And Dudley is a giant, huge, brilliant giant dog, a cross between a Poodle and a Golden Retriever. And he is AMAZING. I’ve been having a really, really horrible week (honestly, deadlines actually just bring out the worst in people) so when I rocked up to the amazing Barkley Manor to pick up Quinn, and Dudley was hanging out? I didn’t hesitate to play and cuddle and hang out with him.

I actually love how huge he is. No, actually. Check him out in comparison to Quinn. Check out how his head IS BIGGER THAN MINE.

I’m appreciating the simple things right now, and a dog that knows you want a hug when you hold your arms out? He’s a dog you spend half an hour cuddling with.

Yorkies need regular haircuts. As amusing as it is to watch Quinn walk into doors because he can’t see out behind his eyebrows, it’s not awesome grooming fur that long. So he gets regular cuts. He gets haircuts more often than I do, actually. And Barkley Manor make it so easy. I drop him off at daycare, and when I pick him up he’s all sorted.

So, he got a cut last week. And usually the most photogenic dog in the world was not happy about me taking his photo:

I got one in the end, but goodness, I must have taken a billion silly ones before I got this:

Still, super cute, right?

It’s pretty common knowledge that my dog goes to Doggy Daycare. And it’s been good for him, I think. I also think that its been good for me. Every now and then, when I have a couple of hours free from work, I’ll take my camera in with me when I drop him off. And I’ll ask if I can photograph their dogs for a little while.

There is nothing like puppy love to start your day right. Its maddness, in the little dogs room. It was pretty amazing how openly they shared their love. Alot of the little dogs just wanted, just for a moment, to sit on your lap and be comforted. And it was amazing to have them do just that. Honestly, the number of dogs that clambered onto my lap, whether for a pat, or just to have a better view than from the floor, was mad. There were so many dogs. This is about half of them:

I found taking photos of the dogs was really difficult. It was in a super low light situation, and I didn’t want to use a flash. I upped the ISO a bit, and fiddled around with the apeture and shutter speed. I’m still new at using these kind of settings, but I still got some good shots. It wasn’t hard though, look at these faces:

The most difficult thing I found was that with these dogs there was ALOT of movement going on. They were moving all the time, watching other dogs, other toys, other treats. It was also really difficult to get them to look at me, and once I did have their attention they’d come right up to me, and try clamber into my lap or eat the lens. It was easier when I had a toy in my hand, some of them sat very still, eyes glued to the toy in my hand. I tried treats too, but that mostly encouraged madness and too much excited movement. Still, I got some good shots, I think.

I think what I liked best was that all had such brilliant little personalities! Some of them were a little timid, some a bit cheeky and some were incredibly mad characters. I must have grinned the whole time I was there, talking to the dogs and laughing and generally hanging out. Watching them chase each other, there was much play fighting, and barking and emotive noise.

It was a pretty brilliant morning, actually. Like I said, there isn’t much that beats puppy <3.

I know, dogs aren’t hats. They really really aren’t. But I did a week of random headgear in my 365 project a couple of weeks ago, and Quinn is almost hat size. You can see where this is going. It seemed like such a good idea at the time.

Right up until I realised how wriggly he is, and how confused he was about hanging out on my head . . . I got an okay shot in the end, but it took a few times before Quinn realised that if he stayed still, he could be a brilliant, brilliant hat.

We’re coming to the end of summer. And I know this not because the nights are now cool, or that there is dew on my windshield in the morning. It’s not because we’re eating inside more than we are in the garden, or that we can now spend entire days out in the sun without fear of sunburn.

It’s because on my favourite walk with Quinn the grass is no longer a lush green, but a desaturated yellow.

Fall is on its way.

Cute, right? :)

Everyday I take Quinn for a walk. Sometimes it’s a short work, just up to the park and back. Sometimes it’s a long meandering wander around the city, or out west, or wherever. Right now I’m loving the peace. Sometimes feeling better is as easy as taking the time to wander around with your dog.

What are you loving about your daily routine right now?

We got copies of Quinn’s Class Photos yesterday. Tell me you wouldn’t be a proud puppy parent too.

I’m not a generally festive person. I don’t really enjoy Christmas Carols, and sure, I’ll put up a tree. But only so the presents have something to sit underneath. It’s not that I hate it, or don’t enjoy it. It’s just that it takes so much effort. I’d much rather walk down Franklin Rd, or hang out in Western Park and enjoy other people’s efforts.

But then this morning, while I was dropping Quinn off at daycare, I took the two seconds to help Quinn be a bit more festive. Because I’m pretty sure that Quinn is the kind of dog who really would enjoy making the Christmas effort if he didn’t live with such a ‘cant be bothered’ family.

Sometimes, even if you can’t be bothered, Christmas wriggles its way into your heart with its cuteness, and you can’t help feel a little bit festive.

What seems ages ago now (though it wasn’t really) The Fourth Quarter and I took Quinn down to the waterfront and rode our bikes along the boardwalk.

We hooked up a basket to the front of one of the bikes for Quinn. There was MUCH too much foot traffic + cars around for him to run alongside free, and even more dangerous had we tried to put a leash on him. Quinn is a bit unpredictable at the best of times. He seemed to enjoy the novel view and , as long as he could see me, wasn’t too fussed.

Is it silly that I love that my dog is small enough to fit in a bike basket?

It was a pretty nice ride, too. We parked up at one end of Tamaki Drive, and rode till near the end of the flat and then back again.

The sky was blue, the wind calm. It was pretty gorgeous. I love that we have places like this in Auckland to do these kind of things :)