Victory | biscuit's space | The blog of photographer Katherine Carver

Jun 9

Victory: Photography Project — 61

Beginning in January 2014, I started a weekly photography project with my muse, Victory! I will continue to share this project on the blog this year! My goal is to document all of Victory’s changes, while preserving fleeting moments and memories, while capturing moments of our everyday.

Victory’s urinary tract infection is back with a vengeance. We spent most of Saturday at the vet’s office, which required two visits to the vet in order to get a sterile urine sample. Fortunately, the vet was able to get a sterile urine sample (unlike last time), and we are awaiting the urine culture results in order to determining how to best treat Victory’s infection. In the interim, the vet did another exam and took an x-ray of our fur girl, shown below to check for abnormalities and stones. Fortunately, Victory’s insides look healthy; there are no bladder or kidney stones present; and her internal functions look good. The vet was able to easily review her x-ray because Victory is slender.

Victory is on another round of antibiotics along with this supplement. Part of Victory’s ‘lady parts’ are recessed, which may be contributing to her infections — a breeding ground for bacteria. We are going to clip furs and continue to use baby wipes to help keep her clean and everything hygienic around her ‘lady parts’ in the hope that this will help mitigate future infections. If the infections continue to occur frequently, the vet recommended possible surgery — we really hope never to reach this point. None of us were happy to be at the vet; however, Victory was really good and cooperative through it all.

Here is another view of Victory.

Here is a happy and smiling Victory enjoying some fresh air!

Happy Tuesday!

May 15

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Victory: Photography Project — 60

Beginning in January 2014, I started a weekly photography project with my muse, Victory! I will continue to share this project on the blog this year! My goal is to document all of Victory’s changes, while preserving fleeting moments and memories, while capturing moments of our everyday.

Victory had a good weekend and she loves sitting outside on the deck, pictured below! We had a good Mother’s Day — we all went to dinner in Delaware and Victory was a hit, as usual! Victory gave me a card and some nice gifts for Mother’s Day, with the help of her Daddy, Doug!

Unfortunately, we were up most of the night last night with Victory. She is not feeling well and, per the vet, she likely has a urinary tract infection. Victory’s badder was empty, and the vet therefore could not collect a sterile sample earlier today. If the problems persist while taking the antibiotics, we will be going back to the vet early next week. We hope that the antibiotics swiftly help our fur girl recover.

Additionally, here is a short video via the iphone of our fur girl enjoying a short break during a ride in her Hound About earlier this week!

Happy Friday!

May 7

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Victory: Photography Project — 59

Beginning in January 2014, I started a weekly photography project with my muse, Victory! I will continue to share this project on the blog this year! My goal is to document all of Victory’s changes, while preserving fleeting moments and memories, while capturing moments of our everyday.

Since March I have been photographing the second portion of my photography project, and I will finish up the photo shoots for this project at the end of next month! Of course, shelties are part of this project! This past weekend, after a photo shoot, Victory met two rescue shelties, Danny and Dakota! Victory was a little hesitant at first, but she joined Danny and Dakota for a few minutes and I took a few images of the three different colored rescued shelties together! It is not often that you see three different colored shelties together! (I think Danny was checking out our beautiful fur girl!)

Happy Thursday!

May 1

2 Comments

Victory: Photography Project — 58

Beginning in January 2014, I started a weekly photography project with my muse, Victory! I will continue to share this project on the blog this year! My goal is to document all of Victory’s changes, while preserving fleeting moments and memories, while capturing moments of our everyday.

We are making good use of the Hound About! The weather has been getting nicer so we have been taking Victory on walks around the neighborhood in her Hound About! She loves it and she consistently pokes her head through the top of the Hound About while we are out on our walks! We are happy that the weather is getting nicer! Below is a keenly aware Victory before we went on a five-mile walk together this past weekend! When we arrived home, Victory was so tired from her ride that she sprawled out on the sofa and rested — even though she only walked a short distance during our long walk because I pushed her for almost the entire walk in her Hound About! What a life!

Additionally, we have some news to share — on Monday night of this week, Victory barked for the first time! She was playing in our bed just before we went to sleep and she got so excited that she barked and scared herself with her own ‘voice!’ We are confident that we will hear her bark more, and we are happy that she is gaining more confidence. We love our fur girl!

Happy Friday and Happy May!

Apr 27

Victory: ‘Beauty Uniform’

We receive many compliments about Victory’s appearance! So I thought that I would share Victory’s ‘Beauty Uniform,’ including the grooming/hygiene products that we use and love.

Every morning before our morning walk, I brush out Victory’s fur coat using this comb; and sometimes in the evening I brush her belly while she lays on her back. After I brush her out, I use a little baby powder behind her ears, similar to a dry shampoo, to soak up oil between baths, which helps her look her best! Next, after our morning walk, I brush Victory’s teeth each morning using this toothpaste (from the vet, poultry flavor) and dental spray. Then, she gets a treat for cooperating! This is part of our morning routine, seven days a week. However, sometimes, on the weekends, we give Victory a day off. (On the occasions when I have been out-of-town without Victory, Doug does his best, but he usually skips brushing Victory’s teeth.)

