Dog of the Day: Tommy the Maltese

I ran into Tommy (12-ish) at the ticket desk at San Francisco Airport, but wasn’t able to get any good pictures of him due to lighting conditions and speed. I was a little disappointed, but I figured, ah well, maybe I’ll get lucky and see him again. And then on the plane, I was hanging out in my seat and someone asked if I would switch seats with him so he could sit with his girlfriend, and I said, ‘Eh, whatever.’ And when I got to the other seat, who should be next to me but Tommy and his mommy!

Tommy is half Dog of San Francisco and half Dog 0f Puerto Vallarta. His mom works in San Jose as a tech consultant but is planning to move down to Puerto Vallarta in a year or so, and spends a lot of time down there now. And Tommy has gotten quite used to commuting between the two, as you can see. And no, no doggie sedatives were used in the making of this photo shoot.

Maltese In A Black Bag

Someone seems happy. Lots of attention and petting from mom are worth any amount of ear poppage, apparently.

Maltese Sleeping With His Head Sticking Out Of A Black Bag

He had a variety of poses when we were in the air. This is one of the more relaxed-looking ones.

Indescribable Dog Face

Believe it or not, this was also a very relaxed position.

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Dog of Puerto Vallarta: Doberman Pinscher

I ran into a retired gentleman from the USA while wandering the streets of Puerto Vallarta. He had a very aggressive-looking Doberman, who immediately solicited scratches from me. Apparently he is super-friendly except when he is defending his front door.

He (the gentleman, not the Doberman) was full of praise for the medical system in Mexico, and in Puerto Vallarta in particular. I am not really sure how well it serves poor people in Mexico, but apparently it serves relatively rich US expatriates really well, certainly better than the US one does. Interestingly enough, I found out (by word of mouth, not by any personal need, thank goodness) that pharmacies there tend to have their own physicians on staff, and you can consult with them for free if you buy your prescriptions from that pharmacy. As a coworker of mine noted, this sounds like a great idea until you actually think about it for a few seconds at which point it sounds like a terrible idea.

Happy Doberman Pinscher

Everyone told me I’d see dozens of dogs if I walked down to Puerto Vallarta. I feel a bit cheated, to be honest. Although the ones I did see were pretty awesome.

Smiling Doberman Pinscher Being Petted By The Photographer

Happy Doberman smile.

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Dog of Puerto Vallarta: Puppy

Ahem. Yes. Well. You may have noticed a certain lack of posting out of me over the weekend. This is not because the resort we went to didn’t have internet, or anything like that. No, it is more because I am a lazy person wot is lazier than a lazy Susan.

On the up side, I did get a few dog pictures while I was down in Puerto Vallarta. Including a number of this guy, who was tied up outside the ticket booth of a gymnasium, and was doing his best to greet all comers in high style.

By the way, your humble correspondent has an exclusive story: it is kind of hot and muggy in Puerto Vallarta but it is still pretty nice. And the dogs there are cute.

Little Beagle Mix Puppy

Before you say anything: he had plenty of access to shade, and a water bowl. He was out in the sun because he wanted to be.

Little Beagle Mix Puppy

Slight puppy head tilt.

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Dog of the Day: Mexican Hairless

A Mexican hairless dog, in celebration of my Mexican vacation. I am not sure how it never occurred to me before that a dog with no fur and black skin would be really well-adapted to a very hot climate, but it didn’t.

Mexican Hairless Dog In A Tee Shirt

Of course, slightly less well-adapted to San Francisco’s climate. Hence the shirt.

Mexican Hairless Dog In A Tee Shirt

I bet the ears help radiate heat, too. And catch the breezes…

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Dog of the Day: Corgi Post-CorgiCon

Two public service announcements tonight. One personal: I am going on a company vacation to the nearly-inundated Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Friday through Monday. (Yes, I know, it’s a tough life! Mind you, this is the first company vacation I’ve ever been on, so don’t think this is a regular thing for me. But still.) I will probably still be posting while I’m there, but maybe not. Who knows? I will do what is fun and relaxing.

