Original painting of the fun loving “Bosco”, a beautiful Chocolate Labrador Retriever enjoying a day at the beach.
A selected range of quality products featuring this lovely painting of “Bosco at the Beach” can be seen below and are now available for purchase. Ideal Christmas gift for thelabrador lover in your life!
VIEW ALL PRODUCTS FEATURING “”BOSCO AT THE BEACH” LABRADOR DOG ART
Owners of water loving, tennis ball obsessed Jack Russell Terriers will appreciate the familiarity this scene! Digitally hand painted using pressure sensitive tablet and stylus in Corel Painter.
A selected range of quality products featuring this painting of “Jack at the Beach” can be seen below and are now available for purchase.
“Otis”
Tan & White smooth coat
Jack Russell Terrier
Original acrylic painting
8″x10″ on 1.8cm deep gallery wrapped canvas
$135.00 (includes shipping)
10% of your investment in this artwork will be donated to Russell Rescue
"Otis" original acrylic painting by Michelle Wrighton
The painting is continued on all four edges and is ready to hang.
*The copyright watermark is a digital addition to the image below and is not on the original painting.
“Otis” is also available on merchandise and prints, and this is the first time this original painting from my personal collection has been offered for sale.
Border Collies are my favorite breed of dog – we have two and would have a lot more if we could! I know this little painting of a working bred Border Collie would make an excellent Christmas present for any BC lover:)
“Blue”
Border Collie oil painting
5″x7″ on canvas board
$150.00AU inc shipping
10% of your investment in this artwork will be donated to Border Collie rescue
"Blue" Border Collie Oil Painting by Michelle Wrighton
Thanks for looking at my new artwork! Don’t forget, if you would like to see your dog immortalized in a daily Dog Paintings, you can submit a photo of your dog obligation free!
Cheers
Michelle
http://michellewrighton.com
According to Wikepedia The History of the Papillon is actually traced through works of art! The earliest toy spaniels resembling the Papillon are found in Italy. Tiziano Vicelli (Titian) painted these small dogs in many famous paintings including the Venus of Urbino (1542). Other well known artists who included them in paintings are Watteau, Gonzalez Coques, Fragonard and Mignard. In a painting after Largillierre in the Wallace Collection in London, a Papillon is clearly shown in a family portrait of Louis XIV. Papillons are also in paintings of royal families around Europe and paintings of merchant class families. The breed was popular in England, France, and Belgium which are considered counties of origin by the FCI.
This is the first time this original colour pencil painting on drafting film of a delightful little Papillon has been offered for sale and is your chance to own a little bit of Papillon art history!
“Papillon”
Original Artist Colour Pencil painting
by
Michelle Wrighton
9″ x 12″ on drafting film
"Papillon" colour pencil painting by Michelle Wrighton
Please note that the copyright watermark is applied to this digital image only and does not appear on the original.
This is the final update for the Weimaraner portait.
Weimaraner - The grey Ghost
To purchase a variety of wall art, greeting cards and t-shirts featuring my art and photography, Please visit my RedBubble Gallery. Purchases can be made in different currencies (USD, Euro, GBP, AUD) and shipped shipped worldwide.
A variety of wall art, gift ware and apparel featuring my artwork is available in my GiftShop at CafePress.
Things are progressing along, the Fine Art and Photography gallery have now been added, (but they arn’t linked from the front page yet, and the slideshow isn’t working at this stage).
The links page has been set up and split into different categories so that there are not too many links on each page. The Commissions, Prints, gifts and merchandise pages are up, as is the original fine art for sale page, but I havn’t been able to add any pieces yet.
It will be a few more days that I first expected to get everything sorted out with the website, unfortunately we had storm damage from a tornado that went through our neighbourhood nearly two weeks ago and we have had to empty the furniture and contents of half of our house into the other half of the house to get the damaged carpet replaced. As much as I hate doing it, it is a good excuse to de-clutter and get rid of things we no longer use so its going to take longer to get the house re-organised than originally anticipated…great timing of course (not!) as the kids are also on holidays.
I have a number of new oil paintings that I have been working on in between the last few commissions that I have, including some wildlife – a meerkat, a lemur, a snow leopard and a few dogs – a pug, a Rhodesian Ridgeback and a German Shepherd with plans for a German Shorthaired Pointer, a Chinese Crested and a Golden Retriever, as well as a Border Collie agility piece.
