Trevor, one of our favorite English Setters wants to see if the Irish can do better!

TBP is excited to be launching our 2013 National Tour at the Irish Setter National Specialty in Washington D.C.!!

For those of you who are actually Irish Setter owners/breeders who will be at the show, Steve has sessions available for 10 lucky setters!  If you’re new to the site take a minute to explore and enjoy the images.  BUT, don’t take too long or you’ll miss your opportunity to schedule a session.

For details and pricing on ISNS studio sesssions click here.

So today, on Turkey Day, I am taking a moment to give thanks for all the terrific dogs and owners I have had the privilege of working with on my East Coast tour which began in June.  Im doing it by way of a monster photo post with at least a dog from each stop along the way – hope you enjoy it!

…….and stay tuned for news of future TBP plans – specifically the unveiling of the 2013 NATIONAL TOUR on the way……….we will be coming to you like never before!!

From a week ago w BasCoVail Border Terriers….but this BT says ‘lets start at the beginning!’

Sole…..a Pointer, patrolling the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica

my first Breeder shoot with Kengali back in February. Big Strong Fast Agile Smart….why I fell in love with the Ridgebacks – thanks for being first and for the introduction to what has become my favorite breed Ginny! See you in Orlando;)

a personal favorite….OddJob!

waitin their turn

Bolt? Comet? ……i dont know;)

Buster Boo! …..#9 pug

Jade – Brittany, Centre Hall PA

Breeze doin his ‘get the treat, replace the lid’ routine – Bloomsburg PA

DDB nap

Lowchin

Will I Am – my favorite name from the tour so far – Bloomsburg PA

Buddha – #1 DDB in the country. Taken it easy after a big weekend of wins – Bloomsburg PA

End of the Road Kennels – DDBs from Erie PA

One of my favs! ‘Ida Belle’s a Ringin’ She is the #1 Ridgeback in the country, has one of the coolest names, and I count her as a personal friend (you too Lynn;) – Canfield OH

#1 Sussex

Abbey Gail – Spinone- this was probably the most challenging shoot I did in the first year of the tour – not because of Abbey though – it was raining and there was barely any light but Stubborn Steve insists on using natural light!

Turbo – Cobleskill NY

Mira – one of Costa Bel Cane Corso’s next champs!

Cairn Terrier – Bloomsburg?

Yvonne and her Cane Corsos – more coming of this crew next week!

China/Sirius? Doug dont kill me – I have a time telling them apart;)

Rye on the hunt

Jack

Ethel….what a sweet girl!

Tipper – highly ranked Dachshund with one of my favorite handlers – Rhanda Glenn

Tipper – I want to say he is #1 in the country, if not he is close;)

Me and Zoe – a highly ranked Black Russian. However Zoe looks in this pic she is jet black!

one of my personal favs – fell in love with Garth! #4 Bloodhound

Tink

Mak – top 10

Mikko – future DDB champ

Mikko – DDB – Bloomsburg PA

Nina was as sweet as they come!

Spazz

veteran pug Spike – another of Ashley’s terrific pugs!

Gator

Percel – one of my first studio shoots on the tour!

I love this job!!!!

Coursing Creek Ridgebacks in the BlueRidge – AKA Heaven!
Thanks Susie and Max – love you guys! See you in Alaska;)

Doc and Bishop – James River, Richmond VA

Torro – representin for the Ridgebacks in Richmond VA

Fin!!!! two licks from this guy and I felt like I had just stepped out of the shower!

Fin and the pups – Suffolk VA

The three Xolo’s…put together for the Martha Stewart Show prior to Westminster but we missed the deadline:(

Boston DDB

Sue and Bubba(?) – thanks for everything Sue – you are near and dear to TBP!!!!

Thommy – DDB – Florida

Layla and Henry – a sweet old vet (Layla, I mean…your sweet to Henry)

Highlight of TBP for me so far! Bubba, therapy dog and 2012 breed ambassador (not kidding), with Anthony who recently got out of the hospital with his new Kidney. Awesome kid awesome dog – still get teary eyed when I look at these best buds!

Tucker – Jacksonville FL

Medusa DDB

Chloe – #1 Pug bitch. Another of Ashley’s amazing pugs!

Buster Boo I think

Orso – Cane Corso – Miami FL

Maverick! A Basset/Beagle mix picked up at Drool Fest (Basset Rescue)….one of two dogs TBP had a hand in rescuing.

