Happy Thanksgiving Dogs and Cat

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Here is a picture of me with my 2 black Labs (Eponine and Tallulah), my yellow Labrador (Marius) and our calico cat (Helen) during a break in cooking on Thanksgiving Day. We all ate well, drank good wine, watched football and gave thanks for our many blessings. Helen is a rescue cat who turned up under a box on the porch at Jim's camp 5 years ago. She mostly tolerates us and conspires to make us wait on her every whim, but I know deep down she is thankful to live here. We try to get her to earn her keep by posing for and inspiring designs in her own on-line store called Dame Helen's Cat Shop. (Her full title is Dame Helen of Hector.) The dogs, on the other hand, are always full of cheer and happy to help in creating fun Labrador Retriever and dog art on t-shirts, greeting cards, and gifts for your dog loving friends and family. Shop now through Nov. 28th and save $15 on your purchase of $50 or more! Use coupon code: FRFAM2007

For truly unique gifts shop my original Lab paintings, sculpture and art. You will also find designs on silk scarves for wine and flower lovers and custom ideas for that special someone.

Black Lab, Yellow Lab & Chocolate Lab Christmas Cards

Start your holiday season's greetings with fun black, yellow or chocolate Labrador Retriever Christmas cards! Here is a sample of my chocolate Lab stealing Santa's Hat. You will also find yellow Labs ice skating, and black Labs sledding fast downhill. Don't worry, there are black, yellow and chocolate Labs doing all 3, as well as other funny and more traditional cards in my OtterTail Art for Dog Lovers Shop. In addition to cards I have many silly and sincere Labrador Retriever art designs on products from t-shirts to mugs, ornaments to framed prints. All will make great gifts for dog people of every age on your shopping list. If you are looking for fine art giclee prints of Labrador Retriever paintings, please visit my print-on-demand Labrador dogs and flowers gallery. You can choose from a variety of paper types and sizes or canvas and you can select to have your artwork matted and framed before it is shipped. Best of all, visit my website for original OtterTail Labrador Retriever Art.

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Greeting Cards

Here is a new dog design for Christmas and winter holiday greetings. This fun Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever art was created by special request. Tollers are cute red dogs with some long hair feathering and white chest, paws, blaze and perhaps a tip on the tail. Tell you Toller lover friends to visit my shop for Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever cards and gifts along with Labrador Retriever art, gifts and cards. It's getting to be that busy, festive time of year. Enjoy your holiday shopping in comfort while finding unique, original art for dog lovers by shopping online and ordering directly from the artist.

Fishing Labrador Retriever Design in Wood

We have been cutting my OtterTail Lab Art designs in wood items since 1987. This is my Fishing Dog design. Others include Diving Dog, Dog in Cattails which features birds in flight, Pheasant in the Corn, Swimming Dog, and Friends. You can see some examples of our Labrador dogs in wood on my OtterTail Labrador Art website. We use only quality hardwoods - primarily cherry, maple and black walnut, finished with a hand-rubbed oil to bring out the natural beauty of the wood. Every design is hand drawn and individually cut with a scroll saw, so we can take into account the unique grain on each piece of wood and easily customize pieces for special gifts for dog lovers. This picture shows a cherry peg rack which will be a trophy at the up-coming Labrador Retriever Club of the Potomac Bare Bones Specialty 2007. Other trophies for this year's show include a black walnut peg rack with my Diving Dog design and cherry and black walnut cork boards with my 3 Friends design. These are in addition to the custom dog design tile keepsake boxes featured in this blog last month. Other wood items we make include shelves, serving trays, and our very popular picture frames.

We are happy to create custom OtterTail Lab Art pieces for gifts, trophies or your own home decorating. Please allow plenty of time when ordering as all of our dog artwork is made by hand with love and care.

Adopt a Rescue Labrador Retriever - or foster one!

