It was bound to happen…as the economy spirals down, more people losing their homes, cannot afford the rising cost of food at the local grocery stores…let alone afford to put gas in their cars to get to and from work…how does one afford the rising cost of veterinarian care, food, grooming and training for their beloved furry friends?

Sadly….many are choosing to bring their furry friends to the local shelters. While the economy has effected my business…my dogs are my family and the thought of bringing them to the local shelters is not an option. Many of the local vet clinics have not yet embraced telling their clients that the need for most of the yearly vaccinations is just an added expense and totally unnecessary. Of course your furry friends must have yearly heart-worm, depending on your county laws will determine if you can do yearly rabies or the more popular three year vaccination. Also, it all depends on where you live….tick infestation, etc. for the types of vaccination that will be required. Feed the best food you can afford, groom your dogs yourself. Yep, just that easy….they do not have to win any dog shows, just clean and short!

I am always amazed at the fact so many cannot groom their own dogs, all dogs can be taught to stay for handling. Sadly, we have gotten away from basic “husbandry” Skill mindset when it comes to our furry friends….that in the end can be more costly for the animal then the humans. Not all shelters and local pounds are no kill, meaning from the moment you drop your beloved furry friend off they are literally on death row. The amount of dogs killed on a daily basis when the economy is good… is staggering….I can only imagine how over taxed the no kill shelters will be along with the sheer number of animals that will be killed due to our failing economy.For those thinking they cannot afford their pets, think long and hard at what you can do to keep them with you for as long as possible. Training is just a book away, visit your local library….I am also sure you can probably find something on dog grooming. Also, lots of free info on the Internet about training and how to groom your dogs….trimming the nails is not as scary as most seem to think. If not walking your dogs on surfaces that will ensure the nails stay neat and trim, then they must be trimmed… for allowing them to remain long will do harm to the animals as they age in the form of arthritic ailments. Please be aware that in some areas, vaccination clinics are offered throughout the year where you would not have to pay for a vet visit, the vaccinations are less costly…as is usually the spay and neuter programs.

Yesterday, an individual asked me this question “If I had no other option, which dog would I have put to sleep”….this was a question that I flat out said was not to be taken serious. Now…if something were to happen to me of course…..then these animals are at serious risk and this I have thought about….as should everyone. The more appropriate question should have been….if I had no other choice, which dog would I do my best to place in an appropriate environment. The answer is Rocky the Golden. He is the most stable, even tempered dog in the pack. I am pretty sure no one would want Niki or Gemma….both are very loving to their people, although fearful, they would require a long adjustment period….they are a bit of work, especially Niki. Still, I would do my very best to not have to break up the pack. If that meant forgoing vet care for a while, that would be an option, not the best one mind you and not one I am recommending….just being honest and stating I would do whatever I could to keep my dogs. One would think I was being selfish, not at all. If the economy woes were to increase it would not just be for me and I doubt that I could even afford to seek medical care for myself let alone my dogs.

Yesterday found me bathing the puppies. They needed it, along with the fact on Sunday and Monday all three started scratching.  I brushed all on Monday and flea combed them….yes indeed…a couple of the little buggers found.

They are brushed just about on a daily basis….I periodically use a flea comb at the end of the brushing….just to make sure nothing is hiding. Saturday there was not a flea found, nor an itchy dog. What a difference a few days makes. Doggie tub set up in the yard and one after the other they were bathed. I vacuum on a daily basis….did an extra special job of it as just about everything was moved….what could be pulled apart was. All doggie beds washed and dried. I opted to get rid of all carpets several years ago….the fact that when you have dogs, well just having tile is so much easier to keep clean…especially when it rains.

So…finding the flea treatments are NOT working this year. I cannot get half way through the month before I am finding more on the dogs.  While I dislike these buggers, once knowing their life cycle one realizes just how difficult they are to remove from the environment. You must have in your arsenal of sprays, powders something for each  the fleas life cycle. Since I am in the SE we are already several months into flea season  and I am now opting to fore-go the monthly topical treatment for this is the second year in a row I have found it to not be working. The dogs heart worm pill is also a monthly birth control for the fleas…so besides that and the treatment of the environment Back to basics….flea combing (dipping the comb into a glass of warm sudsy water) and weekly to bi weekly baths….homemade spray of water, white vinegar, lavender oil, cedar wood oil to be used a few times a day. I have noticed an increase in ants as well, they are every where so it just must be a buggy year!

