Hi, this cute little terrier mix is named Lilly. She was one of the investigation dogs at the Hillsborough County Animal Services. She is the first in a series of portraits I will be doing of investigation dogs. All of the portraits in this series will be for sale, and the proceeds will go to help the investigation dogs. To learn more about investigation dogs, go to my website at www.artist-f.com.

Mr Skillit

Mr. Skillit joined our family back in 1989 . He was one of the smartest dogs that I have ever shared my home with. I taught him to sit, stay, roll over, speak, and shake hands in 1-hour. He never forgot how to do this until old age started taking a toll on him. He left us at the tender age of 17. After his passing I felt the need to make a tribute to this great dog and wrote this poem:

For Skillit
April 8, 1989 - May 6, 2005

Yesterday...a playful puppy of black and tan
the whole world was new
a place to explore with games of catch and many things to chew.
As you grew into a handsome dog my smart and loyal friend
there were long summer days warmed by the sun
fields of grass for you to run
and cozy winter nights with bright holiday lights to see
with chew bones under the tree.
As the days passed your coat of black
became sprinkled with shades of gray
your sight grew dim
and long naps replaced the hours of play.
Today... seventeen years have passed
in the blink of an eye
it was your time to leave
the tears will fall as we cry
and for yesterday we grieve.
Tomorrow...we will meet again
and what a day that will be
to be together once more
at the gates of heaven’s door.

You can visit my website and see more of my work at: http://www.lakeside-studio-petportraits-andmore.com/

15% of the proceeds of Pet Portraits go to "Comfort Creatures of North Mississippi". This helps support our local group of therapy dogs.

Ringo - Irish Setter

I met Ringo's human parents a few years ago. It was exciting when they later contacted me and asked me to paint Ringo. We planned to get together in Arizona at the Irish Setter Club of America National Specialty to take reference photos for his painting. Until that time they sent photos of him to me from time to time.

Once in Arizona I was going up the stairs of the hotel and saw someone walking down past me with a beautiful Irish Setter. We stopped and chatted briefly while I petted the dog. The owner told me his dog's name was Ringo. I started laughing and said - OH! This is Ringo!!! It was a funny moment. Several days later we met up again to take the photos. Ringo was so cooperative during the photo shoot and there were many great reference photos for the painting.

When the painting was finalized Ringo's parents told me what they were most happy with was the way I had captured his gentle nature in his eyes. Ringo is now embarking on an exciting career as a therapy dog. I'm sure he'll bring many smiles to those he touches.

If you would like to see more of my work please go to my website at http://www.dawnsecord.com/. There are giclee prints and original art for sale directly from the site as well as galleries for numerous of dog breeds.

Have a great day!

Dawn Secord

http://www.dawnsecord.com/

Art of the Dog - Dawn's personal blog

http://www.artofthedog.blogspot.com/

Saluki Art for rescue - Carol Chretien

detail of new painting for rescue

"SUN BEAMS"

9x12 oil on board

by

CAROL CHRETIEN

Mystery and Bunter were the models for this touching moment shared by best friends.

The painting is new and offered to assist

STOLA

Saluki Tree of Life Alliance

they educate and help co-ordinate in the rehoming of Salukis

20% of the sale went to the rescue.

Lhasa, Lhasa, Lha-sa!

Or Lhasa, Lhasa, Ap-so! I've been singing that to the conga dance tune, and breaking out in the dance occasionally as I've been in Lhasa mode in my studio while working on a series of these cute fellows. The coats on this breed are a great deal of fun to paint. And the color red, what can I say. It always gives me a visceral response. I knew it would play off well in the reflections of the gong.

I purchased the gong about a year ago at a garage sale -- knew I'd get around to painting it sometime. My husband tends to just roll his eyes when he sees the assorted things I bring home from garage sales to incorporate into my artwork.

Alas this painting is not for sale, but if you'd like to see other things my oils and I have been up to in my studio, (horses, and dogs, and cats, oh my!) feel free to visit my blog at karenmcclelland.blogspot.com.

Cheers,

Karen McClelland
kmdogart.com

"Fringe," 4" x 8", wire haired fox terrier dog portrait, acrylic on board, from the Painting a Dog a Day series (a daily pet portrait painting project), $165. Inquiries may come to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com .

I'm always looking at dogs from odd angles - not the typical heads-on point of view. I think that these types of unusual perspectives allow me to highlight elements that might otherwise get lost. Lately I've been very interested in top lines and silhouettes. Must be swimsuit season.....

