A Community through its Dogs Part 2

Let's continue with the tails of Oceanside (And, yes, that was a pun).

The month of February in our "Dogs of Oceanside" calendar brings us to Regent the pug! One of the first things I have to say is: What a guy! I had so much fun with Regent and he and I hit it off immediately (we are both Scorpios, after all ... that may have something to do with it).

Pugs are super-buddies. They are some of the most affectionate and devoted dogs. They don't tend to move very quickly so, subsequently, are always pretty nearby.

I like to photograph dogs from above looking up. The key to these "Look Up" photographs is making sure both feet are visible. I have a theory that you can tell something about the dog's personality through  his or her foot placement. We can barely see Regent's feet peeking out from beneath his perfectly spherical shape with adoring face, velvet ears and head plunked on top (and what's up with that tongue? It is always like that and Irene, one of his human companions, says it's his cigar! Is he a tycoon? A born again Winston Churchill type?) You can just see the top of Regent's pug tail curl at the rear (haha) of the shot like the handle of a tea pot, keeping him from rolling away. His peek-a-boo feet are out-turned, super casual, relaxed, comic Zen. Regent is one chill guy.

Like most relaxed creatures, Regent knows how to get pleasure. When I was photographing him and his brother Bravo, I would often sit on the floor. Every time I did, he came over to me and blissfully rubbed his head up and down my legs. He used a lot of pressure and was basically giving himself a head massage and an ear scratch. Regent doesn't wait around for people to rub his head and scratch his ears for him; he is one self-reliant pleasure-taking dude!

Regent and the Magnolia Petals

Regent and Bravo (you will meet Bravo in December) are the devoted companions of Irene and Robert. They moved to Qualicum Beach from Minneapolis. They wanted quiet, a pure sanctuary from their busy lives in a big American city. And, they sure found it but, being very gregarious and lively folk, QB is sometimes too quiet for them! They were shocked and somewhat horrified when, on move in day, they wanted to go to for dinner at 8 pm. In typical QB form, everything was already closed! "Where are we?" they exclaimed, "Where is everyone?" Why, cozied up at home, of course, don't you know it is basically bed time? Ex-pats in Pleasantville, Irene and Robert add texture to a town primarily populated by quieter, more reserved, early-to-bed-early-to-rise Canadians. 

The picture above is Regent on Irene and Robert's front steps. I photographed him in May, the height of the Magnolia blossoms, and Irene and Robert have a glorious tree out front of their distinctively West Coast home. Magenta becoming the palest pink; the magnolia petals were brush strokes and daubs across the yard and up the steps. 

Perched above the grand sweep of Qualicum Beach, the house is both relaxed and sophisticated. Stained glass, blue terra cotta flower pots on a weather-worn deck, an exquisite antique wooden table amidst groupings of historical photographs, Irene and Robert's house exudes charisma and charm; like all of its residents. And, like the originality of their home, the Long's, both human and pug, add a splash of eclecticism to the level hum of a sometimes too peaceful Canadian town.

A Community through its Dogs Part 1

In the First World, dogs as pets are everywhere, inextricably inter-woven into our lives as constant companions and, sometimes, be-jeweled and peeking out of a purse, complementing our personalities and fashion.

In 2000, I experienced the community of Central Havana through its dogs. For 2 weeks, I photographed every dog I came across, both housed and homeless. As I followed the dogs around Havana, I learned many things and heard many stories about the community. As a tourist, would I have made these cultural discoveries otherwise? I think not.

My Dogs of Havana photographs resulted in 2 exhibits (one in Vancouver and one is Toronto) and also a book simply named DOG with poems about the century long relationships between human and canine by poets Joe Rosenblatt and Catherine Owen. However, unlike the dogs in the First World, the Dogs of Havana are rarely attached to people. These are dogs as dogs. Raw. And represent a society much more on the edge than our cushy First World one where dogs usually have their own special beds and gourmet kibble. Like dogs in other societies outside of the First world, the dogs of Havana are mainly neglected (by our standards) and many are dying in the streets. But this, of course, is not surprising when humans don't have enough. Pets are a luxury and, as such, require a certain level of economic prosperity. Dogs can show us and lead us to stories and characteristics of communities and give us insights into the societies these communities are a part.

