Photoshoot Failure?

Amused. So I like taking pictures (no duh, right?) and I just so happened to be camped at a beautiful spot deep in the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas. I had taken a weekend to run away and I thought it would be fun to bring Callie, who loves to swim, and Ghost (my new puppy!!) because I want to get him used to camping and hiking and swimming and pretty much everything I love to do. After I had picked the perfect spot and set up camp I wanted to take a few of those amazing tent-flap vista pictures. So I opened my tent flaps, set up my sleeping bag, got down on my stomach, and started snapping pictures.

Callie wandered over and decided she wanted to lay on my sleeping bag and take a nap. I started to shoo her away then realized I had a perfect picture framed right in front of me, so I started shooting again. Then Ghost wandered over and lay down with Callie. Now, I should point out that getting these two to get along hasn't been easy. Ghost took to Marley and Marley took to Ghost like long-lost brothers, but Callie is insanely jealous of the new puppy. Mostly her jealousy rears its ugly green head whenever Jared is around, and especially if she thinks Jared is giving the puppy more attention than her, but it also shows through whenever there are toys that she wants but Ghost has, or on occasion if she wants my attention but I'm playing with the puppy. Anyway, I thought the best plan would be to take them travelling together. Callie loves travelling as much as I do and I'd hoped she could teach Ghost the finer points of being an adventure dog.

I am happy to report that for the most part, it worked! Callie and Ghost played together, cuddled together, both sat on the front seat together in the car, and Callie allowed Ghost to follow her around while off-leash in the mountains. It was great! When Ghost came over and lay down next to Callie while I was taking pictures I thought for sure I was about to get some adorable photos of my two little adventure pups napping together. Apparently I forgot Ghost is a puppy. It wasn't long before he got bored with laying around and started entertaining himself. By chewing on his own feet.

The photoshoot quickly deteriorated from there. What had started out as a calm and peaceful photo session dissolved into a fidgity puppy and an annoyed Callie. I could see it in her expression as at first she just accepted the nuisance behind her, but slowly became more annoyed as he refused to settle down.

The photo above says it all. Now, remember, I was still on my belly, propped up on my elbows, snapping pictures as quickly as my camera could take them while this was going on. It didn't take long before Callie had had enough, at which point she got up and walked away, going the long way around the tent to curl up next to my side while I tried unsuccessfully to get Ghost to lay down and hold still for a couple of seconds. The whole photo shoot lasted maybe ten minutes, if that, but I think I have to call it a success overall. Wouldn't you agree?