LOLA

• Favorite food: whatever we are eating
• Pet peeve: don’t touch her tail
• Favorite pastime: walks in the park, hoping to catch a squirrel
• Naughtiest deed: her first Christmas, we brought in a tree. She walked over and peed right there! She thought we brought in an indoor potty…
• Obsession: did I mention squirrel??
• Favorite toy: anything Lucy has

LUCY

• Favorite food: again anything we are eating
• Pet peeve: don’t even try to clean my ears
• Favorite pastime: a nice nap laying next to the heating vent
• Naughtiest deed: escaped from our house to run up the street into a neighbors open door for a visit. With Bryan running full speed behind her!
• Obsession…one word: B-A-L-L
• Favorite toy: definitely the ball – anything stuffed dies a quick messy death, stuffing everywhere.

During this shoot I was showered with exuberant dog kisses and loved every moment of it! French Bulldogs have always fascinated me and this was the first time I have spent extended time with the breed. Like most dogs they are no different at showing their loyalty – Janis was definitely their dog mom, they were either following her around or always kept an eye on her. I knew Lucy was comfortable with me when she fell asleep and started to snore! Unless she was trying to tell me that she was done with her modeling session… so cute -

thanks for the shoot Lola & Lucy, dog kisses – pw

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I know Jesse can see me – but in this shot I can see me!

• Favorite Food: Apples, pears, raspberries – the riper the better!
• Pet Peeve: Dr visits
• Favorite Pastime: Destroying stuffed toys
• Naughtiest Deed: What? my dog?
• Obsession: Fruit
• Favorite Toy: the newest one

It is very easy to see the sweetness in Bruce’s eyes, can you believe that he is rescue! Marcia has had him almost a year and the relationship between the two seems like they have been together since puppyhood. It shows that Bruce has found his forever home her. Like I said before he is a loyal companion and is always aware of where mom is going. On a side note… Bruce can destroy a cuz sqeaker toy in less than an hour – I have never seen that before!

Stay tuned for Bruce’s friend Nico the Havanese.

Dog kisses – PW

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All the winners for the contests will be announced by 10:00 AM PDT tomorrow (Saturday, November 21st), so be sure to check back!

Goodnight and enjoy your weekend and we will be back on Monday!
Dog kisses – PW

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RILEY

• Favorite Food: anything, especially if it’s stolen
• Pet Peeve: paw grooming
• Favorite Pastime: chasing and running up the hall with Nora
• Naughtiest Deed: eating all my garden tomatoes while they were green
• Obsession: being the perfect watch dog
• Favorite Toy: squeaky squirrels squeaky toys

Riley was rescued by Beth seven years ago – he was found as a puppy running aimlessly on the highway. Fortunately some co-workers brought him in and Beth eventually adopted him. Riley is super sweet and has gorgeous markings for a English Springer Spaniel. He, like Simon, helped Beth through some tough times – animals are very healing creatures!

Riley was really camera shy – as soon as I would bring the camera up to my face he would move away. So I started shooting off to the side and hoping that I would get some good shots. It’s very intimidating for most dogs/cats to be photograph – especially when the camera covers your entire face and they can’t see your eyes. It’s going to be important for me to trust my camera off the hip!

Dog kisses – PW

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ANGIE

• Favorite Food: anything
• Pet Peeve: other dogs
• Favorite Pastime: sleeping
• Naughtiest Deed: hate pees when she doesn’t get her way
• Obsession: food
• Favorite toy: Kong, stuffed with peanut butter!

Angie is the sister of Bentley and she is also a rescue. Jenny & Pete don’t know much about her background but they think that is what makes her so CRAZY! This little dog will take on anything to the death and she even survived crossing (by herself) one of the busiest streets in Portland, Oregon: Burnside! But with any high energy dog, once she calms down she just wants to be by you and held. Are you ready for the CRAZY picture???

Obviously she wanted her picture taken!

Dog kisses – PW

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What are some good questions to ask a potential pet sitter?

I think it’s very important to ask for credentials up front. If you’re just going to have a neighbor or friend watch your pets that’s one thing, but I think many pet owners don’t realize that anyone can call themselves a pet sitter. Make sure you are entrusting your home and most importantly your animals to someone who is a professional, make sure they are insured, have some type of certification, check references and make sure you have a consult before setting any pet sit visits up.

What is the perfect day for you?

Any day I can work with dogs is a pretty close to perfect. My favorite days on the job are when I can take a few dogs hiking or out to a lake. This probably sounds very nerdy, but I also like to spend time at dog parks and observe behavioral tendencies and instincts when dogs are playing and meeting. It’s also pretty darn satisfying when I am training and start to see the light bulbs going off!

What is your favorite breed of dog? and why?

Well, not to be cliche, but pound puppies are the way to go. I’m also one hundred percent behind the movement to call them the  All American dog. Most of the shelter dogs I’ve worked with are the epitome of the species. Every time I think about it, it blows my mind, the fact that these animals have the capacity to trust again, to be eternal optimists even after in some situations being abandoned or physically hurt by their owners. It’s one of life’s miracles and we as a species would do well to take some lessons.

What is the naughtiest deed a pet has done while the owner was away?

