New year, four new MoriDogs

I haven't photographed a new MoriDog in a long time, and suddenly there are four of them!

Marcy, MoriDog #114

Marcy is only 2-1/2 years old, but she's already had three rescues. Her first was a Los Angeles veterinarian who treated her  broken leg, probably from being hit by a car. Rescuer #2 took her from the vet to live with her loving Grandma, where she had a happy life. But Grandma got too sick to care for her, so Grandson (and her current human)became Rescuer #3. They live in Napa, but love Mori Point so much that visit here frequently.  Marcy is an Affenpinscer, which translates in German to mean "Monkey-like Terrier." In the show ring, they are groomed in a way that will enhance their "monkey faces."

Brownie, MoriDog #115

Brownie has a good trick--she fetches and dances for money! Her humans report that 20s are her favorites. While one holds a bill, she will dance, and then take the cash in her teeth, over to her other human. Brownie has a twin named Kitty who lives nearby, but they are hardly identical.  Not only is Kitty white, but does everything opposite to what Brownie does. 

Tucker, MoriDog #116

Tucker is already a star. He appeared in Proctor and Gamble commercials with his littermates before he came to Pacifica 12 years ago. He was sometimes seen in the Chronicle courtesy of his Travel Editor human. He's in semi-retirement now, but still knows how to strike a pose.

Naka, MoriDog #117

Naka is short for "Nakama," which his human tells me means "family member" in Japanese. He's a Shiba Inu, which looks like a small Akita. Naka has a special talent--he is bilingual. In addition to English, he also understands Cantonese.

Two Neighbor Dogs

Have I mentioned how difficult it has become to find a NEW MoriDog on the trails? So I jumped at the chance when two neighbors invited me to photograph their dogs at their homes--still within sight of Mori Point!

Leila, MoriDog #113

Leila is a Havanese, a birthday present to her young human. It was a long ride up to Chico to choose from 6 puppies, but in the end, Leila did the choosing by jumping up on the couch to be with her new family. She greets everyone in her family with a daily kiss. Beasley, Leila's all-white half-sister, lives with Grandma.

TimberWoof, MoriDog #112

Timber probably has the greatest claim to the title, "MoriDog," because he was born and continues to live in Fairway Park, where Mori Point is visible from every home. He enjoys going on bike rides, but the pace has to be a little slow--at about 100 lbs, Timber doesn't move very fast. In this photo, he looks a little grumpy...but that's not in his nature. See those flowers in the background? Timber has been digging them up...and his human was telling the story as the photos were taken. Did he sense we were talking about him, and was he showing remorse? Or just annoyed because there wasn't a treat when we asked him to "stay?" One thing is certain--his weight didn't reach triple digits by working for free.

Sunshine and Noodles

Ka'la, MoriDog #111

Ka'la means "Sunshine" in the Hawaiian language, a perfect name for a Yellow Labrador. His name is often mispronounced in English as Kala, which means "Money" in Hawaiian, so he doesn't mind that at all! Ka'la is very protective of his human mom, and she reports that he doesn't share her well at all. He doesn't do anything physical, but he will bark a lot if he thinks she's getting too much attention, which has earned him the nickname "Bob Barker." Bob likes girl dogs immensely, being that he still has the equipment to enjoy them fully.

Noodles, MoriDog #112

Noodles started life in the idyllic town of Trinidad, CA, half Bergamasco Shepherd, and half...something else. Bergamasco is an ancient Italian breed, with a coat that will "cord" naturally, like a Puli. Noodles gets a daily run with Grandma, and all that fur would just get in the way, so she gets the dreadlocks clipped.

A Typical Golden Retriever

Millie, MoriDog #110

Millie started life with another family, but layoffs and the ensuing economic hardship made it necessary for her to find another home at 8 months of age. She is a model pet, and her only bad habit is that she wants to eat everything she finds along the trail.

Just as I was about to say goodbye, a group of schoolkids came along, and Millie got a chance to do what she does best--bask in adoration.

She's a little Tipsy...

Tipsy, MoriDog #109

Tipsy was the first-born puppy in a litter of eleven. She is still puppy-rambunctious at 6mo. of age, but she's all love, and is friendly to every living creature. Here's a Pit Bull that thinks she's a Yellow Labrador!

Tipsy did her best to invite Luna to play, but puppy antics don't interest dignified Luna.

 

Mack, MoriDog #108

Mack's human, who is recently from Phoenix, AZ, found him listed there on Craigslist. It seems that his original young human was not living up to her obligation to care for him, so her parents offered him up for free. A Queensland Blue Heeler, Mack's coat pattern is unusually bright and high-contrast, which makes him quite beautiful. His only fault is that he's somewhat tentative around other dogs. He displayed good doggie manners with Luna, so it seems that regular walks on Mori Point are helping him to be comfortable with the "casual" members of his pack. And for the record, Mack's human much prefers our Pacifica weather over that of Phoenix!

One More Dachshund

When this cute little guy came trotting up the trail to visit with Luna, I had to stop and think. "Hmmm...looks like a Dachshund," I said to myself. "But what about that Blue Merle coat pattern?" I had never seen it that breed. I learned from his human that on a Doxie, it is called "dapple." In July, I had another lesson in canine coat color on the trail, but with a beautiful White Merle Collie named Tashi, (MoriDog #97) so it was right to the internet when I got home to research "dapple." I learned that the genetics are similar to the Merle pattern in other dogs. As in the Merle trait, two dapples bred together produces a "double dapple, a dog with large white patches. When this happens, undesirable defects can occur, such as blindness and/or deafness. Whie Merles and Double Dapples are beautiful, but it causes me to reflect on the wisdom of intentionally introducing potential defects into the gene pool.  Happily, our MoriDog today is a single Dapple, and carries no increased risk.

Murphy, MoriDog #107

Murphy has recently recovered from hip surgery, and from the looks of it has made a complete recovery. In fact, it was difficult to photograph him, because he anxious to get on with his walk. Notice that even though his feet are still in this photo, the tail is clearly in motion. His human reports that he is a "Master Snuggler," and his only bad habit is that he somehow has developed a taste for cat poo.