Meet Jake - our current foster dogs. He is a purebred black Labrador Retriever who was saved from a kill-shelter in Kentucky. Jake is 6 years old and the poor guy was surrendered by his elderly owner who felt they could no longer take care of him. It's a shame, because that owner had obviously been doing a good job. Unlike most shelter dogs, Jake came to us in excellent shape. He is very fit, has clean teeth and ears and a shiny coat. Jake is a gentle sweetheart and I hate to think he might have been killed for lack of another home. He gets along well with our other dogs and cat. He is house trained and crate trained, and not at all destructive. Unfortunately, large black dogs are the least likely to be adopted, so we may be fostering Jake for some time to come. Jake is a neutered male, up to date on vaccinations and heartworm preventative, and lovable in many ways! We are volunteering for a Lab rescue group based in Rochester, NY called Rudy's Rescue for Labrador Retrievers. The area we cover is quite large, although we do require home checks for all potential foster homes and adopters. But we also work with other rescue groups who can do home checks for people out of our immediate area. If you are interested in helping these wonderful dogs in need, please contact Rudy's Rescue through our web site or any of the many other rescue groups working to save homeless dogs all across the country.

Another great way to help rescued dogs is with your donation or by shopping for Labrador Retriever t-shirts, home decorative items, art and gifts in the designated sections of my shop (including one for which 100% of profits are dedicated to LabMed) or visit Rudy's Rescue Store, which I maintain. I have also donated most of the designs. There are many ways dog lovers can help and every bit, no matter how small, is greatly appreciated.

Dog Show Trophies and Custom Gifts

I have been providing custom pieces for dog show trophies, judges gifts, and awards for about 20 years. This example is a tile-topped wood box created for the Labrador Retriever Club of the Potomac Bare Bones Specialty Show coming up in October. These boxes are provided by and tiles printed by my professional print-on-demand company. In this case I supply the custom artwork to be applied to a wide variety of products. To see more of the products and gift items available visit my OtterTail Art for Dog Lovers Shop.
Most of the Labrador and dog show trophies we have created over the years have been original pieces made by my husband and me - particularly our wood OtterTail Lab Art items. In addition to conformation trophies, we have made many obedience trophies, hunting test and field trial awards, club awards for outstanding members and versatile Labradors, and judges gifts. Of course, we are also happy to make special pieces for any Labrador lovers' Christmas, holiday or special occasion gifts. And, we're not just for Labs - we have designs to delight dog lovers of all types. Here is an example of a general dog design. Since this is also a trophy for the LRCP Bare Bones show (all-breed obedience is being offered), I created a unique design that features bones!

Training Tips for Labrador Retrievers and other dogs

For years I have been writing training tips in articles, letters and emails. I thought it was about time to make my efforts available to anyone who might just need the tips I have to offer, so here is my first entry. Please note, I am NOT soliciting questions - I volunteer tons of time to a Lab rescue organization adopters, fosters and friends. The tips shared here are free for the taking .. or not - as always, use your own best judgement regarding whether my tips fit your needs and never do anything with your dog that makes you uncomfortable. There are many ways to approach every training situation. Mainly, like my Labs themselves, I like to have fun! There will be no particular order to my training posts. Some will be for puppies and/or first time dog owners and some will be for experienced trainers, dog sport competitors, and rescue dog rehabilitaters. So here we go!

(Names will be changed to protect the guilty :-).)
Problem: Nora is ignoring the chewies and her designated stuff in favor of tearing up pillows, her crate bed, and other soft items. Sometimes she retrieves the items, sometimes she shreds them. We scold her for ripping the pillows, but she still does.

Tip: That's typical for a young Lab. They do have a high need for human attention. If chewing and playing with her own toys gets ignored, but tearing up pillows gets attention - even if negative - then pillows it will be. I suggest you play with the Nora's toys with her, and tell her how wonderful they are and make a fuss when she is doing the "right thing". If she only gets noticed when she is being naughty, then she will be naughty. And it all starts innocently - she rips a pillow as a puppy mistake and it gets lots of attention vs. she bites her bone and no one notices because she is being good and owners don't realize they need to "make note" that she IS being good. Labs are needy. It is important to make a little celebration about all of her good behaviors at first - not just ignore them. Labs love to be praised - that little effort you take to tell them when they are just being good, whether it's being quiet, chewing a bone, sleeping in their crate, whatever - that little positive reinforcement can make all the difference for a Lab - especially a puppy. It takes concerted effort and training for most people because it is so easy to ignore them when they are being good or think "phew, the Lab is finally quiet" and not make note of it to the Lab. But that is what they really need - that is what they thrive on. The "secret" to Labs is that they are needy - pay attention to the behaviors you want to see more of, because you will see more of the behaviors you pay attention to!

