She Kept A Parrot
A Journal For Charlie
Portrait Of A Dog
Demi
Today, I was sitting on the floor in my bedroom photographing a lock on an old chest at the foot of the bed. Demi came into the room, jumped onto the chest and sat down. I explained patiently what I was doing and told her to get down because her hair was in my frame. She just sat there. I adjusted the angle to get her hair out of the photograph. She still sat there. Finally, when I was finished with the project, I got up from the floor and told her to get down. She continued to sit right there in the same spot. I couldn’t understand it. She always runs off to get a treat when she has my attention.
By this time, I was becoming more amused by the minute. “So, you want a portrait. Is that it?” I snapped a few pictures of her. She stared off toward the bookcases as if she were deciding whether there might be a dog adventure story in there. I patiently explained that she was not ready for a portrait.
“Now, Demi Girl, your hair has not been brushed. You can’t have a portrait with stringy hair.”
She ignored me.
“Besides, you have drippy eyes”. I thought surely the dirty face would convince her.
Nope. She just sat there waiting.
Finally, I tried to convince Demi that the incandescent light in the room would not show her to good advantage. That kind of light is yellow, I told her. She looked down at her newly groomed paw. The hair on her paws used to be so long that it folded under her feet when she walked and made her slip. I think she feels barefoot now. Maybe she wants a barefoot photo. Are dogs vain? I wondered. Now I was laughing. Demi was not laughing. The girl was serious about something.
After twenty or so shots, I gave up. I sat down on the chest with Demi and smoothed her hair. She laid her head down on my lap and closed her eyes to get her ears scratched. Demi, you silly girl, I said. That’s what you wanted in the first place.
43 Comments on “Portrait Of A Dog”
Comments
She Kept A Parrot 
What a cutie!
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Too much time with the camera and not enough time with Demi, in her eyes. She was certainly in a solemn mood. In need of a bit of love and cuddles. And so beautiful. Unbrushed hair, moist eyes and all.
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Such a serious little face, Demi has. Her eyes go straight to my heart; I just want to scoop her right up. These are really nice photographs, George.
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Thanks, Lemony. It is dark in that room and the light is horrible incandescent light. She was in some kind of mood. I have no idea what. Sometimes, she doesn’t behave like a dog at all. I think it’s the tragic life she had before. I am so glad she and I ended up together. She is safe here.
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A beautiful dog – I just want to cuddle her!
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Those eyes!
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You seems to have a special connection with animals! 🙂
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I love my animals, but my daughter is the “animal” person in the family. If it has fur, it likes her. She is not a bird person, though. She and Rita (my parrot) do not see eye to eye! 🙂
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🙂
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Oh my goodness! That beautiful Demi certainly makes a good subject for photos. It’s so funny that she just kept sitting on that chest; she must have liked the view from there!!
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I guess she was interested in what I was doing there. She’s funny, you know.
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Sweet little dog! Smart too, because she got what we could all use…a scratch behind the ears! And I agree about the profile shot, pensive almost regal. And speaking about creatures with character, I’m going to try to link a post I saw yesterday about a dog and cat who meet everyday and take a walk together…they look like an old married couple. SHORT AND SWEET is the name of the post. (I hope this link works.)
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http://denydesigns.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/short-and-sweet/
Ack! I failed…I can do this in my posts, my I can never get it to work on a comment. I need to figure this out!! Anyway, if you copy and past in your browser it’s worth a look.
🙂
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I promise to stop clogging up your comment box…the link does work! Hooray, small victories!
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You can “clog” up my page any time. I love your comments and our little conversations. Sometimes, I think people are reluctant to “visit” freely on blogs. I suppose they try to keep blogging as unlike FaceBook as possible. The result is that blogging becomes impersonal and stiff, I think. We’ll just keep chatting here until WP throws me out. 🙂
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Yes, until they throw us BOTH out!
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🙂 🙂
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Oh, I loved the dog and the cat friendship. That is the sweetest thing! The American shorthair is a smart cat anyway. Kelli had one for 17 years, I think it was, and he acted more like a dog than a cat. Thanks for the link. (It worked fine) That little story is one I won’t forget. I saved the photos.
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Glad the link worked! You will have to show Kelli, my daughter went crazy over it. I wanted to reblog but I feel funny about doing it. It’s one of those stories you want to show the world, though. I’m happy you could enjoy!!
