Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Sepia Saturday #111 - It's A Dog's Life!

This is a very busy week for me, my parents are coming for a visit and between my job and getting my house ready I don't have a lot of free time, but when I heard what this week's theme was at Sepia Saturday how could I resist?  I have had a lifelong love affair with dogs.  I was the child that was always dragging home stray dogs and asking, "Can I keep him, please MOM?" I'm still doing that today with shelter dogs only now I just bring them home and wait for the fallout from hubby later.  He eventually caves and falls in love as well.

This is a picture I picked up on eBay of a sweet little girl with her precious pug.  She seems to be around ten years old and she looks fiercely protective of her baby.  The little dog looks extremely alert and the pose was perfect.  I just love this picture and was so happy to get it.  It kind of reminds me that children have always loved their pets no matter what the era.  It was cut down on the sides and there is no photographer's mark. There is no identification of the subject, just another sad mystery of the past.  Due to the type of the frame I am estimating this was taken between 1895 - 1905.



I posted the next picture in a previous post but thought it deserved a re-post.  The picture shows William Stump in his hunting clothes and rifle with his adoring hunting dog.  The dog was obviously very well trained.  On the back it said, "Harry and his dog."  This photograph also had no photographer's mark so I could not identify the location.  Due to the beveled edges with gold gilting I dated it between 1892 - 1900.  There were too many William and/or Harry Stumps in Ancestry.com for me to be able to narrow it down.


Greyfriars Bobby, Edinburgh, Scotland
There is no animal more loyal than a dog and nowhere is this more evident than the story of Greyfriar's Bobby of Edinburgh, the Skye terrier who slept by his master's grave every night for fourteen years until his own death in 1872.  This story has always brought tears to my eyes and I was fortunate enough to finally go to Scotland two years ago and see his resting place for myself.


Greyfriars Bobby:
Died 14th Jan 1872
Aged 16 years
Let his loyalty & devotion
Be a lesson to us all.

Teresa & Bebe ca 1959
Dogs of my Past:   Bebe, Ripley, Kimmie and Roxie:    As I mentioned before I have had a lifelong love of dogs and have had many four-legged friends over the years.  Here are pictures of just a few.

Ripley ca 1998




Roxy ca  1979
Kimmie ca 1965





Bailey was the most recent of my dogs to leave me and he went much too soon dying of cancer at the age of six.   Rest in peace little buddy - I still miss you so much!

Bailey 2004


Here is my crew today:  Riley and Salsa (both shelter dogs)

Riley & Salsa - Good Buds!  2007

and Chloe our Queen Bee who rules the roost!

Chloe 2011 age 9
I guess you don't really own a dog, you rent them, and you have to be thankful that you had a long lease.  

Joe Garagiola



26 comments:

  1. A really enjoyable post Teresa and as endearing as that sepia photo of the little girl and her pug is, the one of you with Bebe beat it hands down. It’s a more natural pose and we can see how much that dog was loved. I thought all the other pictures were great too. The Greyfriars Bobby story is a favouite of mine and a good standby for morning assembly (in my headteacher role); the chidren loved it and there were also some good teaching points to draw from it.

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    1. Thanks for your kind words. I love that picture of me and Bebe as well and amazingly remember that dog very well even though it was many years and many dogs ago.

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  2. I love old photos and I like your first one very much. It's my impression that photos with dogs or pets are rare - I don't know if that is truly so.

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    1. I don't know that old photo's with pets were "rare" but it is true there aren't as many of them and I know they go for more money on eBay as evidenced by my wallet!

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  3. Yes, the photo of you does look more natural then the first one. The little girl there almost looks blind to me.

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  4. I love the first photo. I can see a definite resemblance between the girl and her dog.

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  5. Because of my daughter's Yellow Labs I have to vote for Riley. Lovely dogs one and all. I was brought up on stories of Greyfriars Bobby - and Lassie, of course. If its eyes had not been so bright I would have said the dog in that first photo was worried - look at the furrows beteween its eyes.

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    1. Yes, Labs have always been a favorite of mine as well, this one is our second.

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  6. I have 2 favorites here -- the hunter with his sporting dog -- what a great pose! and Riley and Salsa -- 2 totally different breeds but same coloring, kind of a "Mini Me" moment.

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    1. He actually is kind of a "Mini Me". He follows Riley everywhere and had to do everything Riley does.

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  7. This is such a very wonderful post! Thank you for sharing your furbaby pictures with us, along with the great sepia ones.

    Hope you have a great weekend,

    Kathy M.

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  8. William Stump has a strange look in his eyes. He looks a bit like a mad killer. The picture and story of Bailey made me feel sad (he looks so cute), luckily the last two photos were fun.

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    1. He does have a funny look in his eyes, I kind of wondered if he wasn't cross-eyed. Yes, Bailey was very cute and lovable and we miss him very much.

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  9. What a bunch of great photos. The old one of the girl with the pug is especially interesting. Pugs are obviously very popular now, but I think they were also popular right at the turn of the century. i have some old pug postcards, but have never seen one in an old portrait. The photo of you with Bebe is wonderful.

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  10. Oh you and Bebe are just adorable, as are all your other dogs and photos too. Thanks for sharing it all!

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  11. What a grand post this is - a Crufts of a post. There is something special about those old photographs of owner and dog, some way in which the camera not only captures the image but also the bond between the two.

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  12. The picture of the hunter & his dog is a treasure. That is a great pose.
    Animals from the shelter are the best. Our cats are from the shelter & we love them to bits.
    Colleen
    http://www.pasqualefamily.net/web/

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    1. I think shelter pets are the best too - I have decided I will never have any other pet, but one from a shelter.

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  13. My Grandmother had a pug dog so I always have a soft spot for them. I would guess that Riley lets Chloe rule the roost, Labrador are such laid back dogs.

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    1. You hit the nail on the head, Chloe terrorizes the other two dogs, no matter that they are bigger than her. She is definitely the alpha dog.

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  14. I have to agree with Little Nell that the photo of you and Bebe is wonderful!

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  15. The pug and the little girl in the top photo share an expression of determination. You have some great photos here.

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  16. A terrific medley. The first pug looks very different than the pugs I see today. Less stub nosed. Dog breeds have evolved and early photographs are a way of seeing earleir versions of popular breeds. My blog's first photo is of a west highland terrier c.1903 but the breed was not officially named until 1908.

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  17. What a lovely variety of photos. I think Roxy is particularly cute! I live near Edinburgh and visited Bobby's grave not so long ago - people leave sticks for him and there's always a little heap by his headstone. Jo (imagespast.wordpress.com)

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  18. Great collection and Chloe looks like a riot!!
    :D~
    HUGZ

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