Final set of drawings - Stormy.

Finally, I've drawn Stormy. :)

My favorite out of these would have to be the first one I drew: the leftmost head on the first image. I just think it turned out good. :D

I don't know what's wrong with the final picture, but there's definitely something. I think it might be the head/neck area, but I just couldn't fix it. I redrew that area twelve or thirteen times. D: The shading made it a much better picture than it was before. I hope I never have to draw an entirely white horse. :P Wish my drawings did Stormy a bit more justice, but I'll just have to get better before I can do that.

Third Set of Drawings...Buddy

Here's Buddy! Again, bad camera work. I'm sorry.

I couldn't quite get the shapes right, especially for his mouth. So I used a sketchy style, which is something I'd like to work with more...I just think it looks cool. His head was the hardest thing to draw, but hopefully I pulled it off well enough. :D

Second set of drawings: Murphy

Full view if you want to see them. I apologize for the crappy camera work. It seems to do much better with the actual animals.

I used a slightly more "cartoony" style in Murphy's final drawing. The stripes are pretty Garfield-esque, but I'm not so great at drawing cats, so I felt it was the best way to go with this one. Dunno. I may try a more realistic approach one day, Elyse, if you want me to. :)

Final Interview: Justine and Buddy

This is Buddy Aaron Murphy, a male Golden Retriever of eleven years owned by Justine Murphy. Also known as Buddy, Bud, or the Bud Man, this hundred pound Golden has lived with Justine since he was only six weeks old. Justine was happy to allow me to interview her about Buddy while I was petsitting him.

So how did you get Buddy?

“Our previous dog had to be put down, and our son was devastated. I told him he could get another dog, any one he wanted, and we ended up having to drive out to Graugres, MI to get a Golden Retriever. Buddy was the one who kept coming up to us, and we knew he’d be the one we’d get. He came home with us a week later and has been with us ever since.”

What kinds of quirks does he have?

“He circles around a lot before he’ll lay down, and he’s a messy drinker. When you sit down, he’ll put his head on your lap. When he’s outside, he likes to roll on his back a lot, like he’s itching it on the grass.”

What's your favorite story about Buddy?

“When he was a puppy, he’d have bursts of energy, then times where all he’d do was sleep. Right after the kids would go to bed, he’d wake up and start running all over the place. He’d run around the living room, under the kitchen table, then under a chair and he’d poke his little head out. Sometimes he’d just keep going and hit a wall. He always used to take the kids’ things, too.”

Anything else you'd like to say?

“Golden Retrievers are just really good dogs; they’ve got a good temperament, they’re good with kids, and they’re really laid back. They like to play, and they love attention. They can entertain themselves, too, but they love the company of people. They’re just really good people dogs.”

After the interview, in typical fashion, I researched the breed online. Golden Retrievers are a relatively new breed, having been developed as guns were becoming more accurate. Here's what I found about America's fourth most popular breed:

The Golden Retriever is a gundog, originally developed for retrieving waterfowl and other game birds that had fallen into water or fields far from the hunter’s reach. As such, they were bred to have an innate love of water and a soft mouth that will not harm the quarry as it is brought back to the dog’s owner. Their temperament is typically very friendly, which makes them a poor guard dog but a very suitable animal for a family pet. They are very patient with children, and are ranked fourth for intelligence among dog breeds. Their athleticism and need to please their owners makes them especially trainable; Goldens easily lend their talents to agility and obedience trials. Dock jumping is another sport the breed excels at, due largely in part to their size and love of water.

A male Golden Retriever should stand between 22 and 24 inches at the shoulders, weighing about 65 to 75 pounds. The dogs are acceptable in any shade of gold, though a very dark red or very light cream can be disqualified. As they age, their fur can either become darker or lighter, with a noticeable whitening of the muzzle. There are three variations on the breed, each with their own subtle differences: the British type, the American type and the Canadian type. The American type is lankier and less stocky than the British type, but lighter than the Canadian type. Golden Retrievers have also been proven to be good surrogate mothers, nursing kittens and even tiger cubs without having been pregnant or nursing in the recent past.

First set of drawings - Jitter.

Here are the drawings of Jitter I did earlier today. The first two are rough warmup sketches, which explains the failure of the proportions to cooperate. The third was a final-draft type of thing, though I think the eyes are still a bit small. I'm pretty happy with it overall though, so I'll leave it as is.

