So I said I was going to pore over my pictures, but really, this is my favorite picture of Elka. It makes me happy every time I see it, and is probably the best photograph I will take in my entire life.
I took it through sheer luck. She isn't always pleased to have the camera (or cell phone) in her face, especially if we're on a walk and there's just! so! much! to! see! I forget why I had the camera out; We were at a new park, and I must have seen the merit in something she was doing, or I was going to ask her for a behavior, but instead I waited.
See, Elka likes looking at things that fly. She dances around with stray moths in the house, she looks up for an airplane or a helicopter if she hears them (but they're just too fast), and birds....well, when I took this picture, she'd just watched a bird hop across an expanse of grass and take wing, and then whipped around and looked at me as if to say "Did you just see that?" Sheer joy and wonder.
I thought about sending you the picture of her in bunny ears, but I guess I'll save that 'til I query you next (or for the next Chum Bucket?)
25 comments:
She's a beautiful Dobie! What kind of harness is she wearing? My two have been couch potatoes since the heat settled in. Unless of course, one breathes on Mr. Red Dot.
Hello, Elka! This is Jennifer R. Donohue's bonnie wee pet. :) S
Sam the Cat likes to chase bugs. He's very good at locating flying insects, but not so much at catching and dealing with them. He did catch and eat one the other day, but more often than not, his simply sits and stares waiting for me to get them. :)
Awwww sweet Elka! Yep, I'd know this for Jen's dog!
Little Dog's not much for chasing anything except - squirrel! (only they're about as big as he is)
So this is the much acclaimed Elka. She's lovely.
"Oh oh oh, can you teach me to fly? These walks, they're great, but c'mon!"
What an intelligent looking face. She looks like such a sweetheart. Oddly enough, the only time I've ever been bitten was by two Dobermans. I've been bitten by more horses than dogs. Dobies are such beautiful dogs.
As soon as I saw that smile, I knew this had to be Elka!
She's gorgeous, Jennifer, and so happy. I can see why this is your favourite picture of her!
I mentioned how much Little Girl Dog likes to run, chasing and being chased. Some may remember the story I told of her pulling the leash out of my hand to chase a rabbit (hare?) down the street. She's also gone running after a bird that had been sunning itself in the front yard. When the bird took flight, LGD leapt so high right after it I thought her ears were going to start flapping so she could follow. I'm sure she wishes that could happen. Maybe she actually thought it could.
Love Elka's smile :)
Elka! Jen, I feel like we've heard so much about her, she's officially a member of the reef now ;) She's adorable--she looks like she's got a lot of spunk and spirit. Also, I just wandered over to your blog and followed your Twitter account for her. I think animal accounts are officially my favorite ;)
Beautiful! There is something very grand about a Doberman. I lived across the street from Princess, who loved to wander. Nothing says *hello* like a happy-to-to-to-see-you Doberman when you get out of your car at 2AM. Surprise!!
Aww, thanks everybody! ^^ She's my pretty puppygirl. This dog has been so very good for my life.
Nightsmusic: That's the Ezydog Chest Plate Harness, which is the first one we tried (and has lasted well for years). It's an easy one (hurr hurr) to get on, I just need her to step into one side of it, then I can snap in the other buckle to complete the loop, as it were.
Susan thanks for the follows! I need to get off my butt and actually blog on the Elka Blog, if only to post most pictures. It's funny, over the last year or so, I've blogged more at the writing spot than the dog spot. That was not always the case!
What beautiful liquid dark eyes. Yes, I agree, Elka's already a member of the Reef too as we've heard as much about her. As well as Little Dog and Little Girl Dog. And Pen and Gossie and... Hm, my list keeps expanding!
Wow! What a great picture. The sheer wonder in her expression makes me smile. Dogs are so great. Thanks for sharing. I'll be smiling most the morning -- thanks to Elka.
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Happy dog! She looks like a sweetheart. We kept my brother's doberman for a while when I was growing up on a farm. He loved to chase the butterflies and grasshoppers that kicked up in front of the plow.
Elka is a beautiful Dobie Jennifer. I am sorely tempted to reach through the screen and snatch her away, but she probably wouldn't take kindly to that and I'm sure neither would you. I'm waiting before I get another Dobie of my own. Time's not right at the moment, but just seeing Elka's sweet doggy smile made me wish I could.
Great photo, Jennifer! There's nothing like a doggie smile.
So glad to finally get to see Elka! She looks like she'd be a lot of fun.
Oh, I can see the sky in her eyes! What a great photo, Jennifer. I love her name-- makes her sound Swedish. Although, I just looked it up and it's also Hebrew.
It's so nice to see a happy friendly Doberman. The few I've seen in real life have been trained to be mean snarling attack dogs. So unfair.
Megan, you'd bring her whiny butt back pretty quick! Even though she belongs to my fiancé and I, she's my dog, and makes that pretty clear to the other members of the household, much to their chagrin. That's kind of the peril of such a smart dog with so much heart; she makes her decisions, and makes them clearly. She knows just how much wiggle room she has with each person she knows (and she knows our friends by name, and which day they should be visiting!).
She is a lot of fun, though. I didn't know dogs could play make believe, but she sure does...I've watched her pretend her foot was a monster or something, and then be "embarrassed" when she realized I caught her. She's also, I say, a scientist. She plays a game where she sees how close to the edge of the couch (or the top of the attic stairs) she can get a toy, and watches it with deep concentration when it finally does fall. Obviously, different toys bounce different ways, go different distances, etc. And different people actually mean "Leave it" when they say so. Some will end up picking up the toy for her after all....
Julie and kdjames, it's a crying shame that Dobermans have the BigScaryMeanDog reputation. They're highly trainable and very loyal, and were a breed specifically designed to be a personal protection dog. So while yes, they can be very sharp, and very one man, I like them much better as couch snugglers and people pleasers. I've got the added bonus that Elka will alert me to my migraines (she learned that all on her own, the smart cookie), and has a number of tasks trained to help me along those lines.
But...I should probably be writing, right Janet? ;)
That's a great shot. I love how a photo can capture so much personality.
That is an amazing photo. Sharp focus, even light and, of course, beautiful subject matter!
Ella sounds so smart. I love the scientific research she does, and the pretend play - that's so cute. I adore it when my youngest kid gets into the zone with her lips moving silently and her gaze shifting between the toys, sticks, or pieces of old sticky tape that she's playing with.
So this is Elka! She's lovely!
I love that Elka has her own Almanac! It would be great if she could tell you when to plant seeds and what kind of winter to expect :-) She's a great-looking doberman, and seems ready for fun!
To all the North Carolinians out there - I just returned from Charlotte late last night, going from your 95+ degree heat back to my chilly California fog bank. The teenage son and I made a quick visit to Davidson College before his senior year begins. We were able to zip into the Levine Museum of the New South in Charlotte yesterday. I particularly enjoyed the exhibits on the textile mills.
I needed a lift yesterday. Thank you Elka!
(she's obviously a great buddy!)
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