I published my studio's June newsletter yesterday via email. Today I got it uploaded to my website: you may view it at http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/june2008news.html . There's information on the TurtledoveDesigns' Archives page (www.turtledovedesigns.com/archives ) on how you can subscribe (FREE!) to the studio newsletter.

If you would like information on subscribing to the Painting a Dog a Day series, please visit the Painting a Dog a Day website (www.paintingadogaday.com).

Meanwhile, thanks as always for looking.
And for sharing these paintings with your friends and family!
Kim

Kimberly Kelly Santini
http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/
distinctive pet portraits
& 4-legged paintings

http://www.paintingadogaday.com/
come. sit. stay.
enjoy the art.

Founding member of the Canine Art Guild
http://www.canineartguild.com/
the gateway to canine art on the web

Old friends

There's something special about the old dogs in our lives. In my world, they've all been ones I've raised from puppies and have lived with through thick and thin. They've also all been Boxers, which goes with the territory at my place.

Today's photo features Roxy, who was neither a Boxer nor a long-time family member. She was turned in at age eleven to a local dog rescue, and was adopted by my younger daughter and her family, who worried that few potential owners would want a dog of her age and with her health concerns. Indeed, Roxy only was with them for half a year before catastrophic health issues took her, but in those few months she got to live the life she should have had all along.

Despite her questionable past, this was a dog of surpassingly sweet temperament, and I don't think I have ever seen a dog with more soul in her eyes.

You can read more about Roxy's story by checking my daughter's blog entry for May 7, http://margaretsymons.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html which also contains a link to New Hope Dog Rescue in Saskatoon, where Roxy came from.

Thanks for reading and looking. More from me on my "home" blog http://judywoodartphotography.blogspot.com/

Watercolor painting of an Australian Shepard

This painting began as a Border Collie but turned into an Australian Shepard sometime in the night!

Maybe I was subconsciously remembering the time my neighbors at Charlo asked me to do chores for them. They had pigs, chickens, 8 cows to milk, cream to separate, eggs to candle, and the dog and cats to care for. They were going to be gone for two weeks. They did things the old fashioned way so you had to wash a cream separator, feed the skim milk to the pigs and chickens, keep the cream in cream cans and put them in the old water cooler. And they never varied their schedule, each chore was done at a certain time, in a certain way and all the animals knew it!

These neighbors used the old milking buckets that hung from a black strap underneath the cows. The straps had a lot of holes in them with silver gullets so they could be adjusted perfectly for each cow.

While they were explaining to me, how to do the chores, the wife referred to the dog as Dusty. The husband referred to him as Chip. At first, I kept looking round for the other dog, finally I realized there was only one dog, but the husband called the dog Chip, the wife called him Dusty! Those people fought like cats and dogs and could never agree on anything, not even what to call the dog!

The dog was an Australian Shepard. He was a "smart!" Australian Shepard! Not only did he know he had to answer to two names, he knew which cattle were beef cows, and which cows were milk cows. He not only knew which cows were milking, he knew which cows were dry. And he worked for me as easily as he worked for his masters. I could come to do chores in the evening or morning and tell him, "Dusty, go get the milk cows." While I was setting up the barn, he'd bring in the milking cows and leave the dry cows and the herefords in the pasture.

He knew each step of doing the chores, he could round up the chickens, or the pigs, or the cattle with equal ease. There was one thing I had to do to get him to work for me, if I asked him to do a chore the husband usually did, I had to call him Chip, if it was a chore the wife usually performed, I had to call him Dusty to get him to do it.

So perhaps this painting was done in his honor, the dog with two names...I think I'll just name this dog "Patch". One name should be good enough for him!

Donna Ridgway

Email Me if you have questions, or want to inquire about purchasing a painting.

Remember, you can find horse art , Western art, Mule and Donkey art
wildlife art, cow art, and animal paintings, my reference photos for sale on my website.

Watercolor study of a Rottweiler dog.

This is a little 4X6 inch study of a Rottweiler type of dog. He might be a registered, pedigreed dog, or he might be the mutt next door! He was a happy dog, and I wanted to paint him.

If this is your first time to our blog about dogs, keep coming back, we have great plans for this place and wonderful artists contributing to it. Many of them have some great projects going you might like to participate in.
Donna Ridgway

Email Meif you have questions, or want to inquire about purchasing a painting.

Remember, you can find horse art, Western art, Mule and Donkey art
wildlife art, cow art, and animal paintings, my reference photosfor sale on my website.