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Sometimes, I want to reblog, but I read some fairly vehement opinions about WP reblogging being akin to FB. Personally, I appreciate it when somebody I follow reblogs or links to interesting blogs and stories. Nobody on the planet could object to this touching story. Could they? Ha Ha
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DEMI you are so beautiful and so adorable… I love you so much… But we should say this too, dear George, she is a beautiful lady and also so creative and amazing. And I know you know this as much as me… You both did a great post today, I can say this should be the photo of day! Thank you for you both, Blessing and Happiness, with my love, nia
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Thank you, Nia. You are so kind. Demi did help me make a post today. I wonder if she knows it. I will tell her that you liked her post. She is a sweetheart. She follows me around and naps under my desk. She really is a loyal little girl. I am happy she came to live with me.
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You are both seem found each other… Blessing her! I love you both… You are so nice too dear George… Thank you and welcome. Have a nice day, Love, nia
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Aah lovely story. The sweet, almost infinite patience of a gorgeou soul. What would we do without our wonderful companions 🙂
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I know. Whoever domesticated dogs and cats was one smart cookie. They actually do save lives. They lower our blood pressure and teach us to be civilized. 🙂 Hey, do you follow Heifer 12×12? She had a post on Alpaca yarn yesterday. http://heifer12x12.com/. Really interesting. Check her out. 🙂
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I rather think that dogs and cats domesticated humans.
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Beatiful photos, George. Demi must keep you great company and definitely knows all about sitting for a portrait.
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I swear, I think the dog is vain. She’s such a sweetheart though. She only wants to be held and scratched behind the ears. I can handle that. Want any more attention than that, you’ve come to a goat’s house for wool, as my mama used to say! Thanks,
Totsy.
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demi the cavalier…the king(QUEEN)of know what she wants and how to get it.
No self respecting dog will let you lead them around…they just are love machines…giving and sometimes taking…nothing better than that!
she is adorable 🙂
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Thanks, Gail. She had a hard first three years, but she’s home now and she’s a happy girl. I am so glad I found her. Good things do happen. This partnership was one of the goodest things! 🙂 I saw her picture online and I bought her sight unseen. I knew she was a real jewel. She is. I tell myself that she understands only French when she doesn’t listen. 😉
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While cats can get that zen look, only dogs can look like sad philosophers.
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Spaniels are particularly good at pathos and tragedy. 😉
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How very true about dogs. Our Bichon ‘Elmo’ is a paragon of perkiness until the very moment I click a photo. That split second is when he suddenly adopts his ‘they never feed me’ pose. This is a wonderful sequence of doggie portraits and another gem of a story to boot.
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Ah, Bichons are absolutely wonderful and beautiful dogs. They are the partners of the King Charles in the old “royal” photos. There is something about both breeds that is so appealing. I know what you mean about the “They never feed me” thing. Too funny. I have absolutely no idea what was in Demi’s head today. She is not camera shy, but she was determined to sit on that chest. I could not figure it out. She never moved an inch. I guess I could have stood there all day snapping away. Too bad she wasn’t lingering in GOOD light! Never happens! 😉
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She LOVES you!! All is right with the world 🙂
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Yes. She’s a sweetheart who had a bad first three years, but she’s a happy girl now. Dogs do make the world a better place! 🙂
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Cute dog, nice portrait!
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Thanks, Mike. I love that old Demi Girl. She’s a bit strange, but she’s sweet.
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Beautiful photos!
Great portraits George, she is so beautiful.
Getting a good portrait of an animal is quite a task, and you got them pretty well, Demi is a model!
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I got about 25 of them at least. She just sat there. Too bad her hair and face were so ragged looking. She used to have really long, beautiful ears, but she gets dog food in them and the groomer has to cut it off. The room is too dark too. I have no idea why she sat there so long. It was funny. Some dogs are photogenic and some aren’t. I’ve had both. Like people I guess. 🙂 Thanks, Pablo. You’d love Demi.
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Demi looks so pensive in that gorgeous profile shot, George.
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She’s a sweet, gentle soul. She was dirty, but I snapped her anyway. I never saw her just sit and refuse to move before. I would like to know what she was thinking too.
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A wee bit of dirt never hid a gentle soul. 🙂
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