We headed to Watertown, NY this week, or as the locals call it, the North Country! It is still very much winter up here – lots of snow and temperatures well below freezing (it was -21 this morning…burrrr.) It is absolutely gorgeous here in the winter and getting outside to enjoy God’s beauty is a real treat, not to mention a dog photographer’s dream. Strap on the snowshoes, grab my camera, whistle for Harvey and we are off!
The theme for this weeks BBN 52 Week Project is – ACTION!
Read more »
Happy Friday! Our BBN 52 week project theme for this week is TEXTURE! Not only is Annapolis, Maryland extremely dog friendly, but with all the historic sites and buildings, there are tons of interesting textures to explore!
Naturally, here on the Chesapeake Bay, we have lots of water, sandy beaches, and boat docks. But if I have to pick one thing that Annapolis has in spades, it would have to bricks – historic brick buildings, brick roads and walkways, brick walls…
Not only does Annapolis have more original 18th century structures standing than any other city in the United States, but many of them are brightly painted (brick), dog friendly cafes, pubs and restaurants. Dogs are welcomed with bowls of water and sometimes even their own menus!
Read more »
Welcome back! It’s Friday, and you know what that means – time to once again join my friends and fellow professional pet photographers from around the world in our 52 week project. The theme for this week – YELLOW!
Yellow has always been one of my favorite colors, it is so cheerful and happy. So my take on the theme is Happy Harvey … sporting a few of his favorite yellow things!
We were pretty excited about all the snow that moved our way this past weekend, so we bundled up and headed outside to enjoy it.
Read more »
Oh the Tales a Dog’s Tail Tells!
What’s in a tail? More than you think, actually! Everyone knows that a dog wags his tail when he his happy, but did you know that they also wag when they are scared, or even ready to attack? To the untrained eye, all wags look the same, but dogs have an entire ‘tail language’ all their own. A great book on the subject is : “Tail Talk: Understanding the Secret Language of Dogs.”
Most dogs use their tail to communicate with each other (this puts a dog whose tail has been docked at a slight disadvantage): A tail sticking straight out and not moving can mean aggression, dominance, or the beginning stage of a chase. If it is straight out (like a line), but wagging, then the dog is feeling friendly. The best way for us mere humans to translate this tail language is to put it in context with the rest of the dog’s body language. Here is a great link to help you do just that: http://www.pawsacrossamerica.com/interpret.html
Read more »
Welcome to my 2014 52 Week Project – a project in which I will join a group of incredibly talented professional pet photographers. A new challenge will come each week in the form of a theme. The goal is to uniquely portray the week’s theme, and in doing so, challenge ourselves to see things differently, learn new skills, and to continually raise the bar of our own personal standards for photography. Please join me each Friday to enjoy our weekly challenge and, at the bottom of each post, click on the link so you may delight in each of my fellow photographer’s unique vision for the theme.
For those of you who are new to Bonnie Grower Photography, allow me to introduce you to our dog, Harvey. Harvey is a feisty 3 year old Australian Cattle Dog and will be the official model for this 52 week project. I hope you will not only enjoy the photography, but also getting to know Harvey – and the theme this week should be perfect for that!
Without further ado, I give you A Day in The Life!
If there is one thing you should know about Harvey, it’s that he really, REALLY needs a job! Because we have no cows for him to herd, we decided to give him useful tasks around the house – taking laundry out of the dryer, bringing folded socks and such into our bedroom, bring a roll of toilet paper to each bathroom, and getting the mail. He gets pretty excited about the mail. Honestly, it took us less time to train Harvey to get the mail, than to convince the mailman that he wouldn’t hurt him!
Read more »
I hope you all had a FANTASTIC Christmas and New Year’s, and that as you read this, 2014 is the BEST year yet! Our holidays were outstanding, but it’s time for the BGP blog to get back to work!