Wow, I feel like I’m telling a secret. Luckily, I haven’t had anything too terrible happen, honestly, the worst has been hiding and pooping! I’m sure the day will come though when I’m at someone’s house and Fifi decides to find mommies Prada shoes! That’s why there’s insurance right!

I love that you do overnight stays! personal question: do you let the dogs sleep with you? Mine want to know

Of course. I have always kept the bed open to the pups. I do sort of have to lay down the law though. It’s part of my training regimen that when dog’s start acting out or losing their place in the family, priveleges are taken away and sleeping in the bed is usually the first to go.

As a trainer, give us one basic tip for training a new puppy.

BE PATIENT!!! I think a common mistake with new puppy owners is that they are so eager they start out the gate trying to train basic obedience and recalls. Start with the basics, bonding, building trust, and socialinzing your puppy should come before perfecting a sit stay. Get your newbie into a puppy class. I would recommend Behave Canine Solutions, I personally vouch that these trainers really know what they’re talking about.

What is your travel distance for pet care?

I like to keep my work in the northeast and southeast, I don’t get downtown too much and then I have a few clients in southwest. I do make exceptions for my special needs or handicapped pets though. That’s my big passion and I’ll make it out of my way from them.

Hush puppies or cornbread? (my husband is from chattavegas)

Ha ha ha ha ha, a true southerner puts those into separate categories!! Hush puppies with your seafoods and cornbread with the homegrown veggies on sunday’s. My grandmother makes the best skillet cornbread, ok, you’re making me miss Louisiana now!

What do you love most about your job?

I love the fact that I have been able to translate my story, my passion and make it work.

What inspires you to do this kind of work?

Many many things draw me to working with dogs, but I;ll tell ya what really got me and it just happened about two years ago. I went through a really tough few years with a dog that I chose to keep after a failed surgery that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He was a big boy, you can imagine what all that entails. A lot of people that knew me were shocked by the decision and some were even mad at me for my putting my life on hold. Those thoughts never crossed my mind. What inspires me is that before I had gone through this process I would have never thought I could be so giving or selfless or compassionate. That’s when I really understood the power of dogs, that they can teach us so much about outselves and about life. If you want the rest of the story, that might be another article!

What was that one WOW moment that you knew you were doing a good thing?

I haven’t ever questioned that one. I suppose the first time I was able to give someone peice of mind. Knowing that they could go to work and that their beloved dog who couldn’t go to the bathroom by himself or that needed a bandage changed, would be in good hands and loved and safe until they got home.

Any other thoughts you would like to share?

Give your dog’s the love they give to you!!!

With the holidays approaching be sure to plan ahead the care for your pets! You can contact DogMa Care at 503.816.5009. Become a fan of DogMa on Facebook!

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The symbol or crest that is used in my logo is a  Japanese Mon. The one above is specifically my grandfather’s family Kamon or Monodokoro called the Katabami. In true Japanese style it is simple and clean, perfect for two color process. It also holds personal meaning to me. I have been thinking of my grandfather a lot since his recent death this past fall and I know he would be proud that I was using the family Kamon in our business.

The word DoxZen I came across several years ago and put on my license plate. It is a real name believe it or not!But for me it has two meanings…

Dox is short for Doxie, which is short for Dachshund.

Zen – our pets are zen. They are always present, in the now. I adore their ability to forgive and the amount of trust they show us. They are a representation of love, charity, joy, delight, and simplicity. Even if they have been abused, starved, or beaten, when you come to them with compassion and a soft voice, you can see their tails wag a little. Zen also ties in with my family Kamon!

So why didn’t I use my name? This was actually my second and most logical choice. But there have been issues with ‘Wessells’ name for me – I have had the pleasure of having it for nine years. It has been nine years of mis-spelling and to complex to pronounce correctly. Pronounced somewhat like: Whe – sells and spelled with two ‘e’, two ‘l’ and three ‘s’… yes, three. I had to make a business decision here, not a personal one.

What was your process and why? If you don’t have a business give it some thought as to what you would do – you never know when that opportunity for you to start something new for yourself might come up!

Dog kisses – PW

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• Favorite Food: anything with fish
• Pet Peeve: being picked up without permission
• Favorite Pastime: tricking Riley off the sofa so she can have the position
• Naughtiest Deed: walking into the fireplace and rolling around in the ashes
• Obesession: cleanliness, cleanliness, cleanliness
• Favorite Toy: Little catnip mice

Beth has amazing natural light coming into her house. This particular day was typical of Portland Oregon in the fall – dark and raining. Fortunately her house had great windows and Nora’s eyes were soaking up every bit of light that was coming in. It was interesting to see after the photo shoot that Nora’s eyes are slightly different colors – I didn’t notice this until I was processing the photos.

Nora was rescued by Beth several years ago. She is a Turkish Angora and certainly carries all the traits of one! While I was sitting on the couch talking to Beth, Nora proceeded to comb my hair with her nails – not kidding. Apparently she loves long hair! Angora cats also tend to be very ‘dog like’, interacting with everyone in the room. She was definitely trying to steal the show away from Riley (the dog, coming up!).

Cat kisses – PW

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