NOAH dogs

Ol' Blue Eyes 9" x 12 Oil on Board NFS

Bogey 8" x 10" Oil on Board For sale

Recently I was an artist in action at a posh art show opening. When trying to decide what to paint for the event, I felt that it would be a great chance to do art for a worthwhile cause. My mother volunteers at N.O.A.H www.thenoahcenter.org/Noah_Adoption.asp which stands for Northwest Organization for Animal Help. So I had her snap a couple of photos of some of the dogs there.

These two are the fellows I did. Both I believe are seniors, and both are still there looking for new homes as far as I know. If you want more information about them you can visit my blog at karenmcclelland.blogspot.com or contact the NOAH folks.

My name is Karen McClelland and I have been heavily involved with showing and breeding dogs for over 30 years. So it's natural for me to turn my artistic hand to painting them. You can see my canine work at www.kmdogart.com. I do accept a limited amount of commission work every year. I work exclusively in oils in a more loose painterly style, (not photo realism) while still maintaining structural accuracy.

"Poised for Play" Bichon Frise

The Bichon Frise Club of America Health Foundation commissioned a painting of Bichon puppies for their 2008 National Specialty as a fund raiser. The title of the painting is "Poised for Play."

The most enjoyable part of the process was receiving and evaluating all the photos that were emailed to me for use in the painting. Naturally, the photos were awesome - how could they not be!! Sweet white fluffy dogs I could look at all day.

Thank you to the Bichon Frise Club of America for the honor of working with them. They are a wonderful group.

If you are interested in a portrait or a dog painting for a specific function please go to my website at http://www.dawnsecord.com/ or my personal blog at www.artofthedog.blogspot.com.

.

Help for Investigation Dogs

Hi Everyone! I am new to blogging and this is my first post to this blog. My name is Stephanie Grimes and I am a pet portrait artist. I am presently involved in a new charity event. There is a group of animals that the rescue groups can not help. They are known as "investigation dogs". These animals are taken from their owners and placed in the county pound facility until after their owners go to trial. They are not allowed off the premises during this time and are not allowed to be adopted or fostered out. Often they are impounded for several months, sometimes even years. The poor creatures must be confined to their pens and often don't even get to see the light of day the entire time.

A lady I know has raised money and gotten sponsors to purchase a piece of land next to the Animal Services facility in Hillsborough county. The land was converted into a small dog park. It is only about the size of a small Florida backyard, but it is a true blessing for these dogs. Now the dogs can have a chance to be dogs again and have a place to run off leash. The park opened up in March of this year. It is called "Jagger Park", named after Karen's dog who passed away from cancer last year. This is the first dog park of it's kind. Hopefully it will catch on elsewhere. They are still in need of funds to provide maintenance of the park and provide the animals with little comforts such as dog beds and healthy snacks.

Yesterday I got the chance to visit with these dogs and see their little dog park. While I was unable to take pictures of the dogs currently benefiting from the park due to legal issues, I arranged to meet some of the dogs who have benefited from the park but have finally been allowed to be adopted. Paintings of these dogs will be featured at the fund raiser. I will be posting images of the paintings on this site as I complete them

I have coordinated with Karen and the owner of the South Shore Gallery, Beth Howard, who has generously offered to host the event in her Apollo Beach gallery. Items up for sale include original dog paintings (Including some of the dogs who have benefited from the park), prints and note cards. All of the proceeds from the event will go to the "investigation dogs". The event will take place on August 30th from 3:00 PM until 5:00 PM.

If you are interested in viewing some of my Pet portrait artwork, click here.

My latest painting

Unlike many of the artists that post here, I am not a full time artist. So I breeze in every few months with a new work, and gather inspiration from my fellow artists. They also humble me with their great talent. 

Although I am not a full time artist, I am a full time dog person. In addition to 6-10 paintings a year, I pet sit and board dogs in my home, write about dogs, and design web sites too. If I had one wish, I think it would be to be able to paint full time and make a living from it. Most of my artwork is commissions, like the one I am posting today.

Clarence is a recently departed Boxer that my client had me paint to give to her husband for Father's Day. I think the best part of pet portraits is getting to know the dog and his owners, and Clarence was clearly much loved. I feel that the eyes are the most important part of a painting. If I can get the eyes right, then I can capture the dog's spirit.  Two new boxer puppies have now come to live with Clarence's family, which I think is a great tribute to him.  

This "painting" is actually done in pastel, and the finished size is 11 x 15, which I mat to a 16 x 20 for presentation. I have just in the past year switched over to pastels, and find the finished results are much richer, looking almost like oils. My clients do their own framing, and I like to do a standard frame size so the framing doesn't break the bank. I hope you enjoy this work! 

Visit my website at http://www.terryalbert.com to see more of my pet portraits. 

