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.
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