Archive for January, 2009

Vanity Fair 09

bulldog

Another year another dog show weekend for CACIB Ljubljana & CACIB Tromostovje 2009. From the start there needs to be a clarification. I largely agree with Jure on the subject of dog shows. Most dogs there are very cool, many people aren’t. It may sound harsh but I never understood how anyone could possibly care how much time and effort has been put into grooming, trimming, spraying, waxing, polishing, powdering, whitening etc. of dogs hair, nails, teeth and whatever else they can come up with.

Things like this shouldn’t happen:
naked poodle
Identity of the poor dog intentionally left unknown. This is one of three FCI approved show trims for a poodle.

Unfortunately though, dog shows are an inevitable part of breeding. Entirely understandable from the perspective of keeping a breed within desired parameters. I just don’t get how hair acrobatics is a part of those parameters.

Moving on…

Hanibal observing
Hanibal observing the procedure of the show & judge Satu Ylä-Mononen

This year we tricked Hanibal into his very first dog show appearance (came with his first proper shower as well) and although he did well he didn’t do really well. He just doesn’t feel comfortable being shown off for the judges. Oh well, I guess he’s not obsessing over it. Neither are we :)

weimaraner & pointer
weimaraner & pointer

Altogether Hanibal got himself the titles of SKVPM club champion, 3x CAC* SLO & 2x CACIB**

Dina only got to show her stuff on Saturday and she got SKVPM club champion, CAC SLO & BOB*** which means she walked out as the winner of the mother vs. son showdown for the best of breed title in the club special.


CAC = Certificate d´Aptitude au Championat
CACIB = Certificate d´Aptitude au Championat International de Beaute
BOB = best of breed

Judge’s comments for Hanibal

Otto Schimpf(AUT) breeder of Dogo Argentino

  • Nice dog
  • good head
  • good colors
  • doesn’t have ring training
  • good front
  • good line of the body
  • correct type
  • eye color acceptable depending on the hair color

Excellent grade

Béla Siklósi (HUN) breeder of Newfoundlands

  • 1.5 years old
  • elegant type
  • correct size, bones
  • nice head
  • correct white
  • correct front
  • strong topline
  • need more angulation behind
  • nice movement

Excellent grade

Judge’s comments for Dina

Béla Siklósi (HUN)

  • 5 years old
  • correct size, bones
  • little too long
  • nice head
  • correct
  • little soft topline
  • correct angulation
  • correct movement

Excellent grade

Satu Ylä-Mononen (FIN), breeder of Berner Sennenhunde, only gave verbal comments at the club special. Since I didn’t hear them in person I can only report she had praise for both of them. Dina won over Hanibal because of her more relaxed character.

rubber duck

This year I took a slightly different approach to photographing dogs at the show. In previous visits I mostly used wide angle lenses to show the dogs interacting with their owners/handlers. Sometimes it came out well, sometimes it didn’t. Somehow people feel like they need to present the dog as if I was a judge. The problem is that I couldn’t care less about all the show poses it can do. I see them as beautiful and entertaining dogs, not as fashion accessories and beauty objects. So this year I switched tactics a little bit.

Using a borrowed 50/1.8 lens I could simply isolate the dog from its immediate surrounding and focus on expression. I didn’t forget to include the owners whenever there was an opportunity though.

dachshund
dachshund (?)

afghan hound
afghan hound

many more photos in the gallery

In the name of ice

Tukkiniemi
Tukkiniemi, Tervajärvi lake, Repovesi NP

Spend a winter in Finland and you’ll get in touch with ice. Lots of it. Whether the contact is painful or fun really depends on you and what you’re doing on it. I was either on a bike or on foot learning how to handle a kite. Others went fishing, or kite boarding, or skating. Some managed to fall through into freezing water below, misjudging the time it takes to thicken enough. But everyone definitely heard the impressive moans and cracks as the ice moved and expanded. And it sure was fun if sometimes scary when you’re hundreds of meters away from shore and the ice is sometime so clear and transparent you have to think twice if you’re walking on water or ice, hoping it really is thick enough to carry you.

Selkäsaari
Selkäsaari

Kariniemi
Kariniemi, Lahti

Kiteboarding
Kite boarding on Vesijärvi, Lahti

more photos of Finnish and Estonian winter in the gallery.

Year 1

h-gang

The H-Gang is well into their second year so I guess it’s about time for some teenage photos as well. Over the past few months we visited all of them to see how they’re doing and naturally took some photos. Some owners keep sending us their own photos (which I love looking at) with occasional “status reports” and I’m happy to say the dogs are doing just fine wherever they are.

I took the liberty of editing the photos a bit to keep everyone anonymous. Hopefully nobody objects to this treatment. Copyright of course stays with whoever took the individual photo and I uploaded a few extra in the gallery as well.

Dina @ f1.8
Dina @ F1.8

and here exact clone
Heidi Hiwakea
Heidi Hiwakea

Hana Haiku
Hana Haiku

Hawkeye Hooch & Dina
Hawkeye Hooch & Dina

Helvetica Hirti
Helvetica Hirti

Heli Hachiko
Heli Hachiko

Havana Hina
Havana Hina

Homer Heineken
Homer Heineken

and finally…
Hanibal Hayabusa
Hanibal Hayabusa looking at Eiger & Mönch

Gallery