Third Interview - Ocean and Jitterbug

Jitterbug, also known as Jitter or Uppy, is an American Akita owned by Ocean Pappas. Weighing somewhere between 75 and 80 pounds, Jitter is an eight-year old female who's been with the Pappas family for nearly her entire life. As I interviewed Ocean about her beautiful dog, I came to know a few things about Jitter that I hadn't known previously.

So how did you get Jitter?

“We got her at Michigan Animal Rescue League. They had an Akita there, and they don’t usually have them because they’re kinda high maintenance dogs. She’d come in with two other dogs; one had to be put down because its injuries were so bad, and the other one had already been adopted. She was the last one, so we took her in.”

What kinds of quirks does Jitter have?

“She’s afraid of people, especially men wearing hats. She normally doesn’t bark unless it’s nighttime and someone’s coming up to the house.”

What's your favorite story to tell about her?

“Dad was washing dishes one time, and Uppy was outside, on the deck. (This deck is on the first floor, but it’s at the same height as a second floor balcony – Ocean’s basement opens to her lakefront yard.) There was a dog running along the shoreline that she wanted to play with, and all of the doors to the deck were closed. The next thing we knew, she was running with the dog! (Jitter had jumped from the deck, since she couldn’t get to the stairs. She wasn’t hurt by the jump.)”

Anything else you'd like to share about her?

“She’s had knee replacements, and tore the ACL in her back legs. She was in a pen in the dining room, and she just started spastically running. Then she tripped, and after that she was limping. We’ve spent about five thousand dollars on her. She’s not as hyper as she was before, though.”

After I'd interviewed and photographed Jitter, I headed home to format the information I'd gotten. When it was all ready to go, I did a bit of research on the breed. Here's what I found:

The American Akita is a rather new breed of dog in the United States, where it is not recognized as a separate breed from the Japanese Akita (Akita Inu) but rather a variation on the same breed. In most other countries, the two are considered to be entirely different breeds, with different standards. The most obvious difference between the two variations lies in the pattern seen on its coat; all colors are allowed in American Akitas, including pinto patterns and dark masklike markings on their faces. The Japanese variant must have a solid coat coloring, in one of five colors: red, fawn, sesame, brindle, or pure white. The dog must have white on its muzzle, cheeks, chest, belly, and the underside of the tail, so a dark face is a key identifying characteristic of the American version of the dog. American Akitas also tend to be larger, heavier-boned dogs when compared to the original breed. A female should stand between 24 and 26 inches at the shoulder, weighing about 70 to 100 pounds.

The Akita is a loyal breed, driven by its desire to gain the love and respect of its owner, and is very affectionate towards family and friends. It can be standoffish with strangers, and is territorial of its property. This courageous dog gained popularity in the West after three events that shed positive light on the breed in the early 1900s. The first was the story of Hachikou, an Akita born in Japan in 1923. Owned by Professor Eizaburo Ueno of Tokyo, the dog accompanied his owner to and from the Shibuya Train every day as the professor commuted to work. When the dog was 18 months old, Professor Ueno suffered a fatal heart attack at work, and consequently never returned home. For the next nine years, Hachikou continued to turn up at the train station, awaiting his master’s return. There is now a memorial statue in his honor. The second event was the naming of the Akita Inu as a Japanese Natural Monument, and the third was Helen Keller’s return from Japan in 1937; she brought home the two Akitas that were to be the first of the breed to stand on US soil.

Interview 2: Elyse and Murphy

Our next contestant is Murphy, a deaf Maine Coon owned by Elyse Komarzec. Murphy - also known as Murph, Murphle, and Murphalicious Deafinitious - is about two and a half years old, having spent two of those years with the Komarzec family. A neutered male, he weighs roughly fifteen pounds and is about 10.5 inches tall at the shoulder. I interviewed Elyse about her beloved cat, and learned some interesting things about the breed on the way.

How did you come to own Murphy?

“We got him through a coworker of my dad; she had about 8 cats, found Murphy as a stray, and couldn’t keep him, so we took him in. When we first got him, his name was Puffy. We thought it was weird, so we changed it, not that he could hear it anyway."

What kinds of quirks does he have?

"He likes to sleep on top of the fridge. When he jumps, it looks like he’s hovering. When he’s lonely, he meows very loudly. When he wants a treat, he “digs” on the cabinet they’re in…when he wants to be on the porch with the rest of the family, he does the same with the door. Murphy wants to be friends with everyone! He falls asleep instantly, and while he’s often surprised, he’s never startled. Patch (Elyse's eldest cat, the Alpha for the household) acts as Murphy’s ears. Murphy’s meow sounds like 'Mang!'"

