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February 2011!

28/2- 2011
Puppy overdose!
This weekend Zodd, Veronica (Bulten's and Manson's owner) and I went to Hässleholm to visit the annual puppy dogshow that's held there. I brought my camera (of course) and acted like a crazed stalker as soon as I saw a dog that I liked. I got a few good shots and met a lot of wonderful people.
If you're curious you can view some of the photos here ---> http://sannas.deviantart.com/gallery/
More photos will be added soon :)
Zodd was my mascot all weekend long and was quite the popular guy at the show.
He was too old to participate (ages 4-12 months only) and even though I still call him "Puppy" almost as often as I call him Zodd that didn't seem to be a good enough criteria for him to join the show ;)
But as always he had a huge effect on people. He's so calm and worldly at dogshows, as if he's already seen it all and have no reason to mind the little people who want to pet him and talk to him. He is the KING and with his tail curled over his back he walks around in his kingdom, gentle and kind to all who wish to greet him.
He's so gentle when it comes to the tiny ones and there were puppies who fell head over heels in love with this tall, dark stranger. Zodd enjoyed these two days to the maximum and his favorite part was when he got a chance to dance with the puppies.
He made friends with an entire litter of Alaskan Malamutes, but sadly I got no photos of that. He walked right into their midst and they started to kiss his feet, his tail and his cheeks. Haha, it was so sweet to watch Zodd go from curious to a bit disgusted and then return to curious again. He was not quite sure how to handle the intense worship, but did what any king should do - he danced with his new subjects and enjoyed their attention for a little while, then they had to return to show and the king wished them the best of luck.
He also met a great little guy (that really wasn't all that small) called Jäger. A Weimaraner boy, nine months old, that fell into some sort of excited adoration. And soon Zodd found himself on the ground with this bundle of energy all over him, tugging on his lips, trying to devour him as if he was the prey and Jäger was the snake!
It was so fun to watch the two new friend tumble about and the owner of Jäger was amazed by the patience Zodd showed. He enjoyed being handled like an old toy and just smiled, smiled, smiled as Jäger probably had one of the best moments of the entire day, having found his very own giant teddybear to play with!

Zodd and I are still waiting for our very own Lucas to return home.
Only eight days left now...
//Sanna

Jäger, the Weimaraner and his new Zodd toy!

"Take this, giant teddy!"

"Whaaat?! You've got an attitude pillow dog?!"

"A chunky lip is the best treat you can give any puppy!"

Zodd and one of his new fans :)

19/2- 2011
Winter is here to stay!
Yes, it certainly has no plans of leaving soon, that much is obvious. But the cold clear days just begs to be filled with adventures and Zodd and I are happy to oblige! In the company of friends and family we are trying to enjoy the winter days to the maximum.
On the 13th Zodd and I went on a long walk on Ryssberget together with Veronica and Bulten, the Dogue de Bordeaux ---> visit their site here!
It was a lovely day and the sun came out to shine down on us. We basked in the sun and laughed at our boys as we sat on a rock deep in the silent forest, enjoying our breakfast.
They can play forever and they never get sick of eachother. Just laughing, wrestling and tugging dewlaps, cheeks and tails. It's truly a joy to watch those two dance the molosser waltz ;)

"May I have this dance?"

Later on our walk we bumped into Bonnie, the Leonberger and her owner Pelle. They were also enjoying the marvelous weather. She soon joined the boys in their fun and games, but I felt a bit sad for Bulten since Zodd and Bonnie only had eyes for eachother. It's funny how dogs can recognize similar breeds and pick them as playmates over others. I've noticed this too many times to call it coincidents.

Now this is a real KISS!


Three happy dogs with sunshine in their eyes!
Zodd and I have been on a couple of walks where my camera tagged along and he was not the model, for once.
One morning we took a walk out in the now empty pastures, where the cows roam during summer. My father came with us and he and Zodd walked ahead as I lay crawling on the ice, hunting for a good shot.
There's not much that can absorb me so completely as photography.
I tend to forget time and everything around me.
It's a great feeling, being a part of something large, something undefinable.
It's even more rewarding if a good photo comes out of it!

February morning, Nogersund, Sweden.

Yesterday Nina, Zodd and I went on a small roadtrip to Mörrum and the river that runs through that small town.
The sun came out just as we were leaving home and was kind enough not to crawl back behind the clouds during our entire visit. I was eager to take a few photos of white water.
Nina and Zodd took a walk around the river, gorgeous with all the water from melting snow running furiously.
Zodd was not impressed and was very skeptical when we crossed the bridges.
He was not impressed at all...
He's been there a few times before but the waters have never been as wild and loud. He was more than pleased when we returned to the car. Don't get me wrong, he endured it well enough, but it was not hard to see what he was thinking when I looked into those sweet eyes.
At least he got to meet a few friendly ducks that came over to check if the fluffy giant on the beach had brought any snacks. And that part he enjoyed, mostly because the river that ran smoothly in that spot ;)

Zodd and the curious ducks.

