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Hello!,
I'm just starting to create dogs and I need help? I've grown up with dogs and cats as a child; I've had cats as an adult. I know cat personalities. My cat characters are Pirates, Gamblers, a flirty Dance Hall Gal. I love the Spark of cat personalities. I love dogs for their regal loyalty and non-judgemental love but I'm having a hard time seeing dogs as characters? Can some dog owners help me? How do you see your dog? What character could you see you dog as?
Thanks :photo:
Karen
Little Bear GuyHmmmm good question Karen, we have a little Shi-tzu and we consider her a little princess (well not all the time 
) but I could see her running around with a little tiara on her head. Actually for Christmas one yr Steve made her a wonderful litle purple cap with white marabou, she just loved it and she did look like a princess.
big hugs and can't wait to see more of your dogs Karen.
Shane
A Drama Queen!!!! That's my little girl Emma...hmmmm maybe dressed up like a Pussy Cat Doll!!! And well my big boy is more like an Eeyore, very easy going and a no bother attitude...don't know if that helps any, but thats my canine kids.
hugs,
Krista
Dolls N DreamsI have a westie and she acts like a cat, she jumps on everything, loves to sit and look out windows
and she is always perched on the backs of our chairs or couch cushions!
And sometimes she gets into that I'm too cool for you to touch me mode! LOL
Past Time BearsI have a cairn terrier and a Lhasa apso. The little terrier rips around hunting for anything that runs, flies, or hides.
He will take on anything of any size . . . he weighs about 14 pounds. I can see him as a featherweight pugilist or maybe a doggy pirate. The Lhasa is very laid back, mild mannered, and loves to get his tummy rubbed. Maybe he could be a happy-go-lucky Don Juan or Casanova.
Back Road BearsI always found dogs to have very individual personalities, even within the breed. My parents have two Cairn Terriers... one is like a cat in how he plays, paws and pounces on things while the other one is very reserved and 'above' such foolishness yet they are the same age. My wheatens are both lacking in the brains department and love people, however their similarities end there. One is timid of everything, the other has NO FEAR. I'm not sure how much you can learn from each person's experience as it already sounds like they all vary. I'd never have been able to make the dogs I've made and capture the spirit in their eyes and the true look of the breed without spending time which each of the breeds. I won't even attempt to make a breed that I don't know or understand as I could never do it justice.
Perhaps you could spend some time at an animal shelter, Karen? Or perhaps a breed specific rescue group?
Posts: 1,836Oh my gosh, fun!!
Our "puppy" is the good girl, but always takes the blame. The poor thing is comically guilty about everything in life. She did go through a typical puppy stage where she was always getting caught with something she shouldn't have. For whatever reason new rolls of paper towels and TP were her absolute favorites. Funny guilty dog shots were so easy to take during this time....these aren't even all on the same day or week. My mom calls her a big "Marmaduke"...she's big, kinda...who am I kidding really clutzy and always into something silly where you just can't be mad at her.
She does this "pose" easily and on her own..the oh whoa is me thing...
what paper towels, I don't know anything about paper towels...huh, where, who...
Then there's our "HAM". This one LOVES the camera, loves to do tricks, out run the other dogs, and be the top dog in general. This dog loves to flash a smile ...total HAM! 
Our beagle basset is Eeyore. He walks like him, moves like him and I can just imagine him saying "ohhhhhh, alright".
:hug:
~Chrissi
Posts: 1,836One other thought for you....I think a lot of people are really drawn to dogs that look like them or have behaviors that suite their lifestyles. Like active folks like bandanna wearing border collies, australian cattle dogs and labs with their frisbees and long runs on a beach. Loads of young celebs have little dogs they can groom, dress, and show off like little accessories....some of those dogs have their own paparazzi looking out for them Maybe think about the folks who would have a dog as you're designing. The firefighters dog, the farmers dog, the uptown girls' dog, etc. This is a really cute link about owners and their dogs 
http://video.dogshowusa.com/player/?id=0
:hug:
~Chrissi
Thanks everyone :hug: Chrissi! love those faces, what characters!
You've all given me some great ideas. I have been around dogs most of my life. First a wonderful Shepherd mix who was sort of "woe's me", but that was understandable being with 4 young children 
Then a feisty Beagle who always followed his nose no matter what trouble it got him into 
followed by a Saint Bernard loyal and loving but not too bright. Finally, a Lhasa Apso who had a very strong! personality. I think I will volunteer at a shelter (I just hope I can take the sadness 
) With cats I've always had 3-4 so I could study their different personalities and I could see "characters" just by looking in their eyes. I don't have dogs around now and I can't study them in the way I do my cats. I wish I could have 3-4 happy dogs around and see them in a natural environment 
but I think that would be taking on too much love 
Karen
P.S. I have to say that cats also have very individual personalities, you can have a couch potato and a court jester in the same litter. But it is a myth that cats are aloof and don't need attention. They crave just as much love and attention as dogs they just go about it slightly differently (actually, like some people have said; they have dogs that act like cats, and I've seen cats that act very much like dogs!) My cats are also very attuned to my moods and know when I'm ill even before I do and won't leave my side for a moment when I'm sick, not even to eat. But, please, I don't want to start any dog versus cat thing 
THey're all WONDERFUL and I'm so happy I have the privilege of attempting to create their images 
Karen
Rufnut Teddy'sSorry Karen, I have just read this thread, and I would like to add something to it.
I have shown and trained border collies for about 8 years. They are the most intelligent and eager to please breed that I have had the pleasure to own. Honestly they do really silly things from time to time mainly from their wonderful playful nature, my dogs are now in their senior years and have never grown out of the puppy phase they still happily play, fetch and delivery things to me to play with them, come for pats and scratches, love a walk and their food. If I ignore them, they sit on my feet or give me a swift nudge in the calf or lick my hands for attention. But most of all they are mine, and couldn't bare to be without them.
Taber, Alberta: I have a kitten that acts like a puppy and is always getting into trouble! She chews everything, eats anything off the floor, digs in her toy box for her favorite toys! loves to be carried around like a baby never had a cat like her before as for my dog she passed away almost 2 years ago in July. She was just about 14 yrs. a shepard cross [the worst thing I have gone through as of yet] 
anyhow, she was a very tense anxious dog very active but I can't think of a character........me maybe? :crackup: :crackup:
I can see him as a featherweight pugilist or maybe a doggy pirate.
I can totally see a doggy pirate in one of the dogs I know - who is also a terrier (australian terrier)...I can just see picture him in all his whiskery glory with an eyepatch and a bottle of rum tucked under one paw!
My mum's doggie is a fox terrier (fox terrible more like :crackup: ). She turned 16 earlier this year and I think my visit home in a couple of weeks will probably be the last time I see her. She is soooo funny - fox terriers as a breed tend to go stone deaf within a matter of weeks when aound the age of 15. Tanzi used to be able to hear my grandpa when he closed his front door a few houses away from us and would have run down the road to his house by the time he got to his gate. Now that she is deaf she believes she doesn't have to obey a single rule and behaves terribly. I am absolutely at the bottom of the chain of command and if I try and make her do something I swear she smirks at me and gives me her "I don't think so" look.
Ellen and Denise,
Thanks! You helped me understand why some TT members thought I was insulting dogs when I truly love both cats and dogs. I just haven't been around dogs since I've started my cat designs. Still complicated so I'll shut up :doh:
It is fun, though, to image your pet as a human character (this is what I meant by character) and have them stand in as an actor. Where I live there are coyotes, bobcats, even 40 lb. racoons that will go after cats. My sensible cats come in from my garden by dusk and are afraid of the night noises. But I always have at least one brave adventurer who hones his skills and learns the ways of the wild. He/She will still be a sweet domestic cat by day and is at a distinct disadvantage in the wild, but then takes their best chance and faces the night just for the adventure. This is where I got my gambler character. He faces the odds with a few tricks up his sleeve? (ok in his hat :rolleyes:) Each of my characters comes from a certain cat personality I have known.
Karen
Denise, How about a sharp looking Jester with a wand and a wise look in his eye?
Sidhe BearsInteresting subject! I LOVE your cats! One of these days.... I'll own one
Well, if it helps... Afghan Hounds think (know... they KNOW!) they are royalty, and expect to be treated as such. We've had a long line of them, used to show them, and are on our last one now. And while he has his playful moments, he still insists that everyone bow down to him! Though the Dog IQ test puts them at the bottom of the list, they really are extremely intelligent, as they figure out ways to get everyone else to do the dirty work for them. My daughter's Affie opens drawers, and eats all her flavored lip glosses She also takes all the clothes out of the drawers and builds a nest to sleep in. (And I honestly thought my daughter was lying when she said this... just thought she hadn't put her clothes away, until I saw it for myself!)
Our Portuguese Water Dogs are total clowns. They know when you need a laugh, and are always trying to get one from you. Total jesters, to the royal Affies of course!
German Shepherds... well, they can do everything and anything and love to impress you with what they can do. I love the look on Chrissi's "puppy". So funny! Sheps would be... magicians One of mine is really good at making food disappear off the counter without you ever seeing her do it. Extremely athletic, and of course, they are excellent search and rescue dogs, and tracking dogs (I can never hide from Bella!), and police dogs
Yorkies are doll babies Plain and simple
Well, that's a run down on the dogs we have here Hope that helps some?
Robyn
Flying Fur Studioskaren, I often say that if my dog ( a little 5lb pomeranian ) was a human he would be the nerdy guy at your office that is scared to try anything new and always complains! LOL
That's how I see my dog anyway.
:clap: Heather!
That's priceless! What a wonderful description. I'd love to see a photo of your guy?
Robyn,
Love your dogs, too! There's so much I don't know about different breeds but I'm getting ideas!
Thanks,
Karen