Truck dog

I've been doing very little on the dog side of things until recently---my preoccupation with horse photography has taken center stage. However, this shot combines both worlds, since it is a shot of a dog, taken at a horse show.

This is one of a pair of dogs owned by the family of one of the young riders at Ebon Stables where I keep my own horse. Last weekend was a lovely weekend and featured the first outdoor horse show of the season. I had been taking photos at the show rings most of the day, and was just heading back to the stables to check on my horse, when I went by the truck with the dogs in back. They were in a nice shady spot and feeling fairly laid back, although they were both also keeping a watchful eye out for the return of their family.

I can't say driving around in a pickup with your dogs loose in the back is something I endorse (too many ways to go wrong), but it's part of the rural way around here, and I did enjoy my moment of communion with these fellows.

Check my "regular" blog http://judywoodartphotography.blogspot.com/ for lots more photos, all for sale by contacting me at judywood@sasktel.net I am soon going to have my new photo website underway, then there will be lots more photo art to check out.

Looking into the history of the Border Collie-first steps in understanding the working sheepdog.

Last Sunday was not only an inspiration for my equine art but turned out to be quite inspirational for my canine art as well.  

The show brought back vivid memories of our beloved Border Collie Bess. 

Reflecting on those memories, I came to the conclusion that I am clueless about the history of Border Collies (part of my heritage) and the making of the modern day Border Collie.

We (my parents) bought Bess from a working shepherd in Scotland nearly 30 years ago.  

In those days the breed was purely a working dog and had not reached the international and commercial notoriety that it has today. 

Bess was small making her very agile and fast, had a slow heartbeat allowing for very fast recovery, had the kindest disposition and temperament, herded cats, horses and cars all with the same dedication and skill. 

Not a very extensive knowledge to say the least.

Today's post is, I shamefully admit, my first deeper look at this graceful, tenacious and hardworking dog.

I would like to try and answer three basic questions:

• where the Border Collie originates from 
• how it has shaped the modern day Border Collie 
• why it continues to conquer the hearts of so many people the world over.
• Basically, the way I see it, the more I find out about the breed, the better I will be able to draw it.

(Note to all Border Collie experts: please forgive any misinterpretations and misunderstandings I may formulate... Researching the information for this post highlighted how many s

ources do not give the same facts.  I believe the sources I have used and quoted from (noted at the end of this post) to be well informed and accurate.)

History of the Border Collie.

The Border Collie originated in the Scottish Border Country around 350 years ago and is descendant from the Persian Sheepdog.

It was when livestock farming and wool trading in the border regions started to develop that the need for working sheepdogs was felt. Local farmers began developing agile and powerful dogs to work their livestock.  

hey needed a hardy dog, a dog that could withstand the harsh climate as well as a dog that had endurance. A dog with stamina, a dog that could tackle the rugged terrain, a terrain  made up of cliffs, hills and largepen spaces.  A dog with the intelligence, with the right temperament making them not only keen herders but also possess power over sheep. 

These Collies worked for hundreds of years with the shepherds, being bred solely for their working ability. 

James Hogg (1772 -1835), poet and shepherds' son born in Selkirkshire (Scottish Border country), wrote

"without the sheepdog the mountainous land of England and Scotland would not be worth sixpence.

 it would require more hands to manage a flock of sheep and drive them to market than the profits of the whole were capable of maintaining."

Border Collie ancestors, anchors to the modern breed.

Sheila Grew, (author)

wrote in her book"Key dogs from the Border Collie Family", Volume II (1985)  

"... a century ago many of the working collies were hard, powerful... dogs, difficult to control and rough with ... stock; but their keen .

. instinct, ... concentration and get power over sheep or cattle were such useful assets it seemed worth trying to find a milder natured type of working collie to cross with [them]." 

In 1894, Adam Telfer, a Northumbrian farmer, succeeded  in toning down the highly strung collie. Sheila Grew goes on to say that Telfer "succeeded... in finding the right blend of the two types of dogs".  

The modern day Border Collie is descended from his dog:  Old Hemp. 

Old Hemp:  Born in 1893. Undefeated at trials and one of the most notable stud dogs in Border Collie history. Old Hemp was a cross between a very strong-eyed, black bitch with a reticent temperament and a black and white tri-colored dog with loose eye and a good natured, outgoing temperament.  Hemp was a powerful, keen worker.   Old Hemp sired more than 200 dogs, and a countless number of bitches. Bred for his looks and impeccable working ability. 