Beautiful ice and white water!

Frozen angel...

And finally a photo of me and my giant pup <3

Now it's time to sign out for today.
Bulten sent Zodd a text message this morning and invited him to come over and play in the forest.
Zodd accepted, of course, and I will tag along since he's still not quite learned how to operate the car ;)
//Sanna

 

12/2- 2011
Dead and alive!
So, there is a thing with Zodd and dead things. He likes them. Birds are not as interesting as roe dear and hares. Those two are on the very top of his list of dead friends he likes to hang out with.
I am totally against him socialising with half decayed corpses, but sometimes I'm simply not fast enough to stop it...
The other day he was off leash and my sister and I saw his tail disappear into the bushes and then it came back again, almost like a sharkfin cleaving the waves. When he emerged from the shrubbery he had a new best friend in his mouth...
This time it was the long dead and half rotten remains of a hare (R.I.P Mr Bunny). I already had the camera in my hands, so before Nina and I started with misson "save the dead" I snapped a couple of shots of Zodd and his buddy.

Zodd and Mr Bunny


"Come back to life Mr Bunny! LIIIIIVE!"
The way he toss the corpse into the air reminds me of a mad doctor trying desperately to bring back a lost love to life. Pehaps Zodd was something similar to Frankenstein in an earlier life? One can only speculate ;)
I know for sure he would be a great fan of Zombie movies if he was human.
Imagine the pleasure he would get out of watching the dead come back to life and walk around in the world.
I do not feel one bit secure when I think of an alternate future where the undead will walk the earth. Zodd would totally join their lines and I would stand there, watching him play with his new undead best friends.
I can add that he's never tried to eat any of his findings (and he's found quite a few over the years). They are playmates, nothing more.

Zodd also had a visit from his friend Gramse, the German Shepherd. This friend is more to my liking since he's breathing and moving and actually jumping into the air without any help from Zodd and his tossing techniques ;)
Gramse belongs to my brother and is a high energy dog that takes the air out of me every time he comes to visit. I suppose a laid back TM will corrupt any mind, after a bit of infiltration.
I am so used to Zodd's manners by now, and his view on life goes something along the lines of "I observe before I act... Laziness is my disguise." And let me tell you, he's got that disguise 100% down!
The contrast between Zodd and Gramse is like fire and water. Gramse's motto is more like "I've got legs, I'm going to USE them! I've got speed, I'm going to FEEL it! I've got a voice, I'm going to make all of you HEAR it!"
Even Zodd finds him a bit exhausting after a while, but instead of telling him so (I suppose he knows that Gramse will not grasp the hint since he's all over the place, doing his own thing) Zodd simply falls on the side and lies there while Gramse is tugging away on his dewlap.

Gramse and Zodd
And what else is new since last time?
Well, yesterday we went on a walk on Ryssberget together with Veronica and her two boys Bulten and Manson (Dogue de Bordeaux), Frida and Zodd's number one girl Noblesse (Dogue de Bordeaux) and Bettan with her crossbreed boy Diesel (Cane Corso x Dogue de Bordeaux). The snow was coming down hard so I didn't bring my camera to capture all the fun and games. The dogs had a blast! As did us humans :)
Zodd was really strict with Diesel. He's only met him once before and he was quite bossy that time as well.
This time Diesel came over to say hello in a swirl of joy in the company of Bulten. And in that instant Frida opened her car and Noblesse came over to join the boys.
It seemed Zodd suddenly noticed that there was someone else in the usual company and he wrestled Diesel to the ground, with a voice that was deadly serious.
Diesel was shocked and showed his belly, all paws up in the air. Zodd was still not convinced that this intruder (half Dogue de Bordeaux and everything) was welcome in their pack, so I had to step in. After a bit of reasoning, with quite a lot of scolding, Zodd decided that Diesel was ok and they got along well on the rest of the walk. Zodd even invited Diesel to play, and Diesel accepted the invitation, but still kept a bit of a distance.
Bulten, who is Zodd's fanboy number one, didn't understand why on earth Zodd was so serious there for a while. I'm not even sure he understood that Zodd was serious, because he jumped right in and started pulling on Zodd's cheek squish like he always does. I suspect he got a bit jealous of the attention Zodd was showing Diesel and decided to jump in and get all that attention back again. There's no stopping LOVE ;)
After the walk Veronica, Frida and I sat on the sofa at Veronica's place and talked away an hour or two.
Zodd and Noblesse flirted like crazy with eachother. They are amazingly sweet together.
Perhaps they knew that they will not see eachother for a while now since Frida is going to Thailand for ten weeks (LUCKY) and Noblesse will be staying with her co-owner Linus. Sure there could probably be time for a date anyway, but Noblesse is soon starting her heat and even if Zodd would be more than happy to go on a date with her during that time, I am a bit more cautious.
Zodd would not be satisfied with first or second base, I'm sure of that ;)