Enjoy your dog! Labs just want to have fun - Share the Spirit!

See some of my OtterTail Labs having fun and inspiring my OtterTail Labrador Retriever Art.

New Labrador Retriever Christmas Card

Here is my first new design for 2007 dog holiday cards. This is a digital painting of a black Lab catching snowflakes on her tongue. There are 2 choices of verses inside. One says "Enjoy the Moment. Happy Holidays" and the other says "Share the Wonders of the Holiday Season". Many of my Labrador Christmas cards are now available to purchase individually or in sets of 10 or 20. They are professionally printed on your choice of matte or glossy stock. Please visit my OtterTail Art for Dog Lovers Shop greeting card section to see all of my available Lab and dog holiday designs. More new Lab Christmas cards will be added this season. The black Lab who modeled for this greeting card was my own OtterTail Silky Bonnie Blue. To see more of my Labrador models and dog art please visit OtterTail Lab Art.

Another Wonderful Labrador Crosses Rainbow Bridge

We said good-bye to our oldest dog, Dave, on 17 August after 15 happy years. Pumpkin Dave, as he was affectionately known, is running fast again - his favorite activity - over Rainbow Bridge. This picture was taken during one of his last stays at my husband's hunting camp. He wore his camo dogdanna so he would fit in with the boys. You can see by the Labrador smile on his face that it was a fun time for him, even in his old age. We will miss you Pun'kin Dave, but we know you are happy to be running again. Run like the Wind!!!

Back to School Dog Students

Get ready for another fun year of learning with my new back to school Labrador designs. Labs love to learn, so it's no surprize they are excited about the up-coming start of school. Here is my black Lab on his way to classes with a backpack that says "School is Cool". He joins his chocolate and yellow friends as well as a black Lab, yellow Lab and chocolate Lab wearing book bags that say "Teacher's Pet" - a fun twist on words. Whether you are a student or a teacher or a classroom helper or tutor, these simple dog designs will make lessons more fun for everyone. There are also products to decorate your classroom or for great gifts for teachers, students or anyone who helps someone learn something new. Visit my OtterTail Art for Dog Lovers Shop for your next back to school supplies.

Shop Now!! For a limited time we are offering a sale - buy 3 shirts and get one free!

Our Oldest Labrador Retriever

Happy Birthday, Dave! On Sunday, 8 July 2007, our OtterTail Decathlon Dave celebrated his 15th birthday. Dave is our longest living Lab (or any dog) to date, although he is not the oldest OtterTail. Maggie, a Labrador puppy from my first litter, lived to 16 years, 10 1/2 months. Our old man, who has always been affectionately call "Punkin' Dave", spends most of his time sleeping these days. We will continue to wait on his every need as long as he wants to stay with us. He enjoyed some grilled steak and extra carrots (his real favorite) as birthday treats. Dave, as his name suggests, was born during the 1992 olympics. Though he was named for the decathlete, Dave Johnson (which also happened to be the name of a friend of ours), his very favorite "event" was running. When Dave was younger he loved to run as fast as he could for as long as he could. Then he would catch his breath and run some more. He would have been an olympic runner if he could. Happy Birthday, Dave - we all love you!

Patriotic Dogs - Fun For All

Happy Independence Day to US friends celebrating the 4th of July! Here is my patriotic "Go Fast Dog" starting the festivities early. He's running to spread joy like many Labrador Retrievers do just for fun. This silly dog is a stars and stripes digital manipulation of my original drawing. The red, white and blue design is available on t-shirts, clothing, mugs and other products in my OtterTail Art for Dog Lovers Shop and comes in different colors for holidays and everyday. He can also be found stealing Santa's hat in popular black Lab, yellow Lab and chocolate Lab versions in the holiday section of my shop. May we all feel the joy of living and value our freedom the way well-loved Labrador Retrievers do!

