8 March 2010
Bullmastiffs in the snow
March 8. Despite night frost chills and thick snow, the spring 2010 is finally here… Birds are singing louder and sun is getting warmer and warmer. Today was the perfect day to play with Lucky and his son Hippy in the snow. Many thanks to Elina and Grazina of Is Dvariskiu Bullmastiffs (http://is-dvariskiu.narod.ru/) for their hard work and great company!
5 April 2010
Bullmastiff puppies
The Bullmastiff is a strong and powerfully built animal that possesses great intelligence and a willingness to please, making them ideal family companions and protectors. Although large, the breed remains both agile and active. The Bullmastiff’s known history in England begins around 1860, when they were developed to keep large estates and game preserves free of poachers. Gameskeepers needed a dog that could track quietly, cover short distances quickly and pin and hold poachers without mauling them. The foundation breeding was 60% Mastiff and 40% Bulldog; breeders were hoping to create a dog faster and more aggressive than the Mastiff, yet bigger than and not as ferocious as the Bulldog.
This litter of 10 was bred by Grazina Chmelevskaya (Is Dvariskiu)
5 April 2010
Burmese cats
Burmese cats have been known for centuries past living in Burma, Thailand and Malaya, and have been imported along with the Siamese. The Burmese is a strong, athletic and elegant cat, of foreign but not extreme type which is distinctive and quite individual to the breed. It has a close, even coat with a glossy, almost polished quality. At maturity males are large and handsome, females are more delicate and graceful, and the difference in weight between them may be as much as two or three pounds. Burmese are intensely social animals and assume that they are fully accepted in all aspects of human family life. This delightful litter of 6 was bred in Vilnius and hopefully will become a foundation stock for this lovely breed in Lithuania.
11 February 2010
Abyssinian cats
Abyssinian is one of the oldest known cat breeds. The source of the name is not because Ethiopia, formerly Abyssinia, is thought to be the original home of these cats, but because the first “Abyssinians” exhibited in shows in England were reported to have been imported from that country. The first registration of the breed appeared in English studbooks in 1896.
These are a special type of tabby cat where the typical tabby markings are restricted to the face. They have a distinctive ticked coat pattern where the individual hairs have bands of colour on them, not unlike the coat of a rabbit. Because of this ticked coat these cats have been known as ‘bunny cat’ and ‘hare cat’. Their large, expressive almond shaped eyes, large ears and ticked coat contribute to give the Abyssinian and the Somali their ‘wildcat’ appearance. The Abyssinian is an affectionate intelligent cat, very people orientated, extremely active and a cat that thrives on interaction and play.
10 February 2010
Doberman babies
Dobermans are growing up so quickly! These 6 puppies bred by Viktorija Govorenkoviene (Piligrimas Kennel www.dobpiligrimas.lt) received their first shots and are getting ready to go to their new homes.
5 February 2010
Russian Blue
Russian Blue cats are elegant and distinguished cats. With sparkling green eyes, silver-tipped fur, refined boning, and plushy coats, are like no other cat breed. While highly intelligent and playful around their loved ones, Russian Blue cats tend to be timid around strangers. It is also proven that the Russian Blue produces less glycoprotein Fel d 1 and is much less of an allergen source than other breeds of cat.
First shown in 1875 at the Crystal Palace in England as the Archangel Cat, the original Russian Blue competed in a class for all blue cats. It was not until 1912 that the Russian Blue was given a class of its own. From its early origins until after World War II, English and Scandinavian breeders worked to develop the foundation bloodlines for the contemporary Russian Blue. Although Russians were imported to the United States as early as 1900, there is little recorded work with the breed in America until after World War II.
28 January 2010
Dances with wolves
…Dark spruce forest frowned on either side the frozen waterway. The trees had been stripped by a recent wind of their white covering of frost, and they seemed to lean towards each other, black and ominous, in the fading light. A vast silence reigned over the land. The land itself was a desolation, lifeless, without movement, so lone and cold that the spirit of it was not even that of sadness. There was a hint in it of laughter, but of laughter more terrible than any sadness-a laughter that was mirthless as the smile of the Sphinx, a laughter cold as the frost and partaking of the grimness of infallibility. It was the masterful and incommunicable wisdom of eternity laughing at the futility of life and the effort of life. It was the Wild, the savage, frozen-hearted Northland Wild… (Jack London “White Fang”)
This how it was before two huskies and three people broke the silence. Winter photography is an adventure to remember – sun goes down very quickly and bitter frost discharges the batteries and numbs the fingers. But the results are very rewarding for the true lovers of nature and monochromatic colors.
21 December 2009
Shar-pei
Many thanks to Violeta and Igoris for letting me photograph their beautiful boy Nikita.
20 December 2009
Finnish Winner Show 2009
The Finnish Winners Best In Show competition was judged by Rainer Vuorinen. His choice for the BIs was the Wire Haired Fox Terrier Crispy Legacy owned and bred by Agneta Astrom, Sweden, BIS 2 was Samoyed bitch Ch Pilgrimage Snow Ball owned by Kristine Uspenski from Estonia, BIS 3 Lhasa Apso, Ch Chic Choix High Class from Norway, BIS 4 Hungarian Puli, Ch Bubbleton Birthday Bijou from Denmark. Heartfelt thanks to Our Dogs UK and Finnish kennel Club for making this happen for me!
3 December 2009
Black on black
Being an owner of black dogs myself, I know that photographing blacks might be difficult at times. However, it is a lot of fun and a great way to exersise creativity.