New Addition to the Family

April 23, 2014  •  3 Comments

After having a bit of a scare with a moose last fall, the thought of having to go out into the woods alone for photography has weighed heavily on my mind.  Sure, I could invite Mr. Bastard, fellow photographers or friends to come along, but the process of convincing people to wake up before some would even go to bed has proven time and again to be a pointless endeavor. A more reliable answer to combat the lonliness was on my mind, but it took a little bit of persuasion to get Mr Bastard on board.

He finally caved, and last week we adopted a young dog (1 year old) from a family whose little one was suffering from allergies. Her name is Creepy (yes, Creepy Bastard, you didn't think we'd name her something normal did you?)  and she has quickly become the third and definitely the cutest member of the Bastard family. We are both absolutely smitten with her. I admit, I have been a lazy photographer and I have a slough of crappy iphone photos and videos of our new addition, but sadly, no real photos to share yet.

Eager to put my new photo adventure partner into action, I woke up at 3:30 Sunday morning to make sunrise at Castle Junction in Banff National Park. We arrived just as the sun was peeking out from behind the mountains and I strapped the usual camera bag, bear spray and tripod to my waist.  The dog leash was added onto the belt and away we went, trading turns pulling each other along the path.  (She doesn't do leashes very well yet)

Not long after setting up my camera and tripod on the banks of the Bow river, Creepy warned me of an approaching intruder into our slice of paradise.  A fellow photographer had joined our ranks along the river to wait for that moment when the light hit the mountain and Creepy barked and growled and nearly dragged me off my feet to meet him. After a while, the photographer, who mentioned he had been shooting star trails all evening, headed back to his vehicle for a much needed rest, Creepy barked and growled to let me know he was coming near us again.

Perfect, I thought, she's much more aware of our surroundings than I am, she'll add a great set of ears and eyes while I'm lost in my world of apertures and shutter speeds.

Not ten minutes later, a vehicle backed up over the bridge I was crouching under and the photographer shouted a warning, there was a coyote on the other side of the river headed our way. I thanked him and watched for the animal.  Sure enough, the Coyote emerged out of the brush on the other side of the river, not 30 feet away from us, as Creepy sniffled around the riverbank, oblivious to the animal's presence.

Some watch dog she turned out to be, but it was still nice to have company

Sadly, after all the effort put in to the trip, the light did not work in my favour and I came home with very few photos to process.  Can't win them all, though I seem to have my fair share of stinker trips this year.

 I did take the opportunity to scout around some of my favourite locations to check the status of the ponds, streams and lakes to determine where my next morning adventure will be and I already have a brand new location in mind that I'm excited to explore.

 

 


Comments

Llisa Bastard Photography
Haha, Dave, that's great. Thanks for the nice words.

I always had dogs growing up in bear/cougar/wolf habitat. One year there were 7 resident cougars around our town of 225 people. Back then we didn't leash the dogs since they were used to the surroundings. With this pup I won't dare risk letting her off leash for her safety and for mine. There's just too many new smells for her and she develops tunnel vision and selective hearing when we're out in the wild.

Once we break her bad habits from the previous owners, she's going to be a great hiking companion. I'm really looking forward to taking her on more adventures, despite the challenges we'll have training her.
Dave(non-registered)
Ha... Got so rapped up with dogs i overlooked commenting on your photo which what I originally ment to do. ....... I really like what doing with your foregrounds and what you are using in your forground in the top photo
Dave(non-registered)
Sounds like your dog will be a great companion when you are out in the bush. I always kept my dogs on leashes until I was positive they would obey me even when confronted by a tempting playmate such as a rabbit. Zoey (my 4 legged best friend) is the first dog who will not leave my side even when teased by those darn rabbits. The more you take your dog out the better she will be at spotting wildlife before they get close to you. It is probably all new for her, lots of new smells and sights. I know there are a lot of people who say you should not take your dog with you, but I have been fishing and hiking in the eastern slopes (bear territory) for thirty years and i have always had a dog with me. Just make sure they are well trained. Moose in particular don't like dogs. Zoey always gives me plenty of warning about anything approaching, for which she receives a lot of praise. Sorry to run on. As you can probably tell I have a huge softspot for dogs.
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