At the moment thought, I can’t get into my studio due to the extra furniture that we have had to put in there, so I will post work in progress photos of them when I get the chance. And at some stage if I ever get the time, I need to add some back dated posts about a few awards my artwork won in a show I entered in October last year. I am hoping to finish up all the commissions by August so that I can focus on my own artwork for a while, so I hope there are no more unexpected interruptions in my life!
There is just not enough hours in the day!
Responsible dog ownership starts BEFORE you purchase or adopt your new dog. You should spend as much time as possible researching the different breeds to find which is most suitable to you and your lifestyle, as well as individual breeders before deciding on one that will provide you with a healthy, happy puppy, and as much after sales assistance as you require.
Here are a few other things to keep in mind:
By following the simple suggestions above will help you be a responsible dog owner. And remember, as with most things a little common sense goes a long way!
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To purchase a variety of wall art, greeting cards and t-shirts featuring my art and photography, Please visit my RedBubble Gallery. Purchases can be made in different currencies (USD, Euro, GBP, AUD) and can be shipped worldwide.
A variety of wall art, gift ware and apparel featuring my artwork is available in my
GiftShop at CafePress.
Well dear readers, as you know from reading my previous post Adopting a Rescue Dog we will be adding a new dog to our family sometime in the hopefully not to distant future. Although the time is not right just yet, I can’t help myself and I have been looking at different dog rescue websites and doing a bit of a dog training ‘refresher’ course (gotta be prepared – and yes I would have made a good boy scout. If I was a boy;).
It really saddens me that there are just so many dogs (and other animals) in rescue because they have been treated as if they are ‘disposable’ possessions. I know there are exceptions and some people have legitimate reasons for surrendering an animal (and that is of course a better option that dumping the poor creature somewhere), but many animals end up in rescue because their owners made irresponsible decisions before and after obtaining the animal.
How To Pick a Puppy is the first of several articles that I wrote in 1996 (which are just as relevant today) relating to responsible dog ownership, choices and behaviour that I am going to post on my blog, and I hope that they will help my readers who might also be considering a new addition to the family. If there is any important point you think I have missed, please let me know and I will add it in!
Picking a Puppy
I am a dog lover not a Dog expert, but from a number of years research, reading books, speaking to dog breeders and dog owners I believe that the following will assist you in your selection. I will make NO attempt to suggest suitable breeds, my aim is to help the prospective buyer understand that just because you like the look of a particular breed DOES NOT make it a suitable because there are many variables that need to be considered other than just the appearance of the breed.
Owning a dog is a LIFELONG commitment and there are a number of things that you should think about BEFORE you start looking to make sure you choose the breed of dog that is the right one for you. There may be MANY breeds that are not suitable for your lifestyle, and if you put a little thought into the decision you may save yourself a lot of heartache, not to mention the effects that a wrong decision may have on the poor dog. I believe that if more people thought before they bought we would not have anywhere near the number of abandoned dogs that we do. So, ask yourself these questions…..
WHY DO YOU WANT A DOG?
You need to think about the reasons that you are considering getting a dog. Do you want a companion only, a lap dog, a friend for the kids or a guard dog? What do you want to do with the dog – show, obedience training, hiking, bring in the cows for milking etc? Not all breeds are suitable for every activity.
HOW MUCH TIME PER WEEK DO YOU HAVE TO DONATE TO A DOG?
Different breeds have different time requirements in regards to exercise, grooming and training, and in a lot of breeds, skimping on time spent on the dog can have disastrous effects, for the dog, for yourself and for your possessions.
HOW BIG IS YOUR YARD AND HOW HIGH ARE YOUR FENCES?
This will determine the size of dog you should be looking at. You need to make sure that your dog is not going to be able to get out of your yard and possibly hit by a car, picked up by the pound/ranger or mauled by another dog. Don’t forget that some small breeds of dogs can jump very well. I know of several small Terriers who are able to scale six foot fences, but alternatively, some very large breeds of dogs are not very active and may do well in a small yard.
DO YOU WANT AN INSIDE OR AN OUTSIDE DOG?
