Miniature Pinscher

Known as the king of toy dogs, I refer to her as Queen Mary since she thinks she's a queen. Ironic since she was actually the runt of her litter. 

Her sight isn't the best, but she has got very good hearing and sense of smell -- more so than her "sister' the Border Collie.

That tounge of hers is always running. When we go to bed, she'll lick my hands so much that I start smelling like dog breath!

She doesn't usually walk like a normal dog, but has a gait like a horse. 

Pix4Japan by R.D.S. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Mostly Morris

Just done with work and now spending a little time with Morris.

He is a lovable little fella'!

Of course, Dale can never get enough play time!

Have to be careful about wearing a suit with Morris. Still learning how to use puppy pads.

He doesn't quite realize that he's smaller and weaker than Dale. He is more than willing to take her on in a game of tug-of-war using old towels.

Blurry shot, I know, but I love his big whiskers!

Pix4Japan by R.D.S. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Morris Mary Dale

A new kid on the block. Morris (male border collie) has just joined up with Mary and Dale. 

Mary doing what she does best -- napping!

Dale patiently waiting for a walk, waiting to play, waiting to do anything besides waiting!

Pix4Japan by R.D.S. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Mary Dale Cemetery

Took Dale and Mary to Hinochuo Cemetery for their evening walk. The sun was finally setting, helping to bring down the temperatures and humidity a bit.

Love taking them for walks in this cemetery. Usually there are no other people around, and Dale loves playing hide-and-seek among the tombstones.

iPhone 4S, Aperture 2.53, f/2.4, ISO 50

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Mary Dale Dealership

Took these shots on a hot summer afternoon after a quick walk to the nearby park.

Both girls were miserable even in the shade of this Toyota used-car dealership sign.

Both shots taken with an iPhone 5, f/2.4, ISO 50, 

Pix4Japan by R.D.S. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Chinowa

Chinowa (or sometimes referred to as suganuki), is a large ring made of cogon grass that is as tall as a man, and put up on the pathway that leads up to a Shinto shrine. According to Shinto tradition, visitors visit the shrine and walk through the chinowa, which looks like a big Hula-Hoop of grass, in June or July during a purification ceremony to ward off evil.

It was a bit hard to catch a good shot of this chinowa at night using an iPhone.

Pix4Japan by R.D.S. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Napping Playtime

Mary taking a nap. 

She makes it hard to get up and do some work or anything else for that matter. 

As expected, Dale wants to play fetch with her squeaky ball. 

Pix4Japan by R.D.S. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.