Snoop Dog

I spent the afternoon with my daughters yesterday down in San Diego, CA.  I love San Diego, even though it is only a short hour long drive South, it is much different from Orange County.  There is a more relaxed atmosphere there and where we spent the day, a beachy/surf feel looms in the air.  My oldest daughter was dog sitting her boyfriend's dog and you know it, I took the opportunity to do a photo shoot.  This little man is a 10 year old Pekingnese, which happens to be amongst the Brachycephalic breeds.  These short faced dogs have special needs so if you have one or are considering getting one you should familiarize yourself with them. 

This pekingnese's name is Snoop Dog and he is quite a character.  Not living with dogs that have little or no muzzle I did a lot of staring and very close shooting.  Of course I've photographed many of these types of dogs, pugs, bulldogs, boxers etc but got to spend more time with Snoop.  I really enjoyed watching all his little quirks.  He's a funny little guy, very confident and a tad dominant.  He reacts to other dogs much like Jessie does; "I can smell you but don't try to smell me."  He is definitely a big dog in a small body as he struts his stuff around town.

First we went out for lunch leaving Snoop on "his" chair at home.  He's well use to going places and because of this he doesn't sweat the small stuff.  On our return there he was still lying in "his" chair.  I took a few more shots, and my daughters brought out his toys.  Snoop loves his toys, but his favorite toy is an empty water bottle which is continually switched out for a new one.  He gathered up all his toys and put them in a pile, cute.



So then we head out to the pier in Ocean Beach, CA, a very mellow beach town.  My daughter told me that people always stop to meet him, but witnessing the huge amount of interest that he drew was intriguing. A few people called him a pug, but other than that most don't seem to know what he is.
Pekingnese are not that popular a breed, unless of course you are at a dog show.  At a recent show that I  attended there was a very large entry, although they looked much different that Snoop, they were full coated which is literally to the ground and then some.  Snoop keeps a neat and tidy sport clip which is definitely much easier to maintain and more enjoyable for the dog I'd have to guess.  Being so close to the ground it keeps much cleaner having it nice and short.

We walked down the pier receiving constant points, stares, smiles and questions.  It was a gorgeous day so we took our time stopping here and there on the pier to take photos.  At the end of the pier we ran across this little dog above.  I was smitten, this little dog was one of the cutest dogs I've seen in a long time.  Obviously a mix of something and a poodle, it's coat was so soft and she was adorably sweet.

Dog beach is just around the corner from where we were.  Its a great beach where dogs can run and play in the sand and water off leash.  Next time I'll head over there to shoot as well.  Having already been on a big morning walk and done the whole pier which is very long we headed home with Snoop, he had to be tired.  Ten years old isn't that old for a small dog but when your legs are only inches long, it's a big walk. 

With the sun setting I headed back to the OC, what a great day in San Diego.