Old Hemp is an ancestor of most Border Collies today. Old Hemp died in 1901

Old Kep: Born in 1901, Old Kep (son of Old Hemp) was a very kind and friendly dog. One of his contributions to the breed was his "Eye" which resulted in 45 first place wins at trials. Don (ISDS 11), a son of Old Kep, was exported to New Zealand where he contributed to the Australian Border Collies.

In both descriptions of these legends there is the mention of "eye". 

Basically. The Border Collie controls the sheep with 'eye".  

This refers to the amount of concentration the dog directs at the sheep. The sheep are held by the strength of the dog's eye.  A dog where this characteristic is well developed is called "strong eyed".

"Gather", "Clapping" and "Intelligence" are  some of the other crucial working features that Border Collies are born with. 

Here is a page with a list giving a good insight into understanding herding terminology. An online  glossary of herding terminology.

That special Border Collie appeal. 

I've come to the conclusion that the international appeal that the Border Collie has  must be down to the fact that it is: 

• one of smartest and most capable breeds in the world. ( They are considered intelligent, meaning that they could think for themselves.  Border collies were sent great distances to gather the scattered sheep. Being far away from the shepherd they had to be intelligent, independent and able to handle all sorts of situations without the shepherds' guidance.)
  
• receptive to training
• eager to learn and please
• beautiful, graceful, 
• thrives on attention and genuinely loves people
• not nervous nor aggressive
• good natured
• and well... most certainly it is because they are (very often)... black and white

IMPORTANT: 

Don't let all this praise deceive you. 

Border Collies are much more work than most other breeds. 

If you don't have horses, cattle, sheep, a farm, ranch or an incredibly large area you can use for exercise, it will be difficult to give the dogs all the exercise and stimulation they need.

Unfortunately many Border Collies end up in shelters when their owners realise that they need so much exercise, attention, and training/mental stimulation (actually the training requirements are most probably the highest of any breed.)

I firmly believe they are working dogs, workaholics, bred for their performance and working skills...this should never be forgotten. 

Some breeders fear that emphasis on looks and beauty could be the breeds downfall and therefore concentrate on their working qualities.

Thankfully, Border Collies are naturally versatile and can excel in other fields (no pun intended!) other than herding and sheepdog trials. 

If I remember correctly, the agility, freestyle and obedience categories at Crufts (amoung other shows) are strongly dominated by Border Collies. 

Well there you have it: a wee bit of sheepdog history and some gathered facts.

 

Bess lived to the grand old age of 14 and a few months. 

Now,  I understand why I still miss her...

Useful links used for this article and my general understanding:

• Border Collie breed information by Kelly Whiteman
  
• The information about the 2 ancestors is taken from the all Border Collies.comCollienet 
  
•  UK no1 site on Collie information (breeders, rescue organisations, breed clubs, Show information and results (...)
  
• Border Collie online museum
  
• Border Collie Club of Great Britain
  
• Award wining and very informative (and also where you can see great photos of the ancestors) Border Collie website based in the Netherlands "Nice of you to come buy".
  
• Information page by April M Quist can be found here
• Information on dog site 5 star dog
• Hill Shepherd Kennels
• A site for anyone with questions about the breed and thinking of getting one: Border Collie basics

And a final link for all those of you who really want to get dug in:

Complete list of Border Collie books

"The Gift," 8" x 10", pet portrait from the Painting a Dog a Day project, depicting Mystic, a Paws with a Cause service dog, acrylic on canvasboard, $274. 10% of the sale of this painting will be donated in the purchaser's name to Paws with a Cause (http://www.pawswithacause.org/ ) . Inquiries may come to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com .

I don't think I can say anything about this painting that it can't say, loudly and clearly, itself. So I'll just be quiet.

I have a good variety of works on display throughout the Brandon Township Public Library in Ortonville (Michigan) during the month of June. The collection includes some framed dog-a-day portraits and a number of larger than lifesize gallery stretched canvases. For directions, hours and additional information, you may call the library at 248-627-1460.

I am very proud of the latest on-line exhibition sponsored by the Canine Art Guild. You can see a wonderful selection of artists' favorites by viewing the new show at www.canineartguild.com/gallery . Cast your vote for the People's Choice Award, too - I have a feeling it'll be a tough run!!

Thanks, as always, for looking.
And for sharing these paintings and stories with your friends and family,
Kim

Kimberly Kelly Santini
www.turtledovedesigns.com
distinctive pet portraits
& 4-legged paintings

www.paintingadogaday.com
come. sit. stay.
enjoy the art.

Founding member of the Canine Art Guild
www.canineartguild.com

the gateway to canine art on the web