Adopt a Rescue Dog

This is my current foster dog, Molly Sue. I am fostering her for Rudy's Rescue which is a Labrador Retriever rescue group based in Rochester, NY. I don't know how much Lab she has in her (she is a hound-doggy mix), but she is a real sweetie who was saved from a kill shelter in Kentucky. She is barely 6 months old and will make some family a wonderful companion. She is as affectionate and attentive as a good Labrador and likes to swim in our pond. At barely 30 lbs she is not the least bit timid to 'run with the big dogs'. I like this silly picture of her. She reminds us of the cute black sister to the Grinch's dog, Max, (as drawn by Dr. Seuss) so for fun we are calling her Molly Sue Who.

She has had lots of training since she arrived and that alone would make her adoption price worthwhile. Add in the fact that she is such a fun little dog and that 100% of the donation goes to help save other dogs in need and it is clear that adopting a rescue dog is a great way to find a good friend and make a difference. Wherever you are there are dogs needing loving homes and rescue groups working to save them.

I plan to make some new Labrador Retriever and dog paintings to help raise funds for Rudy's Rescue. Check back for sneak peaks and updates.

Fine Art Prints of my Dog Paintings

I am excited to announce a new option for buying fine art prints of some of my dog paintings and flower photographs. I now have a Dogs and Flowers gallery on ImageKind. They use high quality printers and inks on a variety of fine art papers or canvas. You can choose exactly what you want and even have the pictures matted and framed in one easy step. Canvases can be stretched with wrapped corners, ready to hang. Use your credit card for added convenience. Satisfaction guaranteed!!

This painting entitled "Wine is Best Shared with Friends 2" is one of my popular Lab prints that is available. The original Labrador Retriever painting is acrylic on canvas panel, framed in a custom hardwood frame. It is available directly from me (OtterTailArt.com).

ImageKind is an exciting new outlet for my art prints. I have prints and posters available through my OtterTail Art for Dog Lovers Shop, my gallery on Sistino, and my gallery on Art.com. ImageKind offers a greater selection of fine art quality products that I hope will please my classiest customers. They all make great gifts for dog lovers - Gardeners and flower lovers too! More designs will be added soon.

Beauty Sleep Black Labrador Painting

Another painting for my "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" series, this one is called "Beauty Sleep". A pretty black Labrador Retriever sleeps soundly on a pink pillow. She is a simplified, abstract painting capturing the feeling of the moment. The model was my OtterTail Eponine - always a picture of beauty in my eyes. This would be a great picture for any bedroom or nursery or any quiet room in your house and a charming gift for dog lovers. The original acrylic on 16" x 20" stretched canvas (unframed) is currently available. Prints can be purchased in a variety of sizes and on different papers to suit every need. Order prints (completely matted and framed if you like!) from Amy's Gallery on ImageKind or Amy's Gallery on Sistino or my OtterTail Art for Dog Lovers Shop.

Prints of Paintings and Photographs

I have a new exciting gallery started where you can buy quality fine art prints of some of my photographs and paintings. They have a great variety of papers or canvas to choose from for your print as well as custom mats and frames if you prefer to have the artwork delivered complete and ready to hang. The name of my new online gallery is Dogs and Flowers - 2 things I love! Click on the name for a sneak preview.

So far I am using this gallery for some of my flower photographs. Soon I will add my most popular Labrador Retriever dog paintings. If you have a favorite that you would like included in this new print on demand art service, please email me with your request. Many of my Labrador paintings are also available as prints on Sistino, Art.com, and my OtterTail Art for Dog Lovers Shop. Each site offers a variety of media and quality of prints with or without frames.

