A big furry thank you to all of the wonderful people who I’ve met this year. I’ve learned so much and shared wonderful moments with my clients, my friends and my family.

Have a safe and wonderful holiday!

Also, I have a winner for the Giving is Awesome contest. I’ll be contacting the person who nominated the winner and posting a full announcement shortly after the holiday.

Dearest Eva – the prettiest doberman, EVER!

And the No. 1 ambassador for the breed (there have been more rat terrier adoptions due to this dog, than just about any other breed I know), Paddy. This little guy has to be one of my favorite models. He’s completely cooperative and wonderfully patient. He’s just a great little guy (and, ahem, one of the top agility rat terriers in the country! Go Paddy!)

I used two of my favorite textures on these black and white images. One is Magic Veil, free from AlicePopkorn on Flickr. And another texture from Flickr, Aglarond by Max F. Williams.

Jetty has had his moments over the last few years! It took his owner years to get his registration papers. He’s one of those big goofy male dogs that matured slowly (but charmingly – he’s got a perpetual innocence that makes him so sweet). At the last show, he refused to enter the ring. He went right up to the edge of the ring and then sat himself down and wouldn’t budge.

Well, this past weekend, with the help of his groomer/handler, Stacy, all of Janet’s hard work with this guy came together and he showed to perfection. He’s the ultimate underdog and pulled off two terribly exciting wins. I couldn’t be happier for my dear friend who owns this lovely dog.

And one shot from earlier this summer (Jetty is owned by the same family who owns Lydia). Notice how he’s completely dry? He’s the PWD that doesn’t like to swim.

Over the years I seem to have found my peeps who hold a love in their hearts for this particular combination. At an agility trial a few months ago, a couple with a similar pup, commented that they had a reputation for being a bit feisty. I can tell you that this little one here is an absolute doll. Brother of Tumble. Son of Flip. This is Spin.

Don’t worry…there’s one more pup from the litter that I have photos of to share! More aussie puppy goodness will arrive here soon!

The same friend adopted two of the pups for herself – a little red merle guy named Spin and this little red tri-color boy named Tumble (their dad’s name is Flip).

This is the tip of the cuteness iceberg and I’ll be posting more of the pups in a week or so. But I just couldn’t wait to at least post something. The cuteness is just too much to resist.

Bandit and Rascal were in one of my very first Foundations for Agility class. These two and their owners stuck with it and two years later are still learning new things and advancing their skills in an advanced agility competition class.

Bandit is a total natural at agility. She’s smart, has great attention and gives her handler a run for the money every time she’s out on the course.

Rascal is one of those “heart” dogs to me. For some reason, a dog will come along and just nestle itself into my heart. Maybe it’s the cowlick on the top of her head. Or her delicate approach to new things. She just absolutely charms me every time I see her.

(What’s funny – is that she looks like the wire-haired, JRT version of my little Gus. They’re going to get to meet next week – so hopefully they’ll be friends.)

And one last shot. One of those OOF and not quite perfect, but kind of cool action shots of Bandit tearing out of the weave poles.

I took a bunch of photos and am gradually working through them. This first set features, Lydia. She’s an accomplished agility, obedience and water dog. She demonstrated some of her water work and was happy to show off her favorite ball (which Gus later stole).

I love the shot above on the right. I’ve known Lydia for three years and I barely ever get to see her eyes! Since she was all wet, I did a little hair-dressing so that I could see a little bit more of that pretty face.

Yeah – the splash wasn’t really a part of the sequence off the boat – but it is Lydia splashing into the water after she dove off the dock.

More photos are on the way from the pond – we have PWD pups, a golden’s first swim and a group shot of nine dogs!