I am counting the days now. I'm waiting for Lucas, my love, to come home after 24 days away on a job in Norway. I miss him terribly...
It's strange how time twists and turns whenever you are waiting for something. These past weeks have dragged on for months, I swear.
It will be wonderful to have both my boys with me again :)
//Sanna

 

6/2- 2011
Puppies and a monster!
Yesterday I went with my good friend Veronica (Manson and Bulten's owner) and her fiance Totte to visit Jessica Snäcka and her litter of Cimarron Uruguayo at Perro Característico kennel, the first breeder of Cimarron Uruguayo in Europe. This is the second litter born in Sweden.
I brought my camera and we were in for a serious photo session that consisted of moving puppies around, snapping photos and making noises and sounds to keep the pups alert, but not too alert. Trying to get everything just right is not easy when six puppies are trying to crawl into the camera ;)
I am a huge fan of unusual dogbreeds and to be able to take photos of any rare breed is sheer joy! I loved it!
A big thanks goes to Jessica for inviting us into her home and for helping out so patiently with the puppies so that I could get the photos just right! Veronica was an excellent assistant as well. Thanks girls!
We were sweating at the end, but I am more than pleased with the results. It was worth every single drop and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
Here are a couple of my favorite photos from the session.

This morning I went with Zodd and my sister Nina for a short drive to one of our favorite places. It's almost like stepping into the hillsides of the borders in Great Britain.
It's a beautiful stretched out hill where sheep graze during the summer. At this time of year the pastures are empty and perfect for a Tibetan Mastiff with a bit of energy to get out of the system!
Zodd found two victims for him monsterous mischief today - first Nina and then me...
It's been ages since he was in such an extremely playful mode and he had a blast trying to tip us over.
Haha, the muscle power of a pup such as him is nothing to take lightly ;)
With that said I am positive that he's not even using half of his force when we play this way. He's really gentle in all his brutality. A paradox, I know, but a TM is never anything less than a paradox ;)
When he was a puppy he was a real monster, and when he played he bit down hard! I had bruises all the way from my hands to my shoulders, from my feet to my thighs. I do bruise very easily, but he was extreme.
Or so I thought...
After talking to other TM owners I learned that the state of pirana is something most TM puppies go through. The best thing is to ignore the fact that there's a puppy hanging from your arm at least twenty minutes every day. Not an easy task since TM puppies grow like weed and soon you find yourself with twenty kilos of fluff and sharp teeth trying to nibble your arm away. Ah, the weird (?) thing is that I'm actually smiling at the memories of those days as I'm writing this down.
Well, today Zodd had a relaps and went into that pirana state once more. The difference was that he now weighs about 65 kilos and his teeth are not as sharp anymore. And, as I mentioned earlier, he's not quite as determined to actually get away with a piece of my body anymore ;)
Nina snapped a few shots of us, so I thought I would share! Thanks Nina for the photos of me and my boy!

A scary view from the front, but there is never anything but love in those eyes, so nothing to fear.


Ok, so perhaps there are moments of wild and craziness too, but I love them, so bring it!


Zodd with me on the leash. He enjoyed that part!


Nina and the monster!


It's all love <3
As a survivor of this incident I can assure that no humans or animals were hurt during the photo session ;)
//Sanna

 

4/2- 2011
Zodd, the wallflower!
There have been some serious redecorating going on at home. My room is now very different from how it looked a couple of days ago. Zodd have followed the progress with slight interest, if any.
He doesn't seem to get why anyone would want to go through the trouble of tearing down the wallpaper, fuss over the state they were in and then put up new wallpaper. Simply crazy behavior!
He's been so good in the chaos of our home. To be honest I have hardly noticed him at all.
So today, after two days of short walks on leash, we went for a long walk in the woods where he got to move at his own pace. He went wild and crazy a couple of times, out of pure joy!
My sister Nina and our father tagged along on the walk and Zodd was mighty proud when he managed to steal Nina's cap! His victory dance was a sight to behold!
I also have some nice news to share - Zodd have been eating quite well for almost a week now. I hope he'll keep it up and gain a few kilos before the show we are attending in march, and I do long to cuddle him when he's back to his normal squishy self again!
//Sanna