This will determine not only the breed, but also the size of the dog you get. If you want an inside dog, consider the size of your house – will a large breed take up every available inch of space? Is a small but very boisterous dog likely to knock over your priceless China collection? Looks and size can be deceiving, many small breeds are not suitable for apartment living due to their activity level, while some of the larger breeds can be excellent for small houses or apartments because they are real couch potatoes.
Other breeds need human companionship and are not suitable for leaving outside all the time, neither are breeds that are not suitable for your environment due to coat length, or susceptability to heat exhaustion.
DO YOU OR ARE YOU PLANNING TO HAVE CHILDREN?
Some breeds are not recommended for young children particularly, and this is a very important question to consider. The wrong choice could permanently disfigure your child for life and result in your dog being destroyed. Unfortunately, there will always be exceptions in every breed and quite often children are not aware of the implications of fulling a dogs ears or tail, so I feel that no matter how much you may trust your dog, never leave children unsupervised with ANY dog until they are old enough to effectively command the dog – I would suggest until the early teens – depending on the child. I know many people would probably disagree with me on this point, but I personally do not think that it is worth the risk to either child or dog.
DO YOU HAVE OTHER PETS?
To avoid bloodshed of dearly loved family pets this is a good point to consider when determining which breed of dog is right for you. Some breeds get on very well with other species, but a lot DON’T so ask the breeder before you buy.
WHAT SORT OF CLIMATE DO YOU LIVE IN?
This is an important consideration for the sake of the dog and really is just common sense. Most breeds that originate in cold climates have very thick coats and will suffer terribly in very hot conditions. Likewise, breeds that have very thin coats, or in the case of some breeds that have very little body hair at all, may be particularly susceptible to the cold – they may also be susceptible to sunburn and skin cancers. If you have a climate controlled house or kennel where the dog will spend most of its time, this may not be such a problem.
HOW MUCH MONEY ARE YOU PREPARED TO REGULARLY SPEND?
Some breeds have a higher maintenance level for food, veterinary assistance, medical tests, grooming and equipment. Every dog requires food, worming, nail clipping, some level of grooming, vaccinations, hopefully sterilization unless you plan to show or breed, and every dog is at risk of unexpected illness and injury. I am not suggesting that only rich people should have dogs, but if you don’t have or are not prepared to spend a great deal of money, then maybe a long haired breed that requires clipping every six weeks and may be susceptible to ear and eye infections because of the long hair, may not be the most suitable breed for you.
WHAT TEMPERAMENT DO YOU WANT?
As with people, dogs have different temperaments, and although no dog will ever match a breed standard 100%, most characteristics, including temperament tend to appear reliably in pure bred dogs. This includes independence – some breeds are very dependant on human company and affection, while others are very independent.
HOW MUCH EXPERIENCE HAVE YOU HAD WITH DOGS?
Some breeds of dogs are very dominant and are not usually recommended for first time dog owners. This is because unless you are able to establish dominance early in puppy hood you and your dog will forever be at odds with each other (and this is NOT achieved by physical abuse). Being able to establish dominance is dependant on your understanding that dogs are pack animals and have a very strong hierarchy, and it is important to understand ‘pack logic’ from the dog’s point of view. Many interesting books and articles have been written on this topic, and it is a great idea to read a few, regardless of which breed you purchase, as they will help you to understand some of your dogs behaviour.
Once you have thought about the above points and anything else that is relevant to you and your family, you should be able to narrow your choices down by doing a bit of research. Surf through the net looking for individual breed pages and FAQ’s, read some books and contact registered Dog Breeders for information.
If you have done all of the above, here are some points when it comes to picking your puppy:
* NEVER BUY ON A WHIM!!!!!!
* NEVER Buy and animal as an unexpected gift or Christmas Present!!!
* DON’T BUY FROM A PET SHOP, PUPPY MILL OR UNREGISTERED BREEDER.
* Telephone the breeders and ask about their breed. Most will be happy to answer any questions you might have, and will advise you of the suitability of their breed to your situation. Don’t be afraid to let the breeder know if you do not have a lot of experience with dogs.
* Go and have a look at several different breeds if you are still not sure which one is right for you. This can best be achieved by attending an All Breed dog show. This will help you decide which breed you like, as well as which breeder’s dogs you prefer.
