Dog Photographer

of the year 2011... certainly isn't going to be us! Not with our useless camera and often uncooperative 'models' ;)

But there's no harm in entering, so fingers crossed for us, it's a great thing to do especially with the proceeds going to such a worthwhile charity, the Kennel Club Charitable Trust.

There's also prizes to be won, such as a Pixum canvas print of your pooch and a Lomo camera, the runners up prizes aren't bad either and a friendly competition is always fun :)

To find out everything and anything you could possibly want to know about the competition, including how to enter, clickity click over here!

As info isn't our strong point here, how about we give you a run through of the Hilton's top 10 model-esque tips, that way at least your model is prepared! (Or should that be prepawed?)

1. Look fly! Bathed, brushed and pampered to perfection? Lookin' like one hot dog!
2. If the world is your oyster, then your home, garden and local park can sure be your stage. Try going out and about for some great action shots.
3. Macro, you know how adorable your dogs crinkly nose is, get in close and show the world.
4. A happy dog is your best friend, caught in natural poses, your dogs eyes will shine.
5. Think outside the box. What makes your dog unique? Try to capture their personality in the shot, with poses and props.
6. Faces, your dog has as many emotions as you, use toys and your voice to bring out different expressions and catch them on film.
7. Angles can be your best friend, everyone knows what a dog looks like from above, get creative and be prepared to get a little mucky!
8. A dog is art in it's own right, don't over complicate your shots, let the subject speak for itself.
9. Have fun, if you're taking pictures for your photo album or for a competition, your feelings will show in your shots and most importantly...
10. Be proud of the beautiful dog you call your own and work those cameras!

Best of luck to everyone who enters!

Love & licks,

Rio, Jonny, Buffy, Rafferty, Monroe, Lily and Lola.
xo

ETA - You can check out our entries here!

Lola Dior Hilton.

Ladies and Gentlemen, esteemed members of the Chihuahua-holics Anonymous, may I present to you, Hilton number 5, Miss Lola Dior.

She's here at last and settling in great, she's a spirited little thing but she does love her snuggles. She's tested out our life here at the Hilton Hotel for Chihuahuas and I think she kinda likes it, but to be fair, all that

Eating...

 Playing...

 And just generally looking beautiful...

really takes it out of a girl!

What a life huh?

There'll be a lot more to come soon, including some videos hopefully!

We'll be right back with another post, so hold that thought ;)

Love & licks,

Rio, Jonny, Buffy, Rafferty, Monroe, Lily and of course, Lola.
xo

We're 'Dotti' for dogs!

It's been an eventful week or so at our house, ups and downs, a few sad times, but not things to dwell on here! We'd rather tell you our good news :)

Buffy got a new toy, a 'Dotti', yes it should be shared but Buffy is the toy monster in our house, so it's become her 'Baby' lol. Simple things please simple pups :)

She's taken to snoozing on it too!

Sleeping beauty...

And some news we've been waiting a while to share...

Meet Hilton number 5!

Adorable no?
She's finally coming to live with us this Wednesday, so we thought we'd share the news at last :)
She's Monroe and Lily's half sister! (Same dad for all 3).
Name wise we're torn between Lola and Clover, we might end up doing a poll xD

More pics/vids to come soon!

Love & licks,

Rio, Jonny, Buffy, Rafferty, Monroe and Lily.
xo

Itty bitty piccy post.

Seeing as it's been a few days since our last post, we thought we should do something, well, by we I mean me, the girls aren't exactly computer literate ;)
One thing they are though, in my opinion at least, is adorable...

 Buffy.

 Rafferty.

 Monroe. 

(Sorry about the weird red/glow-y eyes, my camera flash hates me and my red eye corrector wouldn't work :/)

 Lily.

Monroe being a special bunny and sleeping with a nylabone chew bone in her mouth o.o

  

We've got a few family things on over the next few days, so posts might be sporadic/short, but hopefully things will be back to normal soon!

Love & licks,

Rio, Jonny, Buffy, Rafferty, Monroe and Lily.
xo

Hot dogs aren't cool

in cars! Or pretty much anywhere.

Hot dogs are not cool in cars!

You might remember a while ago, back in April, I did a tips based post on keeping your dog cool at home, if you don't remember then you can refresh your memory by clicking -here-. Now however the weather is hotting up even more and people seem to be forgetting that while they enjoy being out soaking up the rays or going for a countryside drive, their furry companion might not so much...

We're seeing an increasing number of dogs left in hot cars and not all are owned by members of the general public, who are perhaps blind to the issues. Some are owned/looked after by professionals, who work with dogs only a daily basis, which makes it even more frightening, proving it can and will happen to anyone who chooses to ignore the facts. To find our more about the recent Police dog losses check out this article. The worst part of this story is the fact he had it happen to him before! We need to learn from the mistakes that have already been made. Sergeant Craven is not the first and sadly I doubt he will be the last. A similar thing happened back in 2009 with Nottinghamshire police. While most take it to be common sense, some owners are neglecting their duties to their dogs. If you cannot take your dog out of the car when you arrive at your destination, please don't put your dog in the car in the first place, leave him/her at home. The car ride is not worth being left in your car, which becomes an oven in minutes. If your dog can't be alone, ask a friend, family member or even a pet sitter to watch them for you.

The Kennel Club are behind a newer campaign to try and raise awareness on the issue, which you can check out in full here - Hot dogs are not cool in cars.

The sun doesn't just bring danger in cars, it brings out a whole host of sun loving critters. Everything from bees and wasps, which can give your dog a severe allergic reaction if they sting your poor pup, to Adders, our only poisonous snake here in the UK. An Adder bite is unlikely to be fatal to us 2 legged folk, but to our 4 pawed friends, the consequences can be life or death. Please contact your vet asap if you think your pup has been stung/bitten! To get an idea of some of the damage caused by Adders, you might want to check this out. Tragic. Please don't let it happen to your furry friend.

Everyone wants to enjoy the summer sun with their beloved pets, so follow the KC's guidelines, feel free to take away anything from my tips and be aware of the potential dangers because a safe, healthy dog is a happy dog and a happy dog is your best friend.

Well wishes,

Love & licks as ever,

Rio, Jonny, Buffy, Rafferty, Monroe and Lily.
xo

Lily update!

It's been a week now since we first took Lily to the vets for her stomach infection and she's pretty much all better :)

We had a rough time with her, she had a fever for 3 days and in the end didn't eat for 5 days :( She lost about 1/4 of a pound, which doesn't sound a lot but she only weighs 3 pounds anyway!

Looking back at the picture of her in our last post, she looks so sick and small, my poor girl. I couldn't be happier to say she's back to her old self and is eating well, so should put the weight back on easily.

 

My dad and step mum fussing the girls, Lily getting extra tlc on my dads knee.

In other news I'm hoping to do another KC related post in the next day or 2 and we'll have some exciting news to share soon as well!

However it's ciao for now from us,

Love & licks as ever,

Rio, Jonny, Buffy, Rafferty, Monroe and Lily.
xo