Black Labs in Art - 2

Black Labrador by Alicia Vannoy

A House Is Not A Home...

Found this hanging at Pete and Steph's house while visiting them in Virginia. Of course, I think it's right on.

Home from Washington D.C.

Sophie wrote me an email while I was visiting Pete and it included this photo. Thanks Dale!

Other Dogs I Know - Shelby and Odin

I'm visiting my brother Pete and his family in Washington D.C. (The actually live in Virginia). They have two beautiful dogs named Shelby and Odin who are both about eleven years old; the same age as Sophie. They are also both incredibly sweet and good natured. Odin is pictured on the bottom and Shelby on the top.

Black Labs - More Info Part 3

More information from Wikipedia:

"The first and second Earls of Malmesbury, who bred for duck shooting on his estate, and the 5th and 6th Dukes of Buccleuch, and youngest son Lord George William Montagu-Douglas-Scott, were instrumental in developing and establishing the modern Labrador breed in 19th century England. The dogs Avon ("Buccleuch Avon") and Ned given by Malmesbury to assist the Duke of Buccleuch's breeding program in the 1880s are considered the ancestors of all modern Labradors."

"The first St. John's dog was said to be brought to England around 1820; however, the breed's reputation had spread to England long before. There is a story that the Earl of Malmesbury saw a St. John's Dog on a fishing boat and immediately made arrangements with traders to have some of these dogs exported to England. These ancestors of the first labradors so impressed the Earl with their skill and ability for retrieving anything within the water and on shore that he devoted his entire kennel to developing and stabilising the breed."

Top picture shows "Buccleuch Avon (b. 1885), a foundational dog of many modern Labrador lineages."

Bottom picture shows "The last two known St. John's Dogs, photographed in rural Newfoundland, ca. 1981."

Sleeping Beauty

Sophie experienced cold and rain on her morning walk today. She was sawing logs just before I took this picture. No, I didn't mean to wake her up. She was just so cute slumbering away... 

(Photo 3-22-11)

Sophie's Walk - Monday March 21, 2011 Part 2

Sophie's Walk Part 2

Here we're at 45th Street and 14th Avenue. Sophie's wanting to go into the street. I won't let her for fear that someone has carelessly dumped fast food (french fries, chicken bones, etc.) out of their car.

The return trip. We've crossed the street and are just off 46th Street and 14th Avenue.

Back in our yard, Sophie sometimes likes to roll and/or scrub her face in the snow.

One last look at the yard before heading back inside to get her paws wiped off.

Sophie's Walk - Monday March 21, 2011 Part 1

I'm on spring break this week which, sadly, has fallen during one of the yuckiest parts of Spring: the beginning. Today is actually the first full day of Spring which started yesterday at about 6:21 p.m. Sophie loves to take walks; it's her main job to sniff out the neighborhood and leave her mark on key spots. She especially loves to walk in springtime as the rain helps kick up the smell quotient and the melting snow uncovers lots of Autumn leaves that didn't get picked up in time for the first snow, and trash that has long been covered up. Following is photo documentation of a walk Sophie took on the first yucky, mucky, first full day of Spring 2011.

Sophie's Walk Part 1

Sophie's walk is just getting started. We're on 43rd Street near 11th Avenue.

Here, we're just off the Northwest corner of 43rd and 11th. Heavens, the dirty snow is yucky.

We're now at the Southwest corner of 43rd and 12th.

Sophie poses for the camera at 12th Avenue and 44th Street.

More to sniff on 44th Street between 13th and 14th Avenues.

Angel Cake

(Photo 3-10-11)

Sophie's Nails

Sophie (not pictured here) hates having her nails cut. The first time I cut them I think I took off a little too much. Now I am very, very careful.

Black Labs in Art - 1

Although they are a little lighter than Sophie's, the brown eyes in this painting still remind me of her. Painting is by Ron Krajewski.

Black Labs - More Info Part 2

From Wikipedia:

"The St. Johns' area of Newfoundland was settled mainly by the English and Irish. Local fisherman originally used the St. John's dog to assist in carrying ropes between boats, towing dories, and helping to retrieve fishnets in the water. The Labrador's loyalty and hard working behaviour were valuable assets for fishermen."