* Decide if you want a pet or a show quality pup. This may determine how long you have to wait and how much you will have to pay – show or breeding quality pups usually being fewer in number and more expensive.
* Have a look at the health of the other dog’s in the kennel. Are they lively, alert and friendly. (Don’t forget, most kennelled dogs will bark at strangers and some breeds will very rarely look friendly, but you can get a general idea – dogs that look down right viscous might not be good parents for a dog that is going to be a family pet).
* Does the kennel look clean and sanitary?
* Do the dogs react happily to the owner/handler or do they cringe away, snap or growl?
* Puppies should be nicely rounded in shape, without being overly fat or skin and bones.
* Most healthy pups will have shiny, alert eyes and healthy looking coats.
* Check that the puppies are not infested with ticks and fleas.
* Ask to see both parents. It is common for breeders to use a stud dog that they do not own, but they may have photos of the dog. Quite often, the bitch will not look in ‘show condition’ after whelping a litter. The reason for this is that whelping and feeding a litter places huge demands on the bitch, so she may be a little thin (but not skin and bones), and may ‘blow’ her coat (shed) due to the hormonal changes caused by pregnancy and milk production. She should however, still appear happy, lively, confident, interact well with the owner/breeder and show no signs of illness.
* Ask the breeder if they have any references from people who have bought their puppies in the past.
* Make sure that you see all appropriate paperwork including parents pedigrees, medical certificates for tests such as hip dysplasia if this is relevant to the breed, as well as the puppies pedigree papers and vet certificate confirming worming and vaccinations. Be very sceptical of any breeder who is not willing to show you paperwork – if you are unable to see the papers, the breeder may not actually have them! Many people are not concerned about having ‘papers’ for their pet, however, you do want to make sure that if you are paying the price for a pure bred dog, then that is what you are getting. Also, if the breed that you are buying are prone to certain medical conditions, you want to make sure that the parents have been ‘cleared’ by a vet, and the puppies checked (depending on the relevant condition) to ensure that there is the smallest chance possible that the pup you buy will develop the condition.
It is also a good idea to ask to see the membership card for the canine controlling body (Kennel Council) for the state/country that you are in.
REMEMBER: It is ultimately your responsibility to research the breeds you are interested in as well as the individual breeder that you finally purchase from. While it is your right to ask as many questions as possible, it is also the breeders right (and responsibility) to ask you questions as well, so don’t be offended if the breeder gives you the third degree!
Finally, if you do not want or cannot afford a pedigree dog from a registered breeder, there are many reputable dog rescue services that you can adopt from rather than obtaining a dog from a pet shop or backyard breeder. You can obtain a dog of any age from a rescue, (pure breed or mixed) and usually the people who run the rescue will be able to give you some information about each dog they have. If you adopt a dog from a rescue, you may well save it from being destroyed, particularly the older or not so ‘pretty and cute’ dogs which usually don’t get adopted quickly. If you would really like to make a difference to a rescue dog, you might also consider giving a dog that has been mistreated and abused a comfortable, loving home for the remainder of its days – you would be amazed at the love and devotion that you will receive in return.
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To purchase a variety of wall art, greeting cards and t-shirts featuring my art and photography, Please visit my RedBubble Gallery. Purchases can be made in different currencies (USD, Euro, GBP, AUD) and can be shipped worldwide.A variety of wall art, gift ware and apparel featuring my artwork is also available in my
GiftShop at CafePress.
How exciting! I started considering to getting a second dog a couple of years ago, and decided about a year ago that it was the right thing to do, unfortunately it hasn’t been the right time, but hubby and I have been discussing it and I am hoping that we will be able to adopt a new dog into our family later this year! Personally I’d get one today, but being realistic, we do need to extend our fenced area first to make room for another dog (Tia spends very little outside by herself).
I am blogging about this because I know that if I put it in writing and send it out to the universe, the right dog will come along. Yes I maybe weird but I do believe in this like that;) As it is becoming closer to being a reality, I have started looking for information and reading up on different breeds because dog ownership is a lifetime commitment, and I believe it is critically important to research and find the right breed/dog to suit your lifestyle, environment and time commitments and not make spur of the moment decisions based on a pair of liquid brown eyes imploring you to take them home!
