Hypoallergenic Dogs – is it true?

/ Leave a Comment

Hypoallergenic Dogs – is it true or just a myth?

We’re in the hypoallergenic decade, with ample dogs toting the “allergy free” label – many of them mixes containing a parent of poodle in their lineage. (Doodles aren’t a new thing: Labradoodles were the earliest created, referenced in 1955, popularized in 1989, with cockapoos becoming popular in the 50s & goldendoodles arriving in the 60s. As of 2006, there were over 220 poodle mix variations!).

Less allergy creation = less reaction of amplified allergies of the owner. Dog allergy people rejoice!

But are these dogs actually hypoallergenic?

Nope.

Per the Mayo Clinic & the AKC – there are no 100% hypoallergenic dog breeds. Instead there are some dogs that lend to fewer allergy symptoms than others. The oodles of poodle hybrids could still be causes of allergies, though they may be far less than notorious heavy shedders & slobbery droolers. Less shedding means less dander getting released into the air. There will still be dander that occurs, rendering all dogs NOT hypoallergenic. 

Hypoallergenic dogs = myth

Did you know – the source of pet allergies isn’t caused by a dog’s fur, but by a protein that is in their spit & pee along with dander? This lovely protein sticks to the dander from the dog’s skin, which flakes off when shedding occurs and activates the allergies found in sensitive people. Any dog can potentially cause an allergic reaction!

Damn!

Luckily if you do have allergies, there are some dogs you can consider adding to your family that may cause you to have less allergy flare ups. There’s also a whole pack of them that may be best to avoid. We’ll start with the ones to avoid. 

Don’t fall in love with these dogs – they may make your allergies flare up badly!

The worst of the pack:

  • St. Bernards
  • German Shepherds
  • Siberian Huskies
  • Springer Spaniels
  • Great Pyrenees
  • Akitas
  • Labradors
  • Pomeranians
  • Chow Chows
  • Cocker Spaniels
  • Alaskan Malamutes
  • Newfoundlands
These breeds have shorter coats but tend to be drooly and can cause allergies to flare: 
  • Bulldogs
  • Boston Terriers
  • Basset Hounds
  • Dachshunds
  • Boxers
  • Dobermans
  • Bloodhounds

If you are set on having one of these breeds and have dog allergies, be prepared for a bit more active maintenance. No slobbery kisses (spit = allergen), very frequent brushings and nearly as frequent baths, no cuddle buddies in your bedroom. Or on the couch. Rip out all the carpets, invest in HEPA filters and deep clean all the soft surfaces on a regular. You may have to take an allergy medicine as well to avoid being a stuffy mess. (You could get a doodle mix of one of these breeds, just note they won’t carry the look of said breed.)

The most common doodles you’ll find: cockapoo (the oldest breed of the doodles) , labradoodle, goldendoodle, sheepadoodle, yorkipoo, bernedoodle, cavapoo and aussiepoo (or aussiedoodle). Don’t be surprised to find doodles of all breeds – poodle + breed pairings of all sorts are the in thing. 

Kona
Spencer
Maple

A trio of the many doodles I’ve met throughout the years!

Really really set on one of the Worst of the Pack breeds? Check out what they might look like as a doodle:

Toast the St. Bernadoodle
Nacho the Newfypoo
Megan the Huskydoodle
Boston the Huskypoo
Billie the Shepadoodle
Ivy Mae the Shepadoodle
Reggie the Doberdoodle

(*images are not ours, using for illustrative purposes, found on Instagram!:  Toast the St. Berndoodle, Nacho the Newfypoo, Megan the Huskydoodle, Boston the huskypoo,  (I’m not sure if the proper nomenclature is huskydoodle or huskypoo…) Bille the Shepadoodle, Ivy Mae the Shepadoodle, Reggie the Doberdoodle

 Aside from the various doodles – these dog breeds may be a better fit if you have allergies:

  • wirehair dogs
  • Bichons
  • Chinese Crested
  • Miniature Schnauzers
  • Poodles
  • Yorkies
  • Shih Tzus
  • Malteses
  • Portuguese Water Dogs
  • Scottish Terriers
  • Giant Schnauzers
  • Westies
  • Havanese
  • Afghan Hound
  • Basenji
  • Cairn Terrier
  • Bedlington Terrier
  • Irish Water Spaniel
  • Lagotto Romagnolo
  • Lhasa Apso
  • Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

Remember, there is no dog that is truly hypoallergenic dogs – yes there are dogs that shed less and drool less than others & are less prone for causing allergy flareups. As long as a dog has fur, creates spit & drool and makes urine (accidents in the house) there is the possibility of a dog causing allergies to flare. 

