Dog of the Day: Blanca the Beautiful White Shepherd

I’ve dog-sat for Blanca (13, can you believe it?) a couple of times now over the past year or so, and we’re finally starting to get along. She’s a very smart dog, and she immediately associated me with her family all going away, which meant that she was definitely quite unhappy to see me. There was never any unpleasantness, she just tended to get up and wander out of any room that I happened to walk into.

However, I’ve taken her out for a number of nice walks, and she gradually (and somewhat grudgingly) let me pet her a few times. I have no doubt that next time I see her she’ll warm up a little more.

She’s in really good shape for her age: she has a touch of trouble standing up, but once she’s up she loves walking around. You have to be careful not to take her out for too long, though, or she’ll end up dragging her hind legs a bit, which isn’t good for them.

Funny thing: the last white shepherd I posted was named ‘Blanc‘. Something about ‘great minds’, huh?

Oh, incidentally: I don’t want to jinx myself, but I actually got two nights of decent sleep on Saturday and Sunday nights, so maybe, just maybe, this thing is starting to blow over. If I’m lucky I’ll manage something better than ‘decent’ soon, but I’ll take what I can get…

White Shepherd Standing By The Roadside

I honestly can’t decide if I like this coat or the standard German shepherd coloration better. They’re both so pretty.

Face Of A White Shepherd With Eyes Closed

I’ll win her over yet!

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Sunday Switchup: Bougainvillea House

I was all set to call it ‘wisterical’ when I realized that it wasn’t actually wisteria.

Bougainvillea-Covered House On UnIon Street In Cow Hollow, San Francisco

It’s even prettier in person. Much more impressive than boring old ivy.

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Caturday Supplement: Intrepid Calico Explorer

Took this one years ago. This was a booth for the Animal Rescue Foundation (Tony La Russa’s organization) with a surprisingly willing mascot, with a surprising array of adjectives: long-haired tiger tabby calico… cat.

Long-Haired Calico Cat Wearing Vest And Cloth Cap With Earholes

It was amazing enough that she didn’t mind the halter/vest thing, but the hat…

Long-Haired Calico Cat With Very Constricted Pupils Wearing Vest And Cloth Cap With Earholes

She was keeping a close eye on everyone and everything walking by.

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Doggie (of the Day) in the Window

I have no idea what this pup was, but she was staring out the window at all the dogs going by on the sidewalk outside. The thought bubble was almost visible.

I haven’t slept for more than 90 minutes in a row for over a week now. Send healing thoughts my way, because another week or two like this and I’m not sure there’ll be anything left of me at all.

Dog In A Shop Window Looking Sad While Dogs Play Outside

I wanted to walk into that shop, climb into the window, and curl up with the pup.

Sad Looking Dog

Someone needs 500 ccs of cuddles, stat.

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Dog of the Day: Mini Schnauzer

Mini schnauzers gonna mini-schnauze? Well, that might need a little work. But he’s definitely doing something, and happy as heck about it too.

Grey Miniature Schnauzer Tied To A Pole

He was on a bit of a short tether. Poor guy, but for some dogs (ones that would otherwise wander out into the street) it’s probably wise.

Schnauzer Tied To Pole Panting

He does bear a striking resemblance to the schnauzer on my tee shirt.

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Dog of the Day: Cool North Beach Labradoodle

The labradude labrabides!

Ran into this labradoodle, whose name I sadly neglected to record, at the North Beach Festival. I missed the Blessing of the Animals this year, but at least I didn’t miss the coolest labradoodle in the city.

Flufy Labradoodle Wearing Sunglasses

His dad didn’t put those on for my benefit. And they were just normal sunglasses, not strapped on or anything.

Extremely Happy And Flufy Yellow Labradoodle Wearing Sunglasses

In fact, I saw him with those on for at least five minutes. He really seemed to like them.

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Dog of the Bar: Hans the Bloody Huge Swiss Mountain Dog

There are Greater Swiss mountain dogs, and then there’s Hans. Hans is 145 pounds (that’s 66 kilograms in Switzerland) of pure happiness. I ran into him in a combination Irish pub and Indian restaurant in North Beach, where he was sprawled next to the door and greeting everyone who walked in with a tremendous grin and an expectant look. As you might imagine, he got all the petting his heart could have desired.

Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Face With Tongue Peeking Out

I honestly thought he was mixed with Great Dane or something. He’s huge!

Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Face Smiling As He Is Petted By The Photographer

When he sits around the bar, he sits *all the way* around the bar.

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Dog of the Day: Jax the Great Pyrenees Anatolian Shepherd Mix

Jax wasn’t feeling it. I’m not sure what it was, and I’m not sure what he was feeling, but he definitely wasn’t feeling it. No excuses, either: he’s only 6! Still practically a puppy.

(Incidentally: a Great Pyrenees Anatolian shepherd mix? And apparently a rescue, and not an intentional cross? How does something like that even happen? What are the chances that a Great Pyrenees and an Anatolian shepherd would just happen to run across one another?)

Edit: Oh man, I can’t believe I didn’t even look. It turns out we’ve seen Jax before!

White Great Pyrenees Anatolian Shepherd Mix Sprawled Out On The Ground, Totally Relaxed

I would give a lot to be able to relax that much, even just for one night a week.

White Great Pyrenees Anatolian Shepherd Mix Sprawled Out On The Ground, Totally Relaxed

He opened his eyes and looked at me, but didn’t seem at all inclined to expend any effort at actually greeting me. Hmf.

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Sunday Switchup: A Foggy View

A few weekends ago, I had the pleasure of dogsitting a gorgeous white shepherd (more or less a white German shepherd, but apparently they’re their own breed now). She’s an older dog, and her kidneys, though still working fine, aren’t what they once were. So I ended up having to stay with her until 10 PM, and then get up and get back to her by 6 AM. Which wouldn’t be so bad, except the busses between where she lives and where I live don’t start up until well after 6.

Actually, I lie, because it wasn’t ‘so bad’ anyway. It’s gorgeous getting up at 5 once in a while, especially on a weekend when nobody else is about. It was a lovely 40-minute walk to her house through the deserted streets, and I was treated to a dozen gorgeous views, only one of which I thought to take a picture of. This is one of San Francisco’s famous stairways: looking south on Lyon Street from Broadway. There would be a nice view of the bay and probably the Golden Gate as well, if it weren’t for the fog.

Lyon Street Stairs, San Francisco

Yes, I was going down them… but I had to get up the other side of the hill first.

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Caturday Supplement: North Beach Kitties

I haven’t been seeing much of Autumn lately: she’s pretty much working full time on her Pup Scouts job during the day, and spending her nights dogsitting, both for direct clients and through DogVacay. I managed to ambush her last weekend and drag her off for dinner not far from the place she was currently dog-sitting. After dinner, she said, “Oh, I have to show you something,” and led me down a couple of streets and around a corner and there was this little adorable tableau.

Two Cats Sleeping In A Window, One In A Hammock

If I ever get pets I am going to make up a window like this that they can sleep in. So cute!

Cat Sleeping In A Hammock Lined With Corrugated Cardboard

That is… a cardboard-box-lined hammock. I cannot imagine a more cat-attractive sleeping arrangement.

It reassures me that cats still have furrier ears than I do.

It reassures me that cats still have furrier ears than I do.

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