Lisa L. Giesick & Bruce, Stan and Steve

Who are in these photos?

Bruce is a two year old, neutered male, Airedale. He is the youngest of my three dogs. I also share a home with Stan the Doberman who is 4 years old, and Steve the terrier mix who is 6 years old.

I'm Lisa L. Giesick, a Certified Professional Dog Trainer in Maui. [Lisa and Bruce, photo right]

What's the occasion for Coffee with a Canine?

I am a dog trainer and behavior counselor, so my dogs get to go with me to a lot of places. They are very much part of my life.

What's brewing?

I enjoy Roy's Coffee, Vanilla Macadamia Nut flavor, brewed in my Keurig.

Any treats for you or your dogs on this occasion?

Bruce is an equal opportunity eater, however this morning he is enjoying duck snacks. Stan and Steve enjoy the duck snacks too. Steve is my pickiest eater.

How did your dogs get their names? Any nicknames?

Steve [photo left, with Lisa] got his name because to me, he looked like a Steve. His nicknames are, "Little Stevie Dog", and "Little Handsome". When he is in trouble, I call him Steven.

Stan the Doberman is a name that I gave him as his name before was Shadow. