Friday, June 5, 2009

Puppy Portraits

This is Ben. He is quite possibly the happiest dog I have ever met. His tail is constantly wagging, even when he is laying down. He is all grown up now, but I couldn't keep such an adorable puppy portrait to myself, now could I?

(And Ben is technically the only puppy you'll see in this post, but I like the alliteration of the title, so I'm keeping it.)

This is Scout. Both Ben and Scout are not only Labrador retrievers, they are also assistance dogs, who help their disabled handlers do just about everything. They were trained in their early years by the nonprofit organization, Tender Loving Canines.

Scout came over for a visit, but he seemed a bit bored just laying around like the basset hounds, so I decided to see if he would follow some commands, none of which I was sure he knew.
I must have seemed a bit of a bumbling idiot (though this comes as no surprise) when I said "bring" to Scout and pointed at his toy. But Scout seems like the type of dog who can really think on his feet, and he popped up, grabbed the toy and carried it to me, then waited for me to take it from his mouth.

I'm sure he was wondering what this crazy lady was doing (I mean, why would I want his toy?), but he put up with me. Scout has the patience of a saint.
Scout looks deeply pensive. But he's probably just wondering what in the world I'm doing laying down on the floor with my camera. He's still probably thinking I'm crazy.
And I couldn't very well leave the basset hounds out of the post. So here is Tucker.

Tucker can really boogie. I mean, he's fast...for a basset hound, anyway.



I like to think he's hurrying to see me, but it might have to do with the treats in my pocket. But I'm just going to tell myself it's because he likes me.

Lovely Lucy lounges. She can move out too, but being a basset hound, what she probably does best (next to smell) is hold down important things like dog beds and comforters and couches. And sometimes, just simply the floor, as it works in a pinch if one of the aforementioned places is too far away.

It's a very important job, and I think Lucy's got it down pat.

I'm glad it's Friday, and I hope I'll get to emulate Lucy a little bit this weekend. As far as the lounging goes, that is. I might look funny with long ears and all that fur.

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