I want to start off 2014 with a remembrance: When I first started this blog and project with the Warrior Canine Connection Honor Litter, I introduced the dogs one by one. If you’ve been following along, you probably also recall that each of these amazing animals is named for a serviceman or woman who was either killed or severely wounded in action. Besides highlighting the profound effect these animals have on those they serve and the people around them, we should take a moment to remember those for whom the dogs are named, and recognize their sacrifices.
Army Private First Class Cody J. Orr
Read more »
Looking for great gift ideas for the dog or cat lover in your life? Is there a special pet you want to surprise on Christmas morning with just the right gift?
There are only 12 shopping days left before Christmas! Yikes! Are you ready? Or do you need a few more gift ideas? Perhaps you are struggling to find the perfect gift for your favorite pet sitter, dog groomer, veterinarian, or your best friend. Well look no further – help is here! As you can imagine, there are a lot of pet lovers in my life, so I’m almost always looking for the perfect gift for them. Sometimes it is something funny or silly, sometimes serious or useful, and other times, just because it looks like something I would like to have. Oh, who am I kidding? I’m pretty much operating on the one-for-you-one-for-me rule! 🙂 Hope you find at least one thing on this list that will bring a smile to the face of someone on your shopping list! Read more »
Looking for great gift ideas for the dog- or cat lover in your life? Is there a special pet you want to surprise on Christmas morning with just the right gift?
‘Tis the season to deck the halls and spread joy and cheer … or panic because you still have so much left to do! I don’t have a single Christmas decoration up and so far have only purchased gifts for a couple of people, but rest assured, I’ve already done all the shopping for Harvey! And can I tell you, he is already snooping! Seriously, I found him downstairs rooting through some shopping bags…he’d better behave or he will be getting coal (Planet Dog style)!
While I am on the subject, when I shop for pet products I am very, very picky. For toys, I look for well made, long lasting, non-toxic, brain stimulating, American made fun. Except on a very rare occasion, I will not purchase toys made in China. For treats, I look for all natural or organic ingredients that are not only made in the US or Canada, but are also sourced in North America. Believe it or not, there is a big distinction, as there are very loose standards for pet products. In general, only a couple of ingredients have to be sourced in the US and then assembled in the US for the product to say “Made in USA”. That means that a good portion of the ingredients can come from China. The items listed below, both toys and treats, are ones that I own, trust, and wholeheartedly recommend. Read more »
Woo Hoo It’s time for Thanksgiving Dinner!
If you are lucky enough to not be traveling on this Thanksgiving eve, you are likely in the kitchen preparing the big feast. Is your dog watching your every move, just willing you to drop something? I bet this scene is playing out in kitchens across this great country! No doubt about it, Thanksgiving dinner smells great! But can you imagine what it is like for your dog?
A dog is pretty much ruled by its nose!
Depending on the breed, a dog’s sense of smell is between 10,000 to 100,000 times stronger than a human’s sense of smell. Humans only possess about 6 million smell receptors, while our canines can have up to 300 million. Not only that, but their sniffers can detect every. single. ingredient. You and I might smell the yummy turkey and pumpkin pie cooking, but your best friend who is currently giving you the saddest, most hungry eyes you have ever seen, smells not just the turkey, but the sage, rosemary, garlic, mashed potatoes with butter and gravy, cranberries, oranges, cloves, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg… You name it, they can smell it!! Read more »
Welcome back! This is the continuing story of When Honor Litter Met Honor Flight . As a professional pet photographer, I usually spend my days in the company of dogs, cats and various other animals, but as a military spouse, I cherish time spent with my military family. As a child, my Dad (a Navy guy himself) always encouraged me, whenever our paths crossed with a veteran, to shake their hand and thank them for their service. He explained to me what the heroes of WWII did for us and that one day they would all be gone, so it was important to get to know then and learn about their stories before it was too late. Today, there are around 1.2 million WWII vets left, out of 16 million. Around 600 die every day, taking their stories and experiences with them. I’m so thankful that my Dad instilled in me the desire to get to know the men and women of the Greatest Generation. The stories they have shared with me are fascinating, terrifying, sometimes really funny, and almost always humbling.
“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” ~ Sir Winston Churchill Read more »
