Moshe

Moshe is a Beagle/Chihuahua mix and belongs to my friend and upstairs neighbor. Someone we met at Clearwater Beach dubbed him a Cheagle. We're still trying to figure out which dog was the mother.

At 14 lbs., he has more Beagle traits than Chihuahua. He has a tiny bit of white on his rear paws and when he "hunts" for lizards and cats, he runs from side to side the way a Beagle does. He also has his nose to the ground when he's looking/scenting for anything.

We got Moshe at a shelter in Bradenton, FL. Jim, my friend, picked him over the other dogs because he was the only quiet one. He didn't want to bring a "barker" into our apartment building. It was 4 days before we heard this little dog bark.

The shelter told us that he had been abused by a larger dog in the home and that was why he was left at the shelter. However, a few days with him told us the real story. This poor little dog would cower if anyone tried to touch or pet him. He seemed to trust women at first, and it took a while to get him to let any men near him. So, we assumed that he was abused by the man of the house where he was previously owned.

It's been a few months, and Moshe has made a quick turn-around. He "allows" anyone who lives in our building to pet him and some can even play with him without him cowering or hiding behind Jim or I. He's still a bit leery of strangers, but with a little bit of coaching, he'll come out and give the new stranger a sniff.

He's got some quirky habits that make him more endearing to me and some of the residents in our building. One of them is so funny. I'll pet him and love him up, which he loves, but after a minute he feels the need to reassure Jimmy that he still loves his "Daddy". He'll go up to him and rub on Jimmy as if to say, "I like her petting me, but I still love you more, Daddy." He is just too cute.

Casper

Meet Casper, my daughter's Bichon Frise. He is 12 years old and I'll bet he's licked his nose over 5 million times. He is constantly licking his nose. He likes to lick people as well. My daughter says that's a trait of this breed. I wonder if that's because he's French--it's the romance in him.

Bichon Frise are similar in appearance than the Maltese, but larger. They are generally happy, playful, gentle mannered and affectionate. Bichon Frise's are non-shedding, but must be kept clean with brushing and bathing. They should be brushed daily and groomed every 3 months to prevent matting of their fur, which can lead to hematomas. They are also considered good pets for allergic people because they are hypo-allergenic to all but the extremely sensitive.

The Bichon Frise's life expectancy is 12 years, but some have been known to live to 16 years.

Chinese Shar Pei

This Chinese Shar Pei was being walked by his owner on the Sponge Docks in Tarpon Springs, FL. I've always been fascinated by these wrinkly dogs. They look so soft and cuddly. This one, for some reason looked sad to me.

Shar Peis are known for their wrinkled skin and bluish tongue. At one time, they were a rare breed. Today, they are getting to be more common. The younger the dog, the more wrinkles they have. As they mature, they grow into their skin and some of the deep wrinkles disappear. Their fur is very course and bristly.

Shar Peis were bred in China as fighting dogs, but due to their prohibitive cost, they're now kept as guard dogs. They are extremely loyal and protective of their families and can become quite aggressive.

Settings used to create this image: ISO 400, 1/80 at F5.6, +1/3 exposure compensation to keep the shadow detail, aperture priority and partial metering off the dog. Focal length was 135mm with my trusty 50-250mm lens.

"Rocky"

Meet "Rocky" one of my friend's Great Dane. Rocky is very camera shy, even though his "daddy" is a photographer. He just doesn't like the camera at all.

This photo was a sneak shot. I love his different colored eyes--blue and brown, and felt the need to capture them in this image.

Monday evening, he was sporting his brand new bandana. He was really proud of it so I thought I'd let everyone see it. :)P