s hand in order to get a treat.

Maya and Pierson anxiously await my dad’s command so that they can earn a treat.

My step mom tries to get Maya to do a dog trick.

Also, my friend Heather came over with her dog Clover again. Pierson, my dog aggressive boy, tried to be naughty but Clover just ignored him. It all went very well.

My friend heather with her dog Clover. Pierson is standing by keeping an eye on Clover. He’s still not sure what to think of her visits.

Clover is rolling around in the grass while Maya and Pierson look on. “What is this strange girl up to?” they wonder.

For more great pet photos around the dogosphere, check out the Wordless Wednesday blog hop link below.

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Thunder Artwork in Progress

I have finally finished drawing Thunder from 2BrownDawgs.com. I started this project months ago! I could give you all kinds of reasons why it took so long, but I don’t want to bore you. So let’s just get to the good stuff. I drew Thunder twice. I did this because I did not like how the first one came out so I wanted to try again. Honestly, I’m not happy with either one. Check them both out below and tell me what you think. Constructive criticism only. Also tell me which one you like best. I am especially interested in what 2BrownDawgs thinks. Hop on over to the 2BrownDawgs.com blog post on April 11, 2013 to see the original photo I drew from.

Background for the first artwork of Thunder.

The first completed artwork of Thunder.

The second background for drawing Thunder the dog. I like the background of this one much better.

The next step was drawing the duck in his mouth. This was very difficult because it was hard to see the details in the photo I was drawing from.

I am drawing Thunder’s head. It was difficult getting the detail in since it was so small. I’ m better at portrait drawings because I can see the whole face in great detail.

Now I start drawing Thunder’s body. I start with the darker areas. And I am using colored pencils this time instead of pastels.

The second completed drawing of Thunder the Dog.

I don’t think either artwork does the photo of Thunder justice. It was a fun challenge, though. I know my weakness is full body drawings. Getting detail is much more difficult.

I recorded myself drawing Thunder. I had this great idea of drawing Thunder along with the AC/DC song, Thunderstruck. But you’re not supposed to use music in your videos unless you get permission from the record company and recording label. Giving credit to them in the video is not enough. It is still a violation of copyright laws. Does anyone know of an easy and reliable way to get permission?

Wordless Wednesday – I’m So Proud of My Dog Pierson

Remember my post about ideas for working with Pierson on his dog aggression on February 9th of this year? Or the follow up post on the group walks we’ve been going on to help leash reactive dogs on May 15th? Well, I’m happy to say that the hard work is paying off! Look how close I was able to get Pierson to these other dogs without him going bananas! And it’s not just working on the group dog walks. It’s working on walks in our neighborhood too. I still have to cross the street to go around the other dogs, but it is much easier to distract him and keep him from acting out. I’m so proud of my fluffy boy!!!

This is a photo from one of the first group walks. Look how far Pierson had to stay behind.

This is Pierson on our most recent group walk. We got even closer than this towards the end of the walk but I didn’t get pictures.

Look how close we were at the end of the walk! It’s like the saying goes, “A tired dog is a good dog.”

Everyone is proud of Pierson’s progress.

Thanks for stopping by on the Wordless Wednesday blog hop. For more great dog blogs around the web, check out the link below:

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How My Dog Maya Got Her Name

Does this picture give you a clue on how Maya got her name?

Nope, she’s not named after the Mayan culture and her name is not Spanish. I actually got her name from the Sanskrit term for illusion. In Hinduism, the goddess Mahamaya’s name means The Grandest Deception (or illusion).

Want to know how I found this name? Okay. But first, here is why her name is perfect for her:

Don’t be fooled by the sweet quiet innocent look.

It’s the perfect name because Maya appears to be a really good dog. Well, she really is. But part of it is an illusion. 😉 My sweet, quiet, and innocent girl can turn into a crazy mess in a flash when she gets excited about something. She will be six years old in August, but there are times when she still acts like a wild puppy. Anyone who has a Labrador Retriever can probably relate.

