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Went home: 12/21/11

Just a "Short" Transport

It started the afternoon of the 12th (12/12/11) when I got a message from G, "Transport coming in on the 13th, can ya help?" It would be tough because the 13th was already packed. at 3 a doctors appointment, at 5 school, and later my birthday dinner, it would have to be early in the day. G gave me the contact information for the transporter who would be bringing the dog.

I called her and then things got confusing. I asked about what time she'd be getting in on the 13th. "The 13th?" she replied, "Honey, we're coming from way up north. We'll be on the road for 3 days. We should be arriving in Orlando on the 15th in the morning. Which dog are you calling about?"

Tim. I called Gisele, then Peg again, and we sorted it out. The miscommunication was "the transport is on the 13th" which it was. Tim had to be on the transport on the 13th. The part we missed was the whole "on the road for 3 days" part. Problem solved! I had NOTHING going on on the 15th. Perfect!

The morning of the 15th I woke up at 6:30 am for no good reason other than the fear of being late. By 9 I hadn't really heard anything but I knew that the latest they could arrive was about 11:30 because they need to be at a convention center by noon. 10 am, silent... 11 am, still nothing and now I was nervous. I texted G, no answer (later found out she was sick), texted Peg, no response. I decided, in my paranoid state, that the phone must be dead and so I drove to the PetSmart  and waited. I wasn't about to let Tim think he'd been forgotten. I mean, after being left at a shelter, he'd experienced enough abandonment for a life time.

Right around noon I got a call letting me know that they would be there... in 2 hours. As any transporter can tell you, stuff happens. Rescues show up late to pick up dogs and hold up the transport, dogs take longer to pee than expected, traffic jams, Transports never show up when they think they will. No one's fault, just how it goes.

Doth my eyes deceive me?

I picked up lunch, went to a hardware store, walked around PetSmart, and then sat in the car for a while.

I'd been told they'd be coming in a white bus, which I assumed was like a 15 passenger van or something of similar size.

School was getting ready to let out (now just about 2pm) and TONS of buses kept passing the parking lot.

I think there were about 15 or 20 false alarms before I finally gave up and just assumed I'd know when it got here...

Then, in my rear view mirror I saw something which caught my eye. Was that a WHITE BUS????

Is that really....

A White Bus!?

Sure enough, a white bus pulled into the parking lot. I knew it was the right bus when I saw a husky standing in a window.

Husky in the window, must be the right one!

Preparing to jump and give kisses!

Then I saw Tiny Tim's little face, peeking out the bus window from inside his crate. My heart melted as our eyes met, and he smiled. It was like he just knew, I was here for him.

He came flying off the bus, nearly pulling Peg with him and I had to giggle at the little comedian, his name was SO fitting, because Tiny Tim... well  he looks like a Aussie cut off at the knee. haha

He wiggled and wiggled until I thought his tail would fall off. We walked to some grass and took a potty break and then I tried to take some pictures.

I quickly discovered that camera or not, the only think Tiny Tim was interest in was giving kisses, getting cuddles, and being told how handsome he was. 

I finally resorted to kneeling and holding him in one arm, with the camera in the other hand and took a picture of us together.

If you ever wonder if a dog knows who his transporter is... I offer the following proof, his HUGE smile!

What do you mean "IN the crate..."

When offered the chance he flew into the back of my car, right past the cage. He was sure I'd made a mistake about the whole "you're riding in the crate" thing but with a little guidance he finally accepted and crawled in.

He gave one little whine, letting me know he'd still rather be up front with me, but then settled right down, and I heard not one peep from him for the next hour of travel.

We'd arrived. He knew. I could hear his tail start thumping as I cut off the car engine. I was glad I left the leash on because he was SO ready to be out of the cage.

He practically let himself in to his new foster mommy's house and as he pranced through the house he ever so casually picked up one of her dogs' toys as if he'd owned it his whole life. I have every confidence he has already made friends and possibly hidden a few of their toys from them, just so he can call them "his" for now.

I had a great time transporting this personality packed little pup. 

Even if he was my "short" transport, in more ways than one.

1 Year Anniversary!

One year ago, on Dec 3rd, I became a rescue transporter. 

One year later I am remembering all the pups who I helped along on their way to their forever homes. 

Love each and every one of them and hope they are all having a wonderful life!

42 Dogs transported, even more helped if you count the assists (photo-shoots, transport aid, etc) 

and the largest number of dogs in the car at one time? 8!

SO many fond memories.

I do more than Transports: Photo Shoot!

This Friday (9/30/11) we got a new transport of puppies in at the executive airport again. My first visit was a little chaotic, as I was wrangling two adult dogs and trying to help with a third, but this time I was ready! I made sure my camera phone was set up and ready so I could snap plenty of pictures, but today I wasn't picking up and transporting dogs, I was the camerawoman!

We were picking up 3 fluffy new arrivals, and I was just praying that we hadn't had any major potty issues on the flight, because as soon as we were off the tarmac I needed to pull of some cute pictures to help these three find their new families. The flight arrived with out a hitch with 16 dogs on board (You will see the plane, and not believe there were 16 dogs in there). When our babies emerged the staff, who were so kind to help with the pups, let out an "aww" in perfect synchrony. 

These pups definitely have the cute factor, and now I just had to prove it with the camera. After all the paperwork was sorted and we took a group picture with Karen (one of the staff), our pups and their Foster Cathy, and of course the pilot, Jeff, we got in the car and drove off the tarmac and a few meters away from the building to a nice shady grassy patch where we could take some pictures.

Here are the pictures taken up to this point, with my iPhone.

The beginning of the Official Photo Shoot

I included all of the pictures I took, just to show that they didn't all come out perfectly, but you can tell which are the good ones, possibly because you will stop and stare a bit longer. I knew I had the picture because the moment the screen flashed it I jumped. Their eyes were locked on the camera, or doing a cute pose, they were "smiling" or flashing an endearing pose; those were the shots I wanted. Then, there are always the shots between those shots... you'll know those too, the blurry, the butt shot, or the nose smashed into the camera (my camera now has a tooth mark where on picked it up as I was tying the bow.) 

Taking pictures of puppies is a bit like trying to take a picture of a single raindrop during a monsoon.

Samson

The puppies were so happy to get out on the grass and were especially excited that I brought toys. What they weren't so happy about was the bows I'd brought for them. First up was the little black male, Samson, who was one wiggly worm when it came to getting him to hold still just long enough to tie the bow. 

Snickers

Next was the tri-color little male, Snickers, who does the best facial expressions. I would squeak a toy and he would raise an eyebrow, turn his head, and raise his ears. He was a ton of fun to shoot and worked the camera and props. You'll notice in some he has the doughnut in his mouth, looking adorable, and in the next he's dropped it and struck an adorable, spunky pose. Too cute! 

Sunbeam

Last by not least was the little golden girl, Sunbeam. At the beginning of the shoot all she wanted to do was lay down. Sometimes the dog takes the lead and despite coaxing and bribery she just wanted to lay down. So, we worked with it, and eventually she came around. She was definitely the little princess who must be adored.

In this shoot, each pup was very different, whether it was the energetic first, the personality packed second, or the laid back third, each had their own quirk, but that what makes them who they are and that was what I was aiming to capture.

If you are interested in learning more about these pups check out The Dog Liberator.
They're up for adoption!

Let me tell you, before I read the guide bellow, I couldn't have taken these pictures.
Check it out!

Image from Picture Correct

Also, for inspiration for your next pet photo shoot, check out this video/post

If this whole photography thing keeps growing I'll have a new blog soon. I promise to keep you updated!