Beyond the blog...again.

A couple of months ago, here on the blog, we listed a couple of dog-related events which proved to be quite a success. We had a lovely day out when we took Archie to the Haughmond Hill Breast Cancer Awareness event (see previous posts for pics and updates), as well as a Charity Walk through the Quarry in aid of rescued greyhounds. Needless to say, I took my camera along to both events and thought I'd kill two birds with one stone by showing you some of the images AND how they have subsequently been used by this excellent organisation to encourage more good people to get involved with Greyhound fostering and adoption.
P.S. If you know of any dog-related events, happenings or good causes which could benefit from a bit of publicity on this far-reaching and widely-read blog(?!) feel free to add them or e-mail details to myself or Nick.

To watermark or not to watermark?

With Archie on lead-only exercise, there have hardly been any opportunities to take photos recently and I miss that. It's all I can do to keep him calm on the lead as he's so desperate to get involved with his mates and their games! Something's got to give, so I haven't bothered bringing my camera on walks since he got his injury. Fingers-crossed, however, things will be back to normal sooner rather than later. As I write he's going crazy at the flower show fireworks, so he's still his usual self in some ways at least.
It's great to know that the images are appreciated and the whole watermarking thing is just standard practice for a lot of pictures that go on an online journey of one sort or another. I do keep copies of all of the originals (without watermarks) and if you, like Allison, would like a copy of any photographs just let me know and I can e-mail you high resolution j-pegs. The files are quite big, but this means that the majority of them will easily print up to A3 or even larger. My e-mail is hudsonaj@yahoo.com or you can click on the contact link on the list of followers below. Failing that, just mention it next time I see you on the walk. Have a good weekend.

Great photo

I just want to thank Anth for the fantastic pictures he has taken of all the dogs. A special thanks for the one you gave me of Swiss. I have already confessed to him that I copy the pics and show them to people obviously when they see the water mark I am not able to get away with taken the credit for shooting them. Kobe is now 100% after being neuted (I suppose 98% with his missing bits) . I did say I would do a post about one of our conversation on the field which is "Cosmetic surgery for dogs? Thanks to fake testicles for animals, owners can neuter their pets but make sure they still look "intact." Fortunately for you lot I have not got around to doing it.

Beyond the blog...

Those of us involved in this blog obviously have a lot in common. Whether you read it, write on it or just look at the pictures on it, there is obviously something on here that you think is worth pointing your web browser at every now and again! With this in mind, I just thought I'd mention that one or two of our dogs are capturing the hearts of fellow dog lovers way, way, way beyond the fields of Castle Walk! Obviously, all of the images I take are available for anyone to see via Flickr, but what I have started to do recently is add some of my favourite images to other groups, or in several cases, other people have seen photos they like and have actually invited me to join their groups. Through doing this I am seeing a lot more great examples of dog photography, and if this is your thing, then next time you browse some of the blog photos, have a quick look at some of the groups they are part of and then you too can enjoy many more examples of wonderful shots of wonderful hounds! You can also comment on any of the shots or post your own pics for others to enjoy. P.S. Archie's carpal pad is granulating nicely and he should be 100% in about a week if he does as the vet told him... P.P.S. Kobe's picture is the one I've chosen to accompany this post as at the moment he is Top of the Pops as far as "the most viewed" is concerned! Gold disc to be presented shortly...

Life's a beach.

I haven't met a dog yet that doesn't love a good romp on the beach, although some are less enthusiastic about getting their paws wet! The first time we took Lily to the coast she could barely contain her excitement, and when we let her off it was explosive. She took off up the beach at such speed that she was a dot on the horizon within seconds, fortunately, she made a wide turn and pelted back towards us with equal pace. The feel of the sand between her toes must have sparked memories of her racing days and she was in dog heaven, grinning from ear to ear.
Sorry to hear that Archie got a bit too excited at the coast and injured himself in the process, get well soon mate, there's one eager Greyhound waiting to chase you around the Walk when you get back home.

Feeling a little bit sorry for ourselves...

Just returned from a lovely weekend in Aberdyffi and now off to the North East for more beach action! Got to take it easy though as Arch has managed to get himself a nasty cut just where his carpal pad meets the leg on his front left. Ouch! I haven't got a picture of this injury but thought I'd share this one of when he had his back dew claws removed - bandages are in a different place but the expression he is giving me right now is EXACTLY the same!

On a slightly lighter note, keep your eyes open for Jack the black Lurcher! Jack is a beautiful rescue who now finds himself with wonderful new owners who are so grateful for the care he received when he was sheltered, that they are doing a sponsored walk to raise funds to help other dogs who find themselves in a similar position. Maybe, if you read this, you could pop a couple of quid in your poo bag pocket, so that next time you see Jack and Tom (his new master), you could support their efforts! Good luck to all! OK, that's it from me for a while. This would be a great time to see a few contributions from any one of the 19(!) contributors listed below as for the next week I can read, but not write on the blog! See you next week everyone and belated blog birthday wishes to Lynds and Lyn who shared a birthday yesterday!