December Dog Daze

Max and Maggie Mae are looking a bit shaggy for the holidays but I've left their hair longer to better  insulate them against our frigid winter temps.  I do what I can to keep them willing to go outside for potty breaks when it gets below 20º!  Besides, if having pristine Westies for an ideal photo op is required around here, it just isn't going to happen.

I was experimenting with special effects in my iPhoto application tonight and thought I'd share the results.  The original photos were shot with the flash on, in low indoor light.  Our green colored room paint, rug and curtain reflected too much green on the subjects so I chose a black and white print to eliminate that influence.  A tight crop in photo editing plus selecting a diffused corner edge matte in Effects helped diminish the busy nonessential room clutter.  Less than successful photographs were saved with a click here and there through software editing.  I'm glad I didn't erase these images after all!

Maggie Mae is the 12 year old bossy lady of the house.  She's spunky, playful, intelligent and Mom's little shadow.  Wherever I am, Maggie thinks she should be also.  Being held is tolerated in measurable seconds not minutes, but she insists on laying on or next to me whenever I plant myself long enough for her to do so.  Although my little girl has packed on extra weight this winter, come summertime when yard play is doable, she is the fastest thing on four short legs and will burn off the excess practically overnight.  She doesn't miss a thing and loves hunting mice and chasing obnoxious Jays.

Max, (nicknamed Mo-Mo) is the old man of the house.  Sweet in temperament, amiable toward all and always so tolerant of pushy Miss Maggie.  He grew up with our two girls and still enjoys hamming it up when he's dressed for a laugh with a hat, glasses or a scarf.  Our favorite was the Groucho Marx glasses.  I've never seen a dog grow long thick toenails as fast as this guy does. He clicks around the house on our laminate floor until it drives us nuts, then I shorten them as best I can, but I never seem to get ahead of it.  Age is taking its toll on Max but he still does relatively well for his 16 years.  His body parts are failing more noticeably this past year but his healthy appetite and occasional spurts of enthusiasm convince us he isn't quite ready to sign off.  He tires easily and sleeps a lot so when his time comes I hope he departs in gentle sleep.  Max is the sweetest, most compliant dog I've ever known. A small dog with a big heart,  Max will leave a huge hole in our family when he's gone.