The teeth brushing has really paid off as Victory’s teeth look better than ever and we want to prevent a dental cleaning, i.e., anesthesia for as long as possible. Plus, it is a good oral hygiene practice. Also, the daily brushing of her fur helps prevent knots and mats, which makes brushing so much quicker and easier.

Additionally, once a month, we take Victory to the vet to express her anal gland; clip her nails; and trim her paws. Together Doug and I bathe Victory, to her dismay, at home in our soaker tub, once a month using this shampoo and conditioner.

So Victory’s ‘Beauty Uniform’ is pretty simple — but it really works due to consistency and cooperation! Here’s a beautiful Victory — and we hope that you enjoyed her ‘Beauty Uniform.’

Happy Monday!

Apr 24

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Victory: Photography Project — 57

Beginning in January 2014, I started a weekly photography project with my muse, Victory! I will continue to share this project on the blog this year! My goal is to document all of Victory’s changes, while preserving fleeting moments and memories, while capturing moments of our everyday.

A few weeks ago, we got Biscuit’s Brick Puzzle out, which he enjoyed using and we decided to give it a try with Victory to see how she liked it. Victory quickly figured it out the Brick Puzzle! She loves solving these puzzles while we are not at home! Actually, she prefers to solve them in our absence — I guess she does not want any eyes on her while she is working! (However, sometimes, while watching television, we will set up a puzzle for her, and she will often go to work on her puzzle as she is food motivated!) We know that she solves the puzzles as the white dog bones are scattered on the floor and the treats are consumed by the time we arrive home! She is very determined! We use Zukes Mini Natural training treats with the puzzles, which Victory works diligently to uncover while completing these puzzles, which are self-rewarding and keep her engaged. So, as a belated Easter gift, we got Victory two more puzzles — the Tornado Puzzle and the Dog Twister Puzzle. Right now, she has already figured out the Tornado Puzzle! Next up, is the Twister Puzzle. We really like the Nina Ottosson puzzles — you can adjust the difficulty of the puzzles, which is nice, especially when a dog is learning a new puzzle; and they are durable and easy to clean.

Below Victory is working on the Tornado Puzzle! (In these images, she just got a bath and she is fluffy clean — and you can see her furs are really coming in under her belly!)

Happy Friday! Have a great weekend!

Apr 17

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Victory: Photography Project — 56

Beginning in January 2014, I started a weekly photography project with my muse, Victory! I will continue to share this project on the blog this year! My goal is to document all of Victory’s changes, while preserving fleeting moments and memories, while capturing moments of our everyday.

Last weekend, Doug worked really hard and got all of our new deck furniture together. I helped, but Doug did all of the heavy lifting! We love that we have an outdoor space that we can use during the warmer months, which is so serene and peaceful, especially in the evenings — we love watching the sun set, and our deck fortunately faces west! Victory gives her deck two paws up! Last year, she really was not interested in this space. This year, once she is outside, we can’t get her to come back in the house! Victory started using her outdoor bed from Orvis (similar to this) that her brother Biscuit picked out (he literally sat in this bed at the Orvis store) when we visited Vermont and he, unfortunately, never got to use it. This outdoor bed fits Victory perfectly. Victory even felt comfortable enough that she fell asleep in her bed while we were sitting out on the deck one evening earlier this week! Also, our internet works outside, which is great! Below Victory is sunning in her outdoor bed!

Next, after my photo shoots this weekend, we plan to mulch; do some planting; and make flower boxes and planters! We are so happy it feels finally feels like spring is here!

Happy Friday!

Apr 13

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Victory: 18 Months In

During Victory’s first year with us, I documented her monthly milestones along with a weekly photography project, which I continue to document. It is difficult to believe that she has been with us for eighteen months as of yesterday, April 12, 2015! The time goes by so quickly. Victory is my teacher, and life with Victory is so much sweeter! Our fur girl has made great strides since we adopted her on October 12, 2013. Her fur coat has grown and it continues to come in; she is more confident and animated; she loves her chew toys and puzzles; and she loves ‘night-night’! Below are some thoughts about our fur girl, Victory!

-We receive endless love from Victory. She loves us and we love her! Doug especially has a real soft spot for his fur girl, Victory!

-She loves her routine and it keeps us on a schedule with some structure with regards to Victory!

-Victory loves to come into the kitchen when Doug cooks and bakes! She loves getting a few nibbles of our food. It turns out, she loves Doug’s buttermilk pancakes among other things — she is not too discriminating when it comes to food! On the weekends, she loves getting some vanilla yogurt while we eat our breakfast Doug prepared!

-We are convinced that bedtime, ‘night-night,’ is her favorite time of day, when her ‘pack’ is all together! Victory now plays for a good half an hour once we all get into bed as she runs up and down the bed and interacts with us with her paws and mouth — she even makes some noises now when she plays, but still no barking! She has even trained us to get her water in the bed before going to sleep and during the night. Thankfully, Victory mostly wakes Doug up (and not me) by bouncing on his legs at the end of the bed and Doug gets up and gets her water most nights! I know, it is crazy how this fur girl has trained us! We tried putting water on the bathroom floor right off our bedroom, and it never worked — she apparently does not like to leave the bed once she is in for the night! So, she lives like a princess and is quite content with this arrangement!