Do you have dog or cat allergies & own a pet? Do you do anything to help lessen the allergens from your dog?

Hypoallergenic Dogs – is it true? Read More »

Onward in these odd times.

/ Leave a Comment

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!
Monday the 18th – the stay at home order for photographers in Minnesota has been relaxed, meaning we can return to immortalizing our clients through photography. (You didn’t know we couldn’t? Indeed. In fact there were photographers who were granted tickets for being out in public. Egads!)

Additionally the part time gig at St. Cloud Camera was halted. This IS the year that photography was going to be launched into full time. The time away from the part time gig has been a solid feeling of being full time, minus that it basically handed me the reins and said you can’t actually do any photography. Good luck. 

In the downtime:

  • We’ve read: Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett & The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman, finished  Mindset: The New Psychology of Success  by Carol Dweck. 
  • We designed, recorded and concocted a course for photographers to get beyond the basics: Beyond the Barking Basics
  • We bought a printer scanner combo (thanks Shaq for the Epson suggestion) & got our taxes done (our milage: 10,200ish miles!)
  • We sewed face masks and pushed Atomic Collars into active again
  • The garden/yard gets worked on – including multiple trips to compost, trees from toothpick to a rather large stump dug up, and half the pergola taken down
  • Bender has spent most of the time snoozing in the sun, not sure he’s aware I’m home all the time haha

 

Moving forward with sessions: 

  • We will keep our social distance – bring masks especially in urban settings
  • If you or us are sick, we will reschedule after the yuck passes
  • Viewing sessions will be via Skype / Google Meetings etc
    ** if you are comfortable having me in your home, we can meet in person
  • You will get to meet all of the products from the back of my vehicle
    – way easier to touch & feel them then trying to imagine what they are via an online meeting

 

Onward into the oddity that is 2020. (Seriously, whoever decided to break out the vintage Jumanji game…).

We’ll get through this together, even though we are apart. 

We love all of you! Stay safe & snuggled in. 

Onward in these odd times. Read More »

Weekly 52 | Love | Minnesota Dog Photography

/ 8 Comments

Minnesota dog photography – About A Dog Photography |  Weekly 52 is a blog circle with a theme for every week (find the link for the next in the circle at the end of the post).

February, the season of romance, flowers, chocolate and the expression of love. The 14th is the formal day that we celebrate love, though we believe that love should be celebrated year round. Btw, we love you!

A stroll amongst garments of the Mart yielded a pair of Valentine’s shirts, one sized me, one sized Bender (randomly he fits a boys 5T…). Light set up, Bender dressed and semi willing to work (he knows he gets treats when the “big light” is out and is a tiny bit more eager to work as a model) and the loveseat dressed in a buffalo check blanket.

That pose… man he cracks me up! The dainty paw cross, the dewy eyes and softly held ears. The best awkwardly suave model around.

We moved the loveseat and Bender showed off his up/beg skills.

Wardrobe change! The white shirt (sized for me) was a bit big on Bender and didn’t read as well as we thought it would – it says “Love is everywhere”. The white shirt was paired with the flowers we gave Kris for our 4th Kissiversary.

“Mom… this is completely ridiculous… who does props?”

We swapped back to the “Cupid’s wingman” shirt then wrapped up for the evening.

This in not the end of the Love theme. Pass a few days of time, a little rooting around in an artsy crafts box and ta-dah – Valentine’s string lights!

There’s a technique that involves a mask with a shape cut out it that turns your bokeh dots into whatever the shape is. Rummaged around and found the masks we had created a couple years ago.

The first time we used the masks was in 2017, awwww Axle! (Geez he hardly has any greys! To see more: 52 Week Project | Love)

The thought was a beg with lovely little hearts hanging out in the background behind Bender. The lights were strung across the loveseat, the flashlight of the cell phone our main light source.