She goes crazy in the car too. The first 15 minutes is of nothing but her whining excitedly. And if she wasn’t wearing her dog car restraint, she’d be all over the place. She has been getting much better at walking properly on a leash, but she gets distracted easily by smells and other dogs. It’s a good thing she only weighs 70 pounds and wears a leash that makes it difficult for her to pull.

Despite these momentary lapses into naughtiness, Maya’s exuberance and silly antics make me laugh. She has such a zest for life. And she is a great cuddler. Oh, how I love my happy girl!

Here’s more about how I came up with her name:

Studying ancient history is one of my hobbies. And studying ancient history also means reading mythology. You can tell how much I love mythology by my pets’ names. I had a cat named Patra (short for Cleopatra), a dog named Achilles (long before the movie Troy with Brad Pitt came out), and if you’ve been reading this blog for some time you already know about Sephi. Her name is short for Persephone from Greek mythology.

When I got Maya, her name was Dixie. Even though Dixie was a cute name, I didn’t care for it. And I wanted a name that fit us both. Maya was only 3 months old at the time so changing her name was no biggie. I searched through my history and mythology books for the right name, but nothing seemed to fit.

I was discussing this with a friend of mine from India. I don’t know what inspired me to ask this, but I asked him how to say ‘magic’ in his language. (I also love reading fantasy novels. No, not that kind of fantasy! Magical fantasy with sorcerers, dragons, castles, and heroic knights.) When he said ‘maya’, I felt the light turn on. And when he told me about Mahamaya in Hinduism, I just knew it was the right name. See what Wiki says about the name Maya and Illusion.

Yep, Maya is perfect. So how did you come up with your dog or cat’s name? Please share!

Wordless Wednesday – The Visitor

Clover, a yellow Labrador Retriever like Maya, came over to play.

Maya playing, Clover standing, and Pierson keeping guard over Clover.

Clover drinking from the kiddy pool while Maya considers making a splash.

Even though both Maya and Clover are both the same breed, they have very different personalities. Maya loves water. So she and Pierson let me water them while Clover stayed out of the way. When I filled up the kiddy pool, Maya went in but Clover didn’t… at least not at first. She eventually went in, but not to play. She went in to drink the water!

Pierson, who is dog aggressive, did pretty well with our visitor. It was actually pretty funny watching them interact. Pierson tried to be all macho and tough while Clover completely ignored him. Pierson was dumbfounded. 😀

For more great photos of dogs and cats, check out the link to the Wordless Wednesday blog hop below:

 

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Summer Fun – Watering the Dogs

I am not good at taking care of plants, so that is my husband’s chore. But when he went out of town, I went ahead and took care of the garden. While watering the plants, I also watered the dogs. I am much better at watering the dogs than I am at watering the plants. 😉

Maya and Pierson love playing in the sprinkler. Unfortunately, the sprinkler broke so I just used the sprayer instead. They really enjoyed it and it was a lot more fun for me too because I engaged with them. With the sprinkler, I would have just set it up and sat down to watch from a distance.

“Hey! Is that water cool?”

“Oh, that feels nice. So very cool!”

“Oh, yeah. More on the front please.”

“Okay. That’s good. Time to shake it off.”

“Now for a drink. And to attack at the source.”

“Which droplet do I try to eat first?”

“I will just eat all of them.”

“Oooh, that feels good!”

“Ah! That’s cold!”

What fun things are you doing with your dog this summer?

Wordless Wednesday – Drawing Mos the Dog Video

Remember the post where I showed photos of my work in progress when I drew Mos the dog? Now, I have it in video form. I recorded myself doing it, so you can see almost every pastel and pastel pencil stroke I made… and the back of my head.

Please, like my video and share it! My next video will hopefully be of me drawing Thunder from 2BrownDawgs.com!

If there is no music to the video, I apologize. When I downloaded the music, it said it was public domain, free for use. However, YouTube says it is disputed by a third party.

For more great pet photos, check out the blog hop below:

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