Doggone Artsy by Laurie Bartolo

I often capture photos of dogs waiting in cars while their owners are inside the grocery store.  This is because I’m always looking for dogs everywhere I go (and I go to the grocery store a lot).  It is now a habit of mine to circle the grocery store parking lot before parking, in hopes of finding a car with a dog inside that I can photograph.  I’ve learned to look and listen for the clues – the cracked window and the sound of barking.  Another big clue is lots of activity inside of a car. Do you actually think your dog sits still while you’re inside? Think again!

I thought it would be fun to share a collection of the photos I’ve captured of dogs in cars – most have been featured here or on my Facebook page before – but this is the first time I’ve pulled them all together as a collection. It always puts a smile on my face when I spot a dog in car, out for an everyday adventure with their person.  I hope these photos put a smile on your face too!

Look at this pretty girl!  I saw her on the side of a winding country road yesterday.  I had seen her there once before, but by the time I circled back to her she was gone.  This time, I was able to catch her with my camera.  I’m calling her Country Hound because she is obviously a hound (look at those ears!) and she is living the free-roaming life of a country dog.

The photos don’t even begin to express the eagerness in her eyes.  Some dogs sound the alarms when I stop to photograph them. But others, like Country Hound, seem to enjoy being photographed.  She spotted me and just gazed at me with those sweet brown eyes while I took her photo.  Hopefully, I’ll see her out and about again another day.

The dog in this photo was tied up in front of her house with another dog while her Person was busy with housework inside.  I can understand the need to put the dogs outside when doing housework – my dogs try to attack my vacuum cleaner and it seems counter productive to vacuum up dog fur while the dogs are inside shedding even more fur!  But these dogs were not happy about waiting outside and seemed very eager to be let back in the house.

When inside, dogs want to be outside, and will whimper at the door until you give in to their wishes.  But put them outside while you are inside, and they want to be inside again.  The quote from Ogden Nash sums it up best – “A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of.”

This photo did not come easily.  I have been hoping for a photo where I could use the Ogden Nash quote and have been keeping my eyes peeled for a dog in a doorway.  Of course, when you are looking for something specific, it somehow becomes harder to find.  By the time I noticed this dog, I had already passed her and had to turn around.  I would have to circle my way back through a series of turns and I was sure the dog would be gone by the time I made it back to her.

To save time, I decided to get my camera ready while stopped at a stop sign, only to find out my camera battery was dead!  Luckily, my Photography Assistant/IT Guy/Technical Guru/Husband has taught me well, and now I always have a fully charged back-up battery with me. I quickly switched the battery out and made my way to the dog – she was still there and making a fuss at the door in hopes of being let in.  I was pleased to capture a fleeting moment of calm when she turned to look at me.

Dog lovers, what do your dogs do when they are on the wrong side of the door?  And to my canine readers, what’s the deal with you dogs and doors?

If you’ve made your way here via lauriebartolo.com, you may have noticed that you got redirected to this site (doggoneartsy.com).  Moving forward, this is where I will be posting photos and stories from the dog photo trail, so please be sure to follow me here so you don’t miss out on any of the fun.   Thanks so much for your visit – I hope to see you again!

Today’s dog was captured on the same sunset drive that I wrote about last week when I stumbled upon Red Alert Dog.  I just loved the way the light from the setting sun created a halo-like glow around him.  I am calling him Sunset Dog.  He lives with another dog that looks a lot like him, but I was unable to photograph the other dog because he was partially out of view at the time.  Red Alert Dog lives nearby so of course I will be going back to look for all of them again.

If you were subscribing to my blog at http://lauriebartolo.com, PLEASE take a moment to subscribe to this blog as this will now be where I post all of my photos and stories from the Dog Photo Trail.  For those of you who have already subscribed here, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!  It means so much to me to have you along with me on the Dog Photo Trail!