The trick is to not get the hearts looking like butterflies, Pacman or cat ears…

It wasn’t working to hold the mask in front of the lens and with the same hand encourage Bender into an up/beg (he watches for the visual cue – which is why longer distances apart make it harder to get him to beg).

We took a break.

Kris arrived home – huzzah for an extra set of hands! He’s an awesome helper with wrangling Bender as well as the human “light stand”.

Swapped out lenses from 35mm to 50mm. Better hearts, but all the room we had was for tight headshots!

Bender was pooped out so we wrapped up and snuggled in on the couch.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

Next visit: Angela Schneider of Noses & Toes Pet Photography, unabashedly celebrating your love for your dog in Spokane and North Idaho.

Weekly 52 | Love | Minnesota Dog Photography Read More »

Weekly 52 | Shades of Grey | St. Cloud MN Dog Photography

/ Leave a Comment

St. Cloud MN dog photography – About A Dog Photography |  Weekly 52 is a blog circle with a theme for every week (find the link for the next in the circle at the end of the post).

Shades of grey.
The first thought is to a clichéd book with a plethora of kinks within (we haven’t read it personally). Not the direction we’d like to interpret this theme…

The weather held a balmy mid 30s on Friday (it trended into 40s over the weekend, heat wave for Minnesota!) with a dainty dusting of snow on the trees that lent to a crunchy contrast with ample depth of greys. The sky held onto overcast grey, the scene was fitting.

Loaded up Bender and headed out to Bend in the River (an every photographer’s photographed there location). Tiffany of TEM Photography (just down the road neighbors in St. Cloud!) had mentioned a quaint less used area just across the road from the main hub of Bender in the River and we decided to point our adventure that direction.

Bender is in protest against photography these days and he was a solid butthead. Looking at camera? Bah, there are far too many smells. Being a freeze baby, he shook like a rattle every time we paused. He hardly looked in the camera’s direction. GAH!!!

Take a breath [with mumbles of how much of a royal pain in the arse he can be – we even had über tasty treats with…]

Luckily we had reached out to Tiffany of TEM Photography – she has a pair of shelties, one who is merle colored – and they would be in route shortly. What better for shades of grey then a dog who literally IS shades of grey?

And…
the EASIEST dogs EVER!

Ranger & Finn pranced around, we set them up in the first spot.
They sat.
And sat.
And sat. 
AND looked in the direction of the treats / camera!!!

(Is it something to do with them being shelties & not a pittie?)

Ranger is merle, with the chillness of a hipster. He preferred trampled paths over forging through the dog leg deep snow. 

Finn, the rowdy, is super fluffy and full of puppy spunk – he’s a mere 10 month pup! (Plus he’s got a HUGE mane!)

They frolicked in the snow. 

Back to posing. Ranger was literally plopped into position and worked it like the master model he is. 

The tall grass gave texture as well as a hint of a shade of grey. 

A bit more depth of greys were found in the area of the fallen log. Look how dainty his wee feet are draped over the log. 

Ranger wrapped up the posing nestled into a small tree clinging to its leaves. Many shades of grey & textures!

Being that Ranger is merle, even in color he fits the theme shades of grey. Slide to see the color vs the black & white

Next visit Jo Lyons Photography, the down-to-earth dog-loving photographer for cherished dogs of the Great Lakes NSW

Weekly 52 | Shades of Grey | St. Cloud MN Dog Photography Read More »

Weekly 52 | Texture | St. Cloud Dog Photographer

/ Leave a Comment

St. Cloud MN dog photographer About A Dog Photography |  Weekly 52 is a blog circle with a theme for every week (find the next in the circle at the end of the post).

Texture.
defined as: the feel, appearance, or consistency of a surface or a substance

Each dog holds textures, from the direction of hairs, the length and thickness, to the fingerprint of nose and pads on paws. Eyes, whiskers, chewed on nails, the ways skin folds all lend to the textures that create our dogs. 

The method of capture: vintage 55mm f3.5 macro & 85mm f2.8 tilt shift

Next visit Terri Jankelow photographer of pets in and around Toronto and South Florida. 

Weekly 52 | Texture | St. Cloud Dog Photographer Read More »

Scroll to Top