And one that someone emailed me. I get the occasional person trolling for media exposure emailing me, and I tend to ignore most of them (‘I read your blog “The Dogs Of San Francisco” regularly and am always amazed by the insight of your articles!’ Sure you do, buddy. Sure you do.) But this one caught my interest. Apparently this Sunday (November 1) at 6 PM, KQED is airing a documentary on a hospice for elderly and disabled animals in Santa Rosa, called ‘Last Stop in Santa Rosa‘. It’s also available online here. I freely admit that I am not in any emotional shape to watch it right now, with my fun little health problems… maybe when I get back from vacation.

And then there’s today’s dog. I was wandering around trying desperately to find my car after CorgiCon (I’d been forced to park over a mile away) and I stumbled on some post-corgi-con cleansing going on in a yard. Somehow, this pup doesn’t seem at all upset by shedding the excess sand.

Grinning Tricolor Pembroke Welsh Corgi Being Hosed Off In The Yard

Goofy happy corgi faces always make me smile.

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Dog of the (Birth)Day: Wadi the Saluki

Look who I ran into this morning: Wadi the Saluki, who we last saw in 2012, when he was just 9 months old. And guess who turned four years old today? I said hello and happy birthday, and gave him some birthday petting, but Wadi was more interested in investigating the grass, though whether it was for evidence of other visitors or for the fish meal fertilizer in use in San Francisco parks that drain to the bay is anyone’s guess.

(Yes, Wadi is  named after the gorgeous geographical formation.)

Tan Saluki Staring Intently At The Curb

As I said… very focused.

Saluki Looking Upwards At Mom

Such amazingly graceful dogs. Almost doelike. Or catlike. Or catdoelike.

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Dog of the Day: Chief the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog

Chief (3) just had a spinal tap. Two weeks ago he couldn’t walk or even really move his hind legs. They thought it was cancer, but it turned out to be an infection, and fully treatable. Today he’s great, and walking like a champ, and almost back up to full fighting fit! Lucky pup.

Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Licking His Chops Near A Doggie Drinking Fountain

San Francisco parks have doggie drinking fountains. Is this awesome? (y/Y)

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Sunday Switchup: Drama Queen Butterfly

So I was walking back from that doctor’s appointment I mentioned a few days ago, and I noticed some gorgeous flowers, with a couple of butterflies flitting about near them. One of them landed on a flower so I decided to get some pictures, but the other one just couldn’t stay out of the frame.

I think these are Gulf Fritillary butterflies.

Two Orange Butterflies With Black Spots (Gulf Fritillaries), One Flying, One On A Purple Flower

Don’t see a lot of butterflies in San Francisco, alas.

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Caturday Supplement: Just Adopted!

Well, I was running a bit low on pictures for my Caturday posts, so I stopped by Pets Unlimited (now a part of the SF SPCA) and grabbed some pictures of their kitties. This one has just been put on hold for adoption. I love the little kitty-bedrooms they have at Pets Unlimited, they make for great shots and look very comfy.

Cat Lounging In Box Mounted To Wall

The vertically-oriented cat traps seem to work just as well as the horizontal ones.

Cat Lounging In Box Mounted To Wall

I dunno, if I had a nice box-bed mounted to the wall, I’d probably spend a lot of time in it myself.

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Dog of the Day: Sleepy CorgiCon-Goer

So, lesson learned. Too many corgis is not nearly enough corgis for Dogs of SF fans. So here’s someone who get a little too excited and tore around CorgiCon at top speed for around two and a half hours and then fell asleep in mid-stride. Fortunately, mom was one of the volunteers so there was a nice spot in the shade of an administration tent available.

Pembroke Welsh Corgi Sleeping In A Camp Chair

All played out… if not for the day, at least for a couple of hours.

Pembroke Welsh Corgi Lying In A Red Camp Chair And Staring At The Camera

Aww, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you!

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