After my experience representing a community through its dogs in Cuba, it is fitting that I will find myself doing it again in Canada. In May and September 2012, I photographed 19 dogs in the Qualicum Beach/ Parksville/ Nanoose Bay area (collectively know as Oceanside). The project had its finale as a calendar. Through this calendar, I will tell you some of the stories of the Dogs of Oceanside and its people.

Meet Dexter's derriere! This shot of him looking longingly out to sea made the cover. And guess who he was looking so yearningly at? Why his human companion, Emmy, of course, to whom he is so attached ... and vice versa. Dexter is one of the luckiest dogs in the world as he is taken to the pristine Qualicum Beach every day for a walk ... well not really a walk for him, more like a wild and crazy run. QB has many retired residents. Often moving to BC from more severe climates like Edmonton or Winnipeg, you often hear "We are in paradise" exclaimed by these enchanted new-comers.

I first met Dexter when I was walking along the beach when the tide was out. In the summer months, the tide is very low in Oceanside, exposing the curving topography of wave shaped sand, giving us sun-warmed tide pools, swaths of reclining crab grass, dozing sand dollars.

As soon as I saw Dexter race towards me, blissed out maniacal lips pulled back in an oh-my-god-life-is-so-fun grin, I knew he was perfect for the project. He is a new-fangled mix of Miniature Pinscher and Shit-zu (what's that? A Shit-Pin) and Emmy says, "Other than the odd body part, he's all Pinscher in attitude and energy!"

As soon as I talked to Emmy and Joel about the Dogs of Oceanside project, they were in. To me, Dexter represents the new lives people make for themselves after they retire and move to paradise. Emmy and Joel got Dexter when they moved to Oceanside. As Emmy tells it:


Sign on the window

"Puppies for sale"
Back the truck up .. run in ... Show me the puppies for sale
Over the counter came this grizzled, black and tan, 12 week old, cutest baby dog ever ...Love at first sight .. found our New dog

Dexter is young and over-flowing with joy and play. Like so many others who find themselves in one of the dreamy hamlets of Oceanside, after years of hard work, they have embarked upon the freedom and fun of retirement. And who better to take off with than a guy like Dexter!

Dexter is such an ideal representation of Dogs of Oceanside and the community, that he is the back cover boy too! This is what he looked like when I first met him.

I organized the calendar as best I could so that each dog had their picture for their Birthday month. Here is the first, born in January, Windy:

Windy was the wildest dog I photographed during the project. She also lives in the most remote home that I visited during the shoots. Windy, George and Carol-Anne live on a farm in Nanoose Bay.

When I met George, he was standing in the yard stick still. I literally thought he was a scare-crow. And told him so. We hit it off immediately.

Windy is George's pride and joy. She is a Collie/ Alaskan Eskimo Dog cross. Both dog and man are very reclusive and of the land. It was a hot day in mid-September when I photographed Windy and George led me with pride around his delightfully over-grown farm. We waded through waist high grasses and wild-flowers and George showed me where he had buried his horses. Windy could care less about the camera as I leapt after her while she hunted. I think she only looked at me and into my lens three times during the whole 2 hour shoot. She was intent and completely focused upon the sounds of snakes and rats in the tall grass, outside of the clicks and containments of civilization.

Windy and the Field

"Who cares about you and your camera, my world is much more interesting."

Yup, completely outside of the lens. Jumping through it, actually.

There are many people on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands who live there to be at least somewhat outside of the of civilization. Some people refuse to shop at Walmart or box stores that persistently encroach upon the wilds; others go completely off of the grid on islands like Lasquiti with such audacious drop out behaviour as a no car ferry and no electricity. OMG.

After the shoot, I asked Carol-Anne and George if they plan to stay in their house forever. George stated emphatically that he was going to be buried next to his horses! Like George's spirit, Windy's gaze persistently and irreverantly eluded my camera. Windy will not be contained or ever fully obedient to society's strictures. And neither will her human side-kick.

George & Windy: a couple of Nanoose Bay renegades.

Stay tuned for "A Community through it's Dogs" Part 2! :)