Huntin w/ Bob and Bing

Made two great new friends at Decoverly Kennels in PA – they shared their knowledge of setters and labs and lots of good times!!- thanks Bob and Bridget!

Gaspar at Coal Dogs

Bouvier

My good buddy Gaspar!

Bibi – std poodle – Norwich, CT

Lady ….Melissa’s beautiful tripod dog…..this is one happy and lucky dog!

Crash – Chessie – Decoverly Kennels PA

I spent over 3 weeks at Decoverly…..Dixie was there for most of it and I fell in love;)

Crazy athletic Olive…one of Bridgets amazing labs!

ok, Olive was remarkable enough to get two shots;)

Trapper!

Trapper in the field

Thanks again to everyone! TBP is looking forward to 2013 National Tour.

]]> http://thebreedproject.com/2012/11/22/tbp-giving-thanks-for-2012-east-coast-tour/feed/ 2 http://thebreedproject.com/2012/07/01/tommy-and-karma-two-up-and-comers-among-the-ddbs/ http://thebreedproject.com/2012/07/01/tommy-and-karma-two-up-and-comers-among-the-ddbs/#comments Sun, 01 Jul 2012 20:02:20 +0000 pwpadmin http://s4539.at2.pressdns.com/?p=178 I met up with Tommy (11 months) and Karma (about 2 months?) in Melbourne, Fl, just before leaving on my tour.  An incredible storm came through right at the time we had scheduled the shoot but we decided to wait it out and things cleared as they often do in Florida.  It actually worked out for the best…..because of the rain the park which is usually very popular was empty and Tommy and Karma got a rare treat…..some serious off-leash time.  They made the most of it and I tried to keep up!!  Oh, and DDB = Dogue de Bordeaux/French Mastiff.

Tommy, ready for action!

Like any good older brother Tommy would beat the *%&^ out of Karma, but believe me Karma played her role as an instigator!

Of course Tommy was also her greatest protector!

.....I mentioned the thunderstorm.

Large and in Charge!

]]> http://thebreedproject.com/2012/07/01/tommy-and-karma-two-up-and-comers-among-the-ddbs/feed/ 0 http://thebreedproject.com/2012/05/31/why-labs-are-1/ http://thebreedproject.com/2012/05/31/why-labs-are-1/#comments Thu, 31 May 2012 15:52:31 +0000 pwpadmin http://s4539.at2.pressdns.com/?p=89

First off, let me clarify, the title of this post does not represent the views of the photographer or this project…..it might but you’ll never know;)  So I have not just declared a favorite breed……but America has, and for many years running it has been the Labrador Retriever.  Having come in contact with and photographed so many new and exotic breeds over the first couple months of the project I suppose I am kind of guilty of forgetting about the Lab, but a recent shoot was enough to put them right back on top of the heap.

When I used to be heavily into birds, I always reminded myself to recognize and appreciate blue jays as one of the most beautiful birds on the planet. Being common made them no less beautiful.

And so it is with the Lab, America’s best friend.  In the Labs case, despite being a handsome dog, its not as much their looks as their versatility and temperament.  But much like the Blue Jay, it aint their fault they’re everywhere!  And so without further adieu a photographic celebration to remind you who is top dog!:

This is the first of a couple posts I’m going to make for Kengali’s Ridgebacks.   As you have probably already inferred, I am crazy about these dogs….thanks in large part to Ginny and all her great dogs!  Don’t know if I mentioned this before, but one of Kengali’s girls had just had pups the Monday before our shoot.  Eleven of them!!  Of course I kept wandering over towards the room where they were nursing throughout the day with my camera and Ginny and Tori were incredibly accommodating.  They actually let me into the nursing pen and I did my best not to be a bull in a china shop.

The timing of the litter, Tori’s temperament, and Ginny’s willingness to give me access and educate me along the way were all so fortuitous for my photography – I had to pinch myself!  Onto some of the images:

The next few pics are part of the ‘Early Neurological Stimulation’ program Kengali’s dogs go through.  This science based program was pioneered by Carmen Battaglia PhD and involves a series of exercise the dogs are put through beginning at about three days.  The program includes holding the pup a couple times a day in a variety of positions, pressing lightly between the toes and so on in order to give them a jump start on socialization and physical movement/ability.