"A number of St. John's Dogs were brought back to the Poole area of England in the early 19th century, then the hub of the Newfoundland fishing trade, by the gentry, and became prized as sporting and waterfowl hunting dogs. A few kennels breeding these grew up in England; at the same time a combination of sheep protection policy (Newfoundland) and rabies quarantine (England) led to their gradual demise in their country of origin."

Paw Print

Sophie's paw print in the snow.

Sophie's Blood Work

Dr. Schuld called today to let us know that Sophie's blood work looked great and that she's fine at her current dosage of Phenobarbital. She's in good shape!

(Photo 3-2-11)

Black Labs - More Info Part 1

From Wikipedia:

"The modern Labrador's ancestors originated on the island of Newfoundland, now part of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The founding breed of the Labrador was the St. John's Water Dog (also a founding breed of the Newfoundland), a breed that emerged through ad-hoc breedings by early settlers of the island in the 16th century. The forebears of the St. John's Dog are not known, but were likely a random-bred mix of English, Irish, and Portuguese working breeds. The Newfoundland (known then as the Greater Newfoundland) is likely a result of the St. John's Dog breeding with mastiffs brought to the island by the generations of Portuguese fishermen who had been fishing offshore since the 16th century. The smaller short-coated St. John's Dog (also known then as the Lesser Newfoundland) was used for retrieval and pulling in nets from the water. These smaller dogs were the forebears of the Labrador Retriever. The white chest, feet, chin, and muzzle - known as tuxedo markings - characteristic of the St. John's Dog often appear in modern Lab mixes, and will occasionally manifest in Labradors as a small white spot on the chest (known as a medallion) or stray white hairs on the feet or muzzle."

(Left photo of Sophie taken 3-2-11. Right photo is Nell - A St. John's Dog circa 1856. Sophie is descended from this breed.)

Sophie's Check-Up

Sophie went to the vet today for a check-up. She needs to go in twice a year to have her blood checked to make sure she's getting the right amount of Phenobarbital. It turns out she's fine! She's up to 60 pounds from 55. Dr. Schuld says he likes to see her closer to 55. We also need to do a better job keeping her teeth clean. Otherwise, she's in great shape for a dog her age!   (Photo 3-3-11)

Look At That Face

She just gets sweeter everyday.

(Photo 3-2-11)

Sophie's Meds

Sophie's on a few different medications. She's on Proen for incontinence, Carprofen for joint pain, and Phenobarbital for seizures.

Sophie had her first seizure (that we were aware of) in about 2004. Dale was just days away from heading north for his summer gig on Madeline Island when Sophie began to seize one morning. He thought she was dying and woke me up. I recognized it as a seizure because Willie, one of my childhood dogs, used to get them. We brought he in to the vet who prescribed the pheno. The seizures have since been under control.

Sophie's Choices

Sophie always picks the worst spot to plant herself when we're making dinner. We have her move her to the rug which she loves to be on. Why she goes for the most inconvenient and uncomfortable spot first? Your guess is as good as mine!

Book Recommendation - Dog Stories

Dog Stories is part of the Everyman's Library Series. It includes many wonderful stories including "Ava's Apartment" by Jonathan Lethem which was originally published in The New Yorker. The story brought tears to my eyes as it really captured the "humanity" of a dog and because Ava reminded me very much of Sophie. The dog on the cover reminds me of my brother Pete's dog, Shelby.

Sophie's Story Part 3

We waited for someone to claim Sophie. No one did. We were starting to get attached to her and decided to keep her. We figured no one else on the planet would have the patience for her that we did and we were convinced that if anyone else tried to raise her they would give up and that Sophie would end up a dead duck. Next came finding a name for her. I had named our previous dog, Buddy, so it was Dale's turn. He went with Sophie as his first choice. I was agreeable to that for it would have been my second choice if it were my decision to make. My first would have been Audrey.

(Note: The above picture is not Sophie but does represent what she looked like as a puppy.)