The floral photography I have added to my new Dogs and Flowers Gallery on ImageKind.com are pictures I took in my garden at OtterTail Farm. Gardening is another of my loves - after my dogs, of course. I have many lovely sunset, clouds and interesting sky pictures and seasonal landscape photos I will be adding to my various galleries as well. I hope you will think of my OtterTail Labrador Art as well as my flower and nature photographs when you are looking for unique gifts for dog lovers, gardeners or anyone who enjoys beautiful landscapes and sunsets.

New Labrador Retriever Painting

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie. That is the name of my new series of Labrador Retriever paintings. This picture of a snoozing yellow Lab is titled "A Head Pillow Is Nice". It is done in my simplified style, capturing the essence of the moment. The model was my charming boy, OtterTail Marius. The original is available for sale and is acrylic on 16" x 20" stretched canvas. Prints, framed prints and posters are available in a variety of sizes through my OtterTail Art for Dog Lovers Shop as well as my galleries on Art.com, Sistino and Artist Rising. To purchase this original Labrador painting or any of my other dog art please visit OtterTail Lab Art and contact me.

Labradors like jobs

Tallulah decided helping me do poop patrol should be one of her jobs. She carries the shovel for me as I scan the yard. I always enjoy letting my Labradors help with the chores. Tallulah offered to carry the shovel one day, so I let her have it, praised her for carrying it, called her to me when I needed it and gave her a click and treat for delivering. It was that easy. Now she helps out everyday. I can just drop the shovel anywhere and she will get it for me or I hand it to her between "uses". I love to teach my dogs tricks and jobs by capturing behaviors they offer and turning them into something useful or silly. Teaching anything makes them smarter and better learners and they are never too young or too old to learn. Tallulah has been doing this since she was 10 or 11 months old. My yellow Labrador, Marius, began carrying his puppy bowl around when he was 5 weeks old. I clicked and treated that and turned it into delivering to hand and he has been collecting all of the empty bowls after meals for me for the last 10 years! He loves that job and insists on doing it (and knows not to approach any other dog's bowl until they have finished and left it). I have had 2 other dogs decide they could do that job too once they saw Marius get clicked and treated for it. The others taught themselves. Have fun with your dog and give them a job today!

Labrador Retriever Silk Scarf

This is one of my newest hand-painted silk scarves. My "6 Lab Heads" series has been very popular. This is only the second one I have made with black, yellow and chocolate Labradors and the first one is my own, so I expect there is a Lab lover with fashion style who will be craving this one! It is 8"x54" crepe de chin, 100% silk. I have another new 6-heads scarf on my web site and a 3rd one on china silk being finished which will go on soon. You can see them and many of my others by visiting my hand-painted silk scarf page.

I love painting on silk. The colors flow and spread, which can also be a problem, but when they go the way you want them to it's great fun. Silk is such a nice fabric to wear by your skin I can't resist having a large collection of my scarves myself. Silk is also much tougher than many people think. All of my scarves are washable, you can even throw them in the machine, but I do hand-wash mine in warm to hot water. Rinse with a little liquid softener for extra silkiness, lay flat on a towel to blot, then iron while damp to dry and it's ready to go.

I do custom designs on silk scarves too, so if you want a unique gift of original art or a special fashion statement of your own contact me. I am happy to paint colors of your choice in my existing designs as well.

Silky smooth sailing till next time!

Yellow Labrador Retriever Painting

Here is a painting of Reilly Blue that I decided to do as a memorial for our good friends and his last family. It is acrylic on watercolor paper. I did it in a somewhat more realistic style than I usually paint. Fixing red eye is a challenge and I always prefer to remove the collars. I also posed him sitting instead of lying down. The colors of my dog paintings do not always look the same on-line as they do in real life, but I think you can see his likeness. Prints of Reilly Blue will be available through my OtterTail Art for Dog Lovers Shop, as well as greeting cards and other products.

I have been painting silk scarves since I finished this Labrador portrait. Painting on silk is always fun because the colors flow so freely. Once those are all complete and photographed I will be rebuilding my hand-painted silk scarf page of my web site. There are silk scarves for dog lovers, wine and grape lovers and those who simply like colors and silk. I hope you will visit!