Alright, so this next one is a bit of National Geographic moment…..mothers induce their pups to pee and poop as seen in the picture below and consume all the waste…..as far as I know this is the process for all breeds.  So thanks Tori, but no kisses for a couple weeks;)

Finally, thank you Ginny for providing this opportunity, being so flexible with your schedule, generous with your knowledge, providing such access to your dogs, and just for being such a pleasure to be around!

Here is a picture since no post should be without one:

Ok here is whats up:

13th and 14th: hopefully following dogs at the show, kind of Day in the Life of a Showdog – champion Xolo’s, Ridgebacks, and DD-Bordeaux on the radar!

15th: Dogue De Bordeaux in Boston – BRRRR! Hoping for snow.

16th: Shoot with Pendragon Bordeaux

17-23: individual owner shoots in Philly/NJ and traveling south.

24-26: Charlotte and Asheville for a couple Mutt specials – still love em!

27ish: back to Kengali to shoot the pups!!

SLEEP!

This morning I was ready to post an Alaskan Husky, the dog above, who was on the beach when I did the shoot with Sole.  Understanding Im still in Breeds 101 and working feverishly towards my degree, I tread lightly with my claims, fearful of making some newbie gaff.

There I was on the AKC website, just to quickly confirm I had a dog that was predominantly Alaskan Husky and then make my post.  No Alaskan Husky! No plain old Husky? Let me check again….Alaskan Malamute, American Eskimo Dog, Siberian Husky….definitely no Alaskan Husky.  Sniffing some controversy I became excited.  While the AKC is definitive on breeds they recognize, they really do not speak much to breeds that fall outside their registered breeds and their is often a juicy backstory.  Google time…….

Here is what I found at www.alaskan-husky-behavior.com :

Why isn’t the Alaskan Husky in the AKC registry? This is a common question among people searching for information about the Alaskan Husky. The sled dog is not really a breed, it is a mix of several types of working dogs. The only thing that really matters in determining an Alaskan Husky is the willingness to work and the drive to pull.  

If all breed standards were so simple!  Clearly this spry fellow below is keen to work and his drive to pull is evident.  And so, with complete confidence I declare him pure Alaskan Husky and beg anyone to say differently! On to the pics –

I had a moment of pause….is this a Malamute?? The white face and black cap are distinguishing features, but alas the blue eyes are a disqualifying feature.

As cool as this dog was he was also completely unfamiliar and keen on me. Time to get my ass off the ground!!! Turned out to be very sweet.

She was so obviously  Pointer (predominantly) that I felt a little silly.  The AKC’s Pointer Page left me feeling a little bit better  ‘….the Pointers lineage is foggy, but there is no question that it  includes Foxhound, Greyhound, and Bloodhound’

Sole was the dog of Isabela, the owner of Las Avellanas Villas, where I stayed.  One afternoon I was privileged enough to take her on her ½ hour afternoon walk down to the beach, shooting the whole way!!  These are some of my favorites from the afternoon.

Lets go already

Despite the thousands of blurry images in my files, I continue to be amazed at just how fast dogs are! The fastest breeds are up around 50 mph!

I love the way this shot captures speed in a still....4 strides on and the splash from the first still rising!!!

The bird got away.

Sole continued undaunted:

Moving on to easier prey:

Isabela is also a great photographer in her own right, you can check out more of Sole (her shots) at her site and also her beautiful project working with reflections.

Xoloitzcuintli

The annual Christmas Rush is over at Steven Moore Photography, the New Year is here, and I finally have time to throw myself into the Breed Project!

A couple shoots coming up that I’m really excited about.

First, at the end of the week is Layla, a 12 year old English Setter.

At the end of the month it’s a day with Amoroso Xolos and breeder Stephanie Mazzarella…..I posted on facebook about this shoot in November but we had to reschedule.  Since then, her dog Basilio, has achieved #5 in the national Xolo rankings!  You can learn more at Amoroso Xolo and follow their blog which is updated regularly.

In February I’ll be doing a shoot with Kengali Ridgebacks in Eustis, Fl.  I met Ginny, the breeder, and a few of her dogs at Meet the Breeds/Eukanuba Dog Show.  Kengali has a new champion, Tobias, now CH Kengali’s Double Naught Spy!  I know that the ‘CH’ is for champion, but Im gonna have to get an education from one of the breeders about the whole naming system….for now I’ll just be content with knowing that when these dogs become champions they get really cool sounding names!  Here is the website for Kengali Ridgebacks and you can check em out on facebook too.