So I thought that if I blog about the process that I am going through to find our new family member, it might a) help someone else thinking of doing the same thing and b) I’d love suggestions of breeds (mixes) that I might not have considered.
I would prefer to adopt an older rescue dog but if I was to get a puppy from a breeder, I would make sure that it was from a reputable registered breeder that carried out any medical checks, eye testing, hip/elbow x-rays for hip dysplasia etc for any medical conditions that are prevalent in the breed. While that might not guarantee a healthy puppy, it at least indicates that the breeder is interested in the breed and in breeding healthy puppies rather than in the $ they will get for selling them.
This is why it is important to research breeds before you buy, so that you know what medical tests should be conducted on the parents BEFORE they are allowed to have puppies.
I would NEVER buy a puppy from a pet shop, no matter how sorry I felt for it, or how much I wanted to save it. That may sound terrible from someone who loves animals, but buying an animal from a pet shop is supporting and encouraging a purely profit driven industry of breeding companion animals under inhumane conditions in puppy farms and mills – and yes these atrocities do happen here in Australia. As far as I am concerned pet shops should only be allowed to sell pet supplies, not animals, and that topic deserves a future post all of its own, but in the mean time, if you would like to know more, please visit Say No To Animals in Petshops
Ok, I’ll hop of my soapbox now.
Back to my original topic, not making a spur of the moment decision has really given me plenty of time to consider the important things that will (or won’t) make an individual dog suitable for our family.
First and foremost, with children aged 6-12 years, one female, couch potato Shar-Pei and two cats (one is very timid, hates our other cat and both love our dog) and all three are inside pets. Therefore, especially if its an older dog, our new family member *must* be kid and animal friendly. Gentle and well mannered. We have a lot of wildlife around and I’d like to get a couple of chooks next year as well, so we will be looking at an older dog without a prey drive, although it is easier to train a puppy when it is young, as long as the drive is re-directed in appropriate ways.
Mixed breed or purebreed, either would be ok. I do have a slight preference for male dogs (from previous experience), but gender is not that important. I like big dogs (think mastiffs, dogue de bordeaux and Irish Wolfhounds), but medium size is definitely more appropriate. Short coat preferred, although feathering or medium length would be ok, I’m not sure I am up for daily grooming for a rough collie or old english sheepdog type coat.
House trained would be a big bonus, especially as an adult would be easier than a puppy. The kids would like a dog that likes water and plays fetch for hours with a ball – our shar-pei Tia dosn’t think she is a dog, I think she would actually prefer to have been a cat and I am hoping that another dog in the house will allow her to discover her ‘doggy-ness’. It would be great to have a dog that likes going in the car to the beach (where I am sure Tia will sit on her towel and just watch!).
Exercise wise, we live in a very quite street on just over half an acre, so plenty of room to run around…although it is not all fenced so a dog that is happy to follow the kids as they play rather than being interested in exploring the neighborhood would be great. Ability for off lead excersize (bushwalking, dog beach) is a bit of a priority as well. Now I know that is a training issue, but in general, it does rule out many breeds such as sight hounds and many terriers. Daily walks are fine (at some stage I would like to start jogging again) but a high energy dog that requires five hours running a day would not be suitable due to time constraints.
I work from home, so the animals arn’t left for long periods of time, 5-6 hours occasionally is the maximum time I am away from home. This also means I have plenty of time for training, and I have experience with obedience training (trained my ACD to competition level although we never actually did competition). I would also attend obedience training if necessary, but feel quite capable of doing it myself.
Personality: Definitely looking for a gentle affectionate dog that is willing and eager to please rather than an independent thinker that needs 24 hour a day mental stimulation.
Border Collies have been a definite consideration, but this rules out many older dogs in rescue with true BC natures that have not been looked after and trained properly, so maybe a BC cross. I love Australian Cattle Dogs, although not all of them would fit the criteria unfortunately, but maybe an individual dog or a cross would. Kelpie or Kelpie cross is also on the list. I can see a pattern developing here. I think its the devotion that I have experienced and seen from working dog breeds I have owned or known.
Does anyone have any other suggestions? I would love to hear other peoples experiences (both good and bad) with adopting an older rescue dog into their family. And if you know of any good information websites, please let me know.
Cheers
Michelle