-Before bed every night, without fail, Victory gives me a partial face wash and Doug an entire face wash. Doug usually falls asleep before me as I usually read before bed, and Victory sometimes keeps going with her washing of Doug’s face even after Doug has fallen asleep! Sometimes, I have to tell her to stop!

-I (we) love going to bed with Victory above my head. She takes turns sleeping on our pillows during the night. She likes to lay against the head-board. Most mornings, when I get up, Victory is above my head or by my side and she gives me kisses when I get up most mornings. She is not a morning pup, and some mornings she looks a little drowsy! Fortunately, she lets us sleep in on the weekends without a problem. It is quite nice on the weekends when we stay up later not having to worry that she will wake us up at the crack of dawn! In fact, we are the ones always to get her out of bed!

-We love traveling with Victory! It would not be the same without her. Hopefully, soon, legislation will be passed so that dogs are permitted on trains, which would provide us with more modes of transpiration and options!

-We love taking Victory on outings with us. She loves the car and she loves coming home — her favorite part of her outing! The garage has a special meaning for her — she loves the garage and she can spot our neighborhood a mile away and she gets so excited!

-We love taking Victory around the neighborhood in her Hound About! She loves it and she loves poking her head through the top. We are currently working on Victory walking more continuously via her training. At home, while we are out for walks, she likes to stop frequently because she hears noises, sees construction trucks, and sees people, etc., which frightens her. Victory is so keenly aware of everything all the time. So, if we want to walk at a decent pace, we have to put her in the Hound About! When she wants to, she is very agile and swift on her feet!

-Victory loves the recently finished deck — it turned out really nice! In fact, last night, when we were sitting outside, Victory fell asleep in her outdoor Orvis bed — this is a first! Last year, she really did not want anything to do with being outside on the deck and she was also not interested in the outdoor bed!

-I love having Victory, my furry companion, at my feet while I am working at my desk/computer. It makes getting work done easier! I love how Victory is always with us.

There are many reasons why we love Victory! Below, to date, is one of my favorite images of Victory! She looks so confident and regal.

In the images below, it is evident how much Victory has physically changed and blossomed over the past eighteen months. (The the top left image was taken by Victory’s foster mom, taken just prior to adopting Victory in the fall of 2013.) Victory is a happy puppy! We love her and I hope that her story will encourage others to consider dog rescue!

Happy Monday!

Apr 10

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Victory: Photography Project — 55

Beginning in January 2014, I started a weekly photography project with my muse, Victory! I will continue to share this project on the blog this year! My goal is to document all of Victory’s changes, while preserving fleeting moments and memories, while capturing moments of our everyday.

We recently went to Princeton for a couple of days, as this is a place Doug has been wanting to visit. We had a nice time together, and the weather was gorgeous! We walked around downtown Princeton; walked around Princeton’s beautiful campus; visited Albert Einstein’s house; and we went to the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS). Victory told us that she is going to apply for a fellowship at the IAS solving puzzles — her favorite pastime! We also visited the Princeton Cemetery and saw the graves of Grover Cleveland and Aaron Burr, amongst others. On the way home, we stopped and had dinner in Delaware at one of our favorite restaurants! Some images from our trip are shown below!

Victory’s puzzles, a belated Easter gift, are on their way — we ordered her this one and this one! She is going to be thrilled when they arrive!

This weekend is full of photo shoots for my photography project; and we are going to get our deck furniture set out and ready to use!

Happy Friday!

Apr 3

2 Comments

Victory: Photography Project — 54

Beginning in January 2014, I started a weekly photography project with my muse, Victory! I will continue to share this project on the blog this year! My goal is to document all of Victory’s changes, while preserving fleeting moments and memories, while capturing moments of our everyday.

Over the weekend, we went to Pennsylvania. We went to Penn State again, Shawnee State Park, including a few other places for my photo shoots for my photography project. Even though it is technically spring, we had snow on our drive up and the temperatures were so cold that we were all wearing our winter gear! Sunday was a bit warmer, thankfully. Victory had a great time and she loved having some vanilla ice cream from the Berkey Creamery ! (We love this ice cream as well!) She also did very well in the hotel and Victory loved looking at the water at Shawnee State Park! Some photos from our weekend in Pennsylvania are below. Our Victory is a beautiful and blossoming little sheltie girl!

In other news, we discovered this week that Victory loves puzzles! She likes to work on a puzzle while we are at the gym in the evenings! She has mastered this puzzle in nothing flat, which she inherited from Biscuit, and we are getting her another puzzle by Nina Ottosson for Easter since she likes it so much; and what is great about these puzzles is that they are instantly self rewarding with hidden treats!

We are headed to Princeton with Victory, and it should be fun!

Happy Friday and Happy Easter!