I only wish my dogs were this talented.

If you’d like to teach your dogs some awesome tricks – check out this article on the 10 Best Unique and Easy Tricks to Teach Your Dog.

(Ottawa Dog of the Week for March 16th/09)

“Emery is a 17 month old Bernese Mountain Dog / Border Collie Mix. Em, as he’s known in Britannia, is a big fan of the snow; running in it, rolling in it or just lying in it. He loves chasing tennis balls and is amazing with a soccer ball. He is however a proficient pick pocket and all around thief known to have run off with cell phones (other peoples) water bottles and dog toys on many occasions. In the summer his number one activity is swimming after tennis balls by the Deschenes Rapids. He loves kids and knows most in the neighbourhood thanks to being walked by a 10 year old daily when he was a puppy, it doesn’t get any better than that. Emery goes out to Bruce Pit quite regularly and has a large circle of dog friends there. Living proof that dogs like trucks, Emery loves to ride up front with a commanding view of the road. He spends weekdays (weather permitting) in a 10’ x 28’ dog run where he receives regular visits from friends and neighbours. Em is a great friend with a wonderful sense of humour.” – Emery’s Dad, Richard

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Ottawa Dog Blog had the chance to interview photographer, Natalie Heath from Heath Photo.

Name: Natalie Heath
Location: Kanata
Website: heathphoto.ca
Camera(s): Nikon D70s and D200

How would you classify or explain your style of dog photography?
I like to think that I capture the essence of my subjects. I love to take action photos of dogs regardless of whether it’s a dog participating in a dog sport such as agility, fly ball, disc, French Ring or Schutzhund (just
to name a few). But, I like to capture a dog’s personality during a portrait session as well. I love it when a dog “smiles”! I prefer natural, outdoor lighting but am learning the “ins and outs” of studio lighting and am happy with my progress in that domain to date.

How did you get into doing dog-related photography?
Ummm…by being dog obsessed!! When I was a kid, I used to take photos of my neighbours’ dogs with my little 110 film camera. I still have some of those pictures! I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was a child but it was a dream that was never reached. Now I get to preserve people’s memories of their dogs instead.

When did you first realize you are a photographer?
I’m not sure. I didn’t start learning how to use an SLR camera until I was in my thirties. Before then, I took a lot of pictures but could never get the results I wanted because I didn’t have the knowledge. So, I would
have to say when I bought my first film SLR and really started learning how to use a camera to get the results that I wanted.

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(Ottawa Dog of the Week for December 15th/08)

“I adopted Kirby at 14 weeks old, after his first family decided they should have done more research into puppies and breeds before getting a dog. Since coming into my life, Kirby has blossomed into a (mostly!) well-mannered, goofy, active and extremely loving boy. I couldn’t imagine life without him – he brightens every moment of every day!”

Kirby’s favourite pastimes include swimming, digging, learning to be obedient with the help of his friends at Ottawa Canine School (he’s got two levels so far!), playing rough with his many, many puppy-pals, frequenting Ottawa’s various dog parks – particularly Stanley Park, helping his mom study for school (but only after a long walk or a swim!), learning agility, chasing squirrels, being lazy on the couch, visiting his Grandma and Grandpa’s cottage, barking at the neighbours, herding his mom’s cats, being told he’s handsome while getting some lovin’, playing with toys – especially the ones that squeak, honk, quack, and cheese!

Kirby’s least favourite things are the car (it makes him drool….big time!), learning not to antagonizing his mom’s cats, and small kitchen appliances, power tools and the vacuum (really, anything electric that makes noise!!) – oh and nap time! He hates that!

When Kirby grows up, he hopes to learn to be a therapy dog because he has heard that means lots of cuddling and kisses. He hopes to someday compete in agility and maybe, even pass the Canine Good Neighbour Test – provided he can get over his fear of scary things, like umbrellas and unfamiliar situations, but his mom has no doubt he can do it because he has already learned so much in their 9 months together!” – Kirby’s Mom, Adrienne

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(Ottawa Dog of the Week for April 28/08)

Our Beloved Tasha aka thieving hound

“We picked Tasha up from a farm breeder in Lanark County 15 years ago. After losing my mom and dad within 18 months of each other, Tasha helped me get back into the joys of life again.

I grew up with border collies and I think mom and dad sent her specially to us… she is as stubborn, independent and prone to shannigans as her owners – Jacqui and Mike. My wonderful adopted mom, Halina, has visited Tasha almost on a daily basis to play with her, exercise her and for lots of TLC. Halina is Tasha’s favourite person in the world – she has her wrapped around her little paw… she has pulled many stunts on Halina – including stealing her lunch on many occasions and banging on the treat cupboard with her paw (neither thing she’d dare do with us!) to demand rewards.

Mike and Tasha spend endless hours in the Gatineau walking and enjoying nature. We gave up walking Tasha in the neighbourhood – she has to be driven to her walks – if anything spooks Tasha she simply lies down and refuses to move… Mike has often had to pick her up and carry her and had people ask ‘What’s wrong with your poor dog’ – well actually nothing. During thunder storms Mike wears a fur hat during the night In her younger days her job was Frisbee catching – and boy was she good! Maya, Mike’s cousin’s little girl, knew Tasha from before she could walk and became and expert Frisbee thrower – Tasha loves her cuddles.

Tasha is now 15 and is suffering from age related physical changes – but her grey cells are right up there – she still can be a ‘stunty dog’ (one of her many nicknames). We love her to pieces. She is Mike’s shadow on the weekends waiting for her walks (she follows him everywhere and loves to lick off his shaving cream) and we both have whole conversations with her on a daily basis, cuddle and whisper silly nothings to her. We LOVE our Tasha and she loves us (and, of course, Halina and Maya).” – Tasha’s mom, Jacqui.

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Tasha is our 15-year-old female border collie.

During the night we woke up to Tasha thrashing around on the floor in great distress. By the next morning we knew that something was very seriously wrong. When she finally managed to stand up she staggered and veered across the room and her eyes were moving rapidly from side to side. We cried buckets and called my mother-in-law to come over as we were sure that she had had a stroke and we were going to take her to the vet, probably returning without her. My mother-in-law has visited Tasha nearly every day for play and exercise while we were out at work and is the main reason that Tasha has been such a healthy and active dog and we wanted her to be with us.

Our wonderful vet – Dr. Johnson of the Carling Animal Hospital – after a quick exam of Tasha said “Guys, I’m pretty sure it’s not as bad as you are thinking – I think Tasha has Vestibular Disease.” He then explained to us what vestibular disease is (we had never heard of it before – see the description at the end of the article) and the prognosis was good – it was just a matter of time and tender loving care. He examined her thoroughly to rule out any other possibilities (such as an ear infection) and concluded that it was in fact vestibular disease.

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