Left Behind…

A box of kittens, so hard to resist.

You choose three, brought us home.

We slept outside…in the cold, in the rain…

Waited for our meals at your door,

Every so often you ‘d play with us…

you’d tell us how much we were loved.

Then one day we watched you carry boxes out to the car…

You stopped, smiled and said you loved us.

We watched as you drove away…

I am all alone now…

I used to wait at your door for my meals,

The people who live there now chase me away…

I remember…you used to say you loved us.

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I am always amazed at just how selfish people can be. This is our neighborhood stray, we have a few. People bring these animals home, profess their love then allow them to roam. Some bother to vaccinate, spay and neuter…some do not. Some leave these animals behind when they move….indeed a sad tale. This is now a wild cat, you cannot get too close…as shown above, when you do he retreats to the sewer.

This is what our students are learning to paint this week….class starts up again in a few short weeks. Interested, visit our Paw Prints Store to save your place in class.

Here kitty, kitty!!! Created by Deb Carter.

The above lovely portrait is what our students are learning to paint this week…interested? Class starts again in May. Visit our Paw Prints Studio Store to reserve your place in our on line class.

The third and final version….I of course can continue with this for there are sooo many ways to paint a subject…but time to move on to other paintings. This style is of course, to me anyway, the most fun to work on. The wonderful textures you can add….both in digital form and once printed….also, so many choices in printing, transferring, adding more color, splats of paint….the possibilities are really endless.

Gallery wrap

Contact Dee to Commission work.

Up dated Jan. 23rd:  Still very much a WIP (works in progress) at this point….but getting a little closer.

The start of a portrait…always a little scary, and exciting. All of that white space, just lines….can you capture who that animal is, the personality? Always more fun if the client allows the artist free rein, however when dealing with a beloved furry friend…well sometimes it is best to not tamper with perfection and one would do their best to capture the animals true likeness. The eyes have it hand s down….they speak volumes to their human friends so important to make that the focal point. I will do my best to post an update to this a little later in the day.

11 x 14 Fine Art Paper

Contact Dee for price or to Commission work.

Yes…still in the office trying to get things put away…not having any fun So…took a few minutes to scribble something…just to put me in a better mood. Makes things go so much smoother when I take time to create something. I hope my attention span is a little better tomorrow, need to really get this office completed!!

Since the move to the new web site I have had little time to continue working on the site, so pardon our mess as we are still very much a works in progress. While I hired someone to put this site together. The rest is now up to me…and like everyone else, time is something I would love to have more of.

Several inquires as to just what the forum is for….I wanted a place where students can go to share, learn and upload images. It does not look like this in house forum will be staying as I see no way to allow students to upload images as does it appear to have privacy issues. I think I have found another forum that will link to the site and it will better suit our needs.

As to what On-line Courses will be offered for 2008:

• Photographing Animals 4 week course
• Digital Photography 6 week course
• Digitally Painting Animals 6 week course (includes Embellishing your prints).
• Dog Obedience Training 6 week course

In the next few weeks there will be a page added to the site explaining each course as will there be an option for you to enroll and pay online. There will be a student limit for each class, the reason being is having enrolled in several online classes myself great for the instructor if there are no student limit, not so great for the students. Students will have access to PDF files, videos, forum and for those that can attend…weekly live chats.

Yes, it is true….another move. Still with word-press but now our very own space in the vast Internet.

I did my best to bring everything together to make it easy for my dear friends and clients to look around at what we offer, easy to purchase paintings, photography sessions….coming soon our very own forum…..a place for photography students to go….classes can also be given online. I am still working on adding the store and putting together the site, so have any suggestions…..feel free in telling us about them.