michaelhphotography

Anytime I need to head out of town for a few days and Hawk can’t tag along, I take him to the Lucky Dog Lodge. I had no idea this place was even around, but when I needed to head out of town last minute and find a place for Hawk, someone recommended the Lucky Dog Lodge. I went online to see if they had a website and they did. I was instantly impressed with what I saw. I figured this place would be perfect for a 7 month old explosion of energy (AKA: Hawk). They have a huge fenced in area for dogs to run, play and burn off energy. The dogs get plenty of socialization with humans as well….even a on-call Vet in case something were to happen while you are out of town. The first time Hawk stayed there, he was pretty sick to his stomach and they instantly switched him to a hamburger and rice diet to help settle his stomach. I have only mentioned a small amount of why this place is so awesome. Check out their website and you’ll see what I am talking about.

The owners of Lucky Dog Lodge also breed Labrador Retrievers….gorgeous ones might I add. Check out their website as well. Cricket Hollow Farm Labrador Retrievers is their name.

My most recent trip to Lucky Dog Lodge, I got to meet Duke. One of the puppies from their latest litter of puppies. I tried to distract Rebecca and sneak Duke into my truck, but I quickly learned how close they monitor these puppies. Joking aside, they really do take pride in their Labs and work very hard to breed the best labs possible. I did have my camera with me and got some pictures of Duke….you’ll see why I wanted to bring him home.

So you can see why I tried to tuck him underneath my arm and walk quietly out to the truck in hopes of sneaking him home.

I did talk to Rebecca the other day and they just had two litters of puppies so expect more puppy pictures to come.

I also wanted to mention that Rebecca does Dog Training as well. If you need a dog trained, then contact her business, Tip Top Dog Training. She is amazing at training dogs and has extensive experience training dogs.

I am in the market for a new lens and I borrowed Nikon’s new 35mm 1.8 lens from a friend. This lens is turning out to be a great lens and is well priced. It is tack sharp and very light on the camera. I have another photo shoot this afternoon and will be putting it to the test again.

Here is the Hawk….again. What you don’t see is the treat that I am holding at the end of the lens for each picture…otherwise he was off to the window to stare at the squirrels.It was the only way I could hold his attention to the camera.

Found these while going through Lightroom 3. Thanks to my brother for getting these pictures.

Such goofballs when Hawk and Diesel play together.

It was funny to watch as Hawk went outside and stopped dead in his tracks trying to figure out what snow was. He saw a little bit of grass that ran alongside of the concrete and decided to use that as his pathway. Once he ran out of the small bit of exposed grass, he ventured farther and deeper into the snow and then decided to let loose. He thoroughly enjoys the snow now and loves sticking his nose in it and plowing through it.

The boys had to flex their muscles for the camera.

Hawk and I took advantage of the nice weather yesterday and got some updated photos of him done. He has been growing like a weed and eating like there is no tomorrow. He even checks his food bowl every hour just in case he may have missed a morsel of food!

Hawk has also discovered squirrels and loves to stalk them. He has yet to catch one, but has come close. After he cleared the yard of squirrels, he settled down and let me take some pictures. We only ran into one problem and that was when a squirrel was crawling through the tree above Hawk but in doing so, Hawk showed just how big his ears are.

A Mom and her son

A Dad and his son

Now that Hawk is around, Diesel’s calmness is a blessing I did not appreciate. Diesel can lay around all day sleeping while I am at work, and then sleep another 8 hours when I head to bed as soon as I get home. Hawk on the other hand…..cannot do that. He lets me sleep for about 4 hours before a whine from the crate comes into play. It’s funny, as I type this, Hawk is asleep at my feet. He only does this when I am awake. If only he could do it while I am sleeping, we’d be perfect. But, although it is frustrating at times, Hawk is well worth it and so is Diesel. Knowing that they both have an awesome home beats the frustration.

But back to the Hawk. His favorite toy is his duck. I let him have at it with the duck and after about 10 minutes, I checked on him and this is what I saw in the hallway:

RIP duck.

About to get frustrated with cleaning yet another one of his messes, I look behind me and see this:

Frustration just went out the window with that look!

Then there is Diesel. He just lays around all day (unless Hawk is pestering him non-stop to play)

Still laying, just on his side now

Diesel is use to the camera being up close and personal. He just continues to do what he does best. Lay there.

Tired of laying yet?

I think not

Someone decided to follow in Diesel’s footsteps

I think I need a nap now

Jake and Brooke were in town and called for pictures! They had another addition to the family and needed some family pictures. We headed out to on a Sunday afternoon to two locations. One is Windmont Park and the other is one of my secret locations. Here are a few from the afternoon:

The family:

The rescue I got Hawk from put on a fund raising event at Petco in Davenport, IA on 07/18/09. There was TONS of giveaways, games and events going on. You could also get your dog microchipped and washed and the money would go towards the rescue.

We took Hawk for a ride so he could get chipped and washed. First the wash (he doesn’t look happy):

Now the dry (Still not happy):

While there, Hawk’s other brothers made an appearance. It was awesome to meet their new owners and the dogs. They all had a little brotherly love and started growling at each other right off the bat. All three dogs are going to be very big dogs. Diesel is going to have his hands full with Hawk (he already does now!)

From left to right: Joey (formerly B.J.), Griffey (formerly Radar) and Hawk (a.k.a Hawkeye). Don’t mind Hawk’s little straight ear thingy he’s got going on. He’s a goofball sometimes.

Griffey’s close up.