What's your favorite story regarding Murphy?

"We had a large ziplock container above the fridge and he tucked his entire body, head and all, into it. When we were looking for him, we heard a meow above the fridge…and there he was. :)

We also lost him in the snow one year, and my dad was worried, so he went looking for him, since you can’t really call a deaf cat. He looked under the neighbor’s porch…then felt paws on his butt and heard 'mang!'"

Anything else you'd like to add?

"Dad did research on deaf cats when we got him. Supposedly, they bite people, get startled easily, and are afraid of the world – Murphy’s nothing like that. He had a sister, too, but she got hit by a car. It was realy sad."

After interviewing Elyse, with helpful input from her dad, I looked online to find more information about these cats. What I found surprised me greatly, since I had pegged them to be fluffy lapkitties, like something the Queen across the pond might hold while she was getting a portrait painted. However, their lynx-like appearance isn't a simple coincidence - it's a natural breed.

The Maine Coon is one of the oldest natural breeds of cat in the North America. It has a very distinctive appearance, characterized by its large bone structure, rectangular body shape, and long, flowing coat. Typically, males weigh between fifteen and twenty-five pounds and adults stand between ten and sixteen inches at the shoulder. To support their own weight, their bodies are solid and muscular, with a broad chest. Surprisingly, Maine Coons mature slowly; it takes between three and four years for them to reach their full potential size. They can come in any color, though colors that suggest mixed breeding are rejected by the breed standard. The most common color is the brown tabby. Any eye color is acceptable, barring blue or mismatched eyes on cats that aren’t white.

This cat, being native to Maine, is well-adapted to live in the wintry climate of its homeland. Polydactylism, or having one or more extra toes on the feet, is fairly common in the breed, making already-large paws into furry snowshoes. Their long, bushy tails can be curled around their heads and shoulders for warmth, and help to resist sinking in deep snow. The tufts of fur growing inside their ears cut down on heat loss, keeping their ears warm. They’re known as “gentle giants”, possessing above-average intelligence and remaining playful, but gentle and affectionate, throughout their lives. Many Maine Coons also have a fascination with water, a possible throwback to ship-dwelling ancestors. Generally, it’s a very healthy, hardy breed, with several members leading lives that reach ten years of age and older.

Source: Wikipedia, with reference to the CFA breed standard.

Interview with Rachael and Stormy

Meet Al Capone.

That's what they call him in the dressage field, anyway.

This is Stormy, an Anglo-Arabian of eight or nine years. He weighs in at about nine hundred pounds, and is about 15.3 hands high at the withers. In layman's terms, 5'1.2" at the base of his neck. When he's out doing dressage with his owner and handler, Rachael Dean, this horse goes by one of two other names - Al Capone and The Mad Hatter. Rachael was more than happy to be interviewed about her gelding, who is "not technically male because he doesn't have balls." She has been the proud owner and mother of Stormy for a year and a half now.

How did you come to own Stormy?

"I snuck online and went on something called Equine.com, just to look at horses for fun. Just messing around, I ended up getting a combo that only got ten search results; there, I found Stormy. The rest were mares. (And I don’t like mares.) I showed mom, who wasn’t very happy that I was online and not doing my chores, but she agreed he was cute and humored me by calling to see where he was. He was priced at the exact amount of money we had for our horse budget. Someone else was interested, so we went that very day to see him. There was a snowstorm warning to stay indoors unless it was an emergency. We drove there; it took about 4.5 hours because of the storm. The snow was about knee deep. He hadn’t been ridden for about a year. The lady pointed into the stall and said 'this is Stormy'. He just stared at us. She took him out and lunged him, then set up a jump to show how he did with that. He jumped on his own. He tried to bite me when I tried to brush him, but the owner gave me a peppermint to give him. He was fine after that. I tacked him up and rode him, even though I hadn’t ridden in a couple weeks. He refused to do much at first, but he had a great springy step. Best canter on the face of the planet – very controlled and smooth when he wanted it to be. His gaits were great, and his jumping was perfect. I was sold, but mom thought I was insane. He is a bit short for me, but I don’t think that’s a problem we can’t work around. Jennifer (the owner) was honest about him – his quirks, how he hadn’t been ridden. We left to think about it, found a barn and had him on trial for a month. I fell in love and have had him ever since! I’m never selling him. He has a good twenty years left.”

What quirks does he have?

"He likes to eat anything I’m eating…he even wants to try meat. When he’s crosstied, he tries to sneak up on you, but if you look at him he runs back to his spot and stands at attention. If you try to give him his wormer he spits it out, then hides in his corner and won't look at you. If he doesn’t want to do something he pitches a hissy fit – if hes learning something new he’ll buck, toss his head...ten minutes later, he's fine. He's afraid of tractors for whatever reason. If he goes over a certain speed he starts bucking – which is hilarious. If people are watching, he prances even more. When hes proud of himself after jumping, he'll buck since he has a lot of energy that he doesn’t know what to do with. He likes cellphones; if he sees a cellphone he’ll try to eat it. He doesn’t like water much. He avoids stepping on water if at all possible – he even skirts around puddles. He follows me even without his lead rope. And when I’m done riding him he rolls in the dirt like a weirdo."

So what do you two do together?

“Well, I ride him. What I do the most is dressage – basically very refined flatwork that works on the connection between horse and rider. Not many younger people ride dressage. It’s not as flashy as higher levels; in higher levels the horse has to be more in tune with the rider. You can’t bully a horse into doing anything. Some things are things they can do, but aren’t things they do usually – crossing their front legs while walking sideways and spinning on their haunches, for example. The horse has to be submissive but not dull, you'll lose points for a dull horse. I jump him just for funsies. I show him during the summer…we’ve won eleven ribbons together in only one summer of showing. He's placed at every show we’ve gone to; I’m very proud of him. Sometimes I ride him out back for fun, it’s called hacking: just riding wherever you want. Three day eventing (arena jumping, dressage, and cross country, which is jumping in the field, usually with natural jumps) is my goal for him for next summer, what I want to do with him ultimately. I'm working on getting him into jumping more – looking for jumping lessons.”

What is your favorite story about Stormy?

"Any show I’ve ever taken him to has been a blast. I can’t pick one story, but if I did it would be… the day after Halloween, there was a schooling show. I was a nervous wreck since I hadn’t properly prepared, but my instructor made me go to teach me a lesson. He (Stormy) was a jerk in the warmup arena since I was nervous. They feel that. My instructor told me, "Rachael, you need to show him who’s boss. Kick his arse." So I went and did so, and he was like "OH MY GOSH! There's someone up there!" After ten minutes, he went perfectly. We were in complete harmony, and that’s where I want to get him. To where we’re in tune with each other on almost every ride."

Is there anything else you'd like to mention about your gelding?

"I put my horse above the vast majority of people I know. He doesn’t talk, which is great. He’s a dork. He goes really nice when I ride him, but when I’m on the ground he’s a doofus. He has a really quirky personality, really laid back. Out of the seven horses I’ve owned, he’s the best. He’s a very one-person horse, he won’t do things for other riders. The thing that makes him so fantastic is that he’s a tiny horse and he thinks he’s a macho stud. He’s very in your face, and thinks he’s huge. He’s a rescue, which makes me even more proud because he can kick really expensive horses’ butts. He makes me happy; no matter how crappy my day’s been, I can go to the barn and get on my horse and it’s like nothing ever happened."

After the interview, I did a bit of research on Anglo-Arabians myself. I came up with some interesting things:

The Anglo-Arab is a versatile, talented riding horse due largely in part to the size and speed of the Thoroughbred being combined with the endurance and elegance of the Arabian. Known as an excellent competition horse, they are capable of competing at the highest international levels. Anglo-Arabs are known for their athletic ability and good temperament – described as intelligent, even-tempered, willing, bold, and honest – and they have been used for jumping, dressage, eventing, and most English disciplines. (As opposed to Western-style riding.) They have also been used in the military. Typically, they stand at about 15.2 to 16.3 hands at the withers.

An Anglo-Arabian horse is the result of a cross between a stallion and mare of any combination of the following breeds: Thoroughbred, Arabian, and Anglo-Arabian. However, the offspring must have at least 12.5 percent, or 1/8^th, Arabian blood to be considered Anglo-Arabian. In the United States, it is considered a partbred Arabian horse, rather than its own breed, and is registered in a different section of the Arabian Horse Association. Typical colors of the Anglo-Arabian are chestnut, bay, and grey, and the overall confirmation of the best of the breed is more similar to the Arabian than the Thoroughbred. This means a long neck, prominent withers, studier body and a deep chest; their heads are fine-boned, though not overly concave, with strong bones.

Sources: The Fact Book of Horse Breeds by the Pony club, and Wikipedia.