grizabella

I had a lovely day at the zoo today, the chimps were loving the sunshine and just enjoying life. Galatea and Hannah by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Tsotsi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Tsotsi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Gombe and Galatea, Hannah and Sandali by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Galatea by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Enzi is growing like a weed, and today he was stomping around and displaying like the big guys do! Enzi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Enzi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Zuri is a big girl now, and kind of reminds me of a Great Dane puppy with her long limbs and huge feet. She is going to be an impressive chimp when she grows up, no doubt about it. Enzi and Zuri by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Zombi and Zuri by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Zombi and Zuri by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

Ooh, he's terribly handsome! Week 27/56 It was a beautiful day today, and Zuri was soaking up the sun while being pampered by her mum. Zuri by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

How did Silkens slip my mind? I have no doubt I'm someday, somehow have one of those little beauties in my life! There's something so charmingly pixie-like about them.

Week 26/54: Saluki baby! His name is Bowie, and he's lined up for regular playdates with Bella! Am I smitten? Yes, yes I am. Bowie by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

Haha, oh no! I'm a crazy food lady too, so I totally get it. If only I worried about my own diet as much as I did my dog's....

I've looked up what meat meal is, the concentrated, rendered product; I'd rather have that as a main ingredient over grains or legumes. All meat in kibble is processed, so as long as I'm told what the meat is, and there are no by-products, a meat meal is about as good as you're going to get. Certainly if you can afford it, non-kibble dried foods such as ZiwiPeak or Absolute Holistic are miles and miles ahead.

*gasp!* Wash your mouth out! Hyenas are gorgeous- and crazy intelligent. I guess beauty really is in the eye of the beholder, haha! Painted dogs are stunning too, but much stinkier than hyenas in my experience. :P Gamba by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Mkoko by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Back on the subject, my overseas doggy love is the Hovawart; absolute stunners! http://en.happybowwow.org/xovavart_default.htm

I'd love to feed ZiwiPeak or something similar, but as it's dried raw rather than kibble it's too pricey for me! I feed a combination of Prime100 fresh rolls with Taste of the Wild High Prairie (which has a higher meat content than other varieties. I'm going to try other brands of kibble as well, namely Healthy Everyday Pets (Pete Evans... in a ugly as heck package, but very highly rated) and Prime100 ZeroG (not yet released). I do like the look of Stay Loyal as well.

25/56 My girl. <3 Bella by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

Yes, he had a strange spot. It's been kept an eye on and is much smaller now, like a little pimple. I'm relieved it wasn't anything to worry about in the end. You can just about see a little pimply spot in the photos at the top of the page, which is what's left of the wart/spot/growth.

The results of fights. He lost one the first time he lost his position as alpha male (at Wellington Zoo) and the other the second time (at Monarto). It's a rough like being a chimp; I am always blown away how resilient they are. Hannah by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Sandali by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Tsotsi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Boyd by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Galatea by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Sandali and Gombe by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Lani by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

Week 24: Lovely Lani, who joined the Monarto Zoo family in March. She's doing wonderfully and is winning a lot of hearts. Lani by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

Week 23: Little old lady, Bonnie. Two photos because she's a darl. Bonnie by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Bonnie by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

Week 22: The boys out in force. Boyd, Tsotsi, Sandali and Gombe by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

A long wait would be expected, but how about an Irish Water Spaniel? Or a Tibetan Terrier? Those are the breeds I'd look into if I had no interest in poodles- though if I didn't like poodles, I wouldn't want a poodle cross either. There is a great spectrum as to what a 'groodle' is 'like' because they are a mix with varied traits, which makes it hard to give a purebred equivalent. Working in a groomers, most of the poodle/golden mixes I saw were absolutely enormous; I'd steer clear if I wanted a smaller dog, not knowing what the pup would grow into.

Roova, I love the colours! Week 21: It's a DOLer- Bosco! Bosco by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

That's a really good idea, thanks!

Thank you, you are very kind! I still have a lot to learn; my biggest challenge is getting the hang of focusing on a dog running towards me. I figure if I can manage it with a dog as quick as Bella, I can capture any dog!

I'm joining in! Week 19: Zuri, Zombi and Hannah by Amy Atherton, on Flickr My first visit to Monarto Zoo with my new camera, a Nikon D750. I'm pretty happy so far! Zuri (right) has matured so much recently, but she's still so close to her mum. Week 20: Bella by Amy Atherton, on Flickr A portrait of Bella.

A saluki is blessed with two personalities... the regal snooty snob one, and the off-their-face crazy one!

I've upgraded all my photography gear and am now trying to get some serious practice in with the hope of developing my skills to do pet photography professionally. Obviously, Bella is going to be my go-to model, so I figured I needed to get a Bella thread going. I hope this will chronicle some of my improvement over the next few months... and I know she has few admirers around her. ;) Self-stacked Bella by Amy Atherton, on Flickr And what Bella does best... hooning! Bella by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Bella by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Bella by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Bella by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Bella by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Bella by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Bella by Amy Atherton, on Flickr I love photographing Bella at the beach; our local is enclosed by cliffs and really quiet, so a perfect spot for her to run and play. The cliffs and the sea both work wonderfully as backdrops too.

A new thread because the Enzi one was locked for some reason. :P Some pictures of Enzi, now about two and a half, from yesterday. Enzi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Enzi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Zombi and Enzi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Zombi and Enzi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Zombi and Enzi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Zombi and Enzi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Zombi and Enzi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Enzi by Amy Atherton, on Flickr Enzi and Boyd by Amy Atherton, on Flickr

I hope that will be the case; it will be a huge boost to the region.

He's a slippery little fella, you have to be VERY lucky to get good shots! That would be the best solution IMO, but even that would be a long way off... it's a lot of work to build a good chimp facility. Another option could be the new Sydney Zoo, as they are intending to house chimps, though I was under the impression they'd import from outside the region.

Oh my goodness, wow! How on earth are they going to merge the two groups? Perhaps a permanent split is needed, with one group going to another zoo. Zombi's the best. ;)