Lhasa Apso – meet handsome Max

Meet Max, Lhasa Apso named after the dog from the Grinch who stole Christmas. He is lovely and I have to say he was the best smelling dog I have ever met. His mommy gave him and bath in the morning just before the shoot and he was so soft and fluffy. We had almost cancelled our session due to the weather, it was raining and snowing. But his parents were game for the “at home” shots, so that is what we did..

Max , the smart dog that he is, quickly figured out that my bag contains a lot of treats.  First he asked nicely. and then got super hyper! He was so fast that it took quite a few shot to get him in the frame and in the process, I think I irritated everyone including Max.. sorry. I have to say that when I am photographing I tend to be in the moment, it is just me and the dog. Anything that gets in between my lens and the dog is seen as obstruction, people sometimes are forgotten.. I know, talking from my other friends who are dog photographers (I have lots! Hurray!) they tend to do the same thing. Am I right?

Interesting history of Lhasa Apso from 1896, the dog name Bhutan, imported from Himalayas, was begging for the Hospital Found in England and stayed in this position for hours, working outside the fundraisers and shows. But back to Max, who was jumping while doing his begging!

After hoping up and down for a while his, tongue came out and did not want to hide back in.. Mommy tried to calm him down with a little petting on the back..

Then it was daddy’s turn

And then we continued.. the treats however were never forgotten…

Max is still a teenager ( 3 years old) and shares his beautiful house with his parents and two siblings, Cole and Savannah. He has tons of toys and a lot of favorite places to rest upon in the house, this chair is  just one of them..

Below, the place where Max hangs out watching the family when they are in the kitchen.. He likes to be part of everything and the opening of the fridge is a signal to be on alert.

W got some good inside shots and Max decide to take a breather, and since I prefer shooting the dogs in the natural light I took an opportunity to snap a few shots from the stairs when Max went for a break outside.

You just have to love this face! And believe me his fur feels so, so soft you just want to cuddle up with him. Quite frankly I wanted to take him home with me, but he seems very happy with his family.. at least I got the photos to look at.

If you were wondering if Max is a pure Lhasa Apso, he is! He just gets the haircut to look as cute as he does!

Lhasa Apso facts:

Comes from Tibet, was kept in Monasteries to warn the monks, by barking, of the intruders who made it through the first line of defense (Tibetan Mastiffs). Also known as Apso Seng Kyi, what his name really means  is “hairy barking dog” He was also kept by the well off families (including Dalai Lama”s Palace) and believed to be reincarnation of monks who have sinned in the previous live. Lhasa Apso was always gives as a good fortune gift, never sold. His character is happy, but assertive, can be aloof with strangers. ( I got lucky with Max).