MinPinMoments

Christmas is a magical time of the year.  The sights, sounds, and fragrances of the holiday envelop us in a warm embrace, but are probably quite confusing to our canine companions.  If my Min Pins could voice their questions, here are a few they might ask. “Why is there a tree in our house?”, “Why am I being dressed in silly costumes?”, “Why is Mom taking my picture while I wear these silly antlers on my head when it is obvious that I am fooling no one into thinking that I am a reindeer?”, “Why are sirens blaring in the neighborhood while a chubby man in a red suit waves from a fire truck?”

On a recent neighborhood walk, a strange scene appeared before two of my Min Pins and I could imagine the thoughts that must have raced through their heads as they tried to figure out a perplexing mystery.

I adore how Aspen glances back at me as if to say, “Do you see what I see?” The girls were definitely more curious than reactive while staring at the holiday figures displayed in the yard.

They may have been wondering, “Why are dogs standing motionless in a front yard and not trying to detach themselves from the sleigh to which they are harnessed?”, “Why can’t I smell those dogs?”, “Why aren’t they looking at me?”, “They certainly look like dogs, so why aren’t they acting like dogs?”

A special thanks to Malibu for sparking the desire to write this post. She was walked first and had the same reaction to the lawn ornaments, but I did not have my camera with me.  Hoping to capture a moment of wonder, I brought it with me while walking Aspen and Quest. Not only did I succeed, but for just a few seconds, I saw Christmas through a dog’s eyes.

Every December, a canine holiday photo shoot is at the top of my to-do list. The goal is always the same – to capture the perfect image for our Christmas card. My Min Pins are troopers, holding their positions while I make silly noises that encourage the trio to look directly at the camera.

Since I used individual shots of the girls for last year’s card, I wanted a group picture this year. Santa suits, reindeer antlers, and other festive apparel has been worn in past years, so this year the girls wore new pajamas from Auntie Sheila.

The shoot went well and the crew was eager to pose for pictures. It probably helped that I had yummy treats on hand to dole out as needed. A couple of minor issues cropped up, but were easily managed.

Malibu refused to look at the camera for a few minutes because that would require getting too close for comfort to Aspen. Always ready to deflect potential aggression from her littermate, Malibu has mastered the art of using non-threatening body language to appease Aspen, thereby avoiding a confrontation. Fortunately, Aspen interpreted Malibu’s calming signals and behaved herself during the session.

Wanting to try something new and creative, I wrapped some holiday lights around the girls. At first, Quest wanted nothing to do with this crazy idea and removed herself from the group.  Once she realized that the lights were nothing to fear, she returned to her center position.

Almost ninety images were taken, and the very first one is the picture I selected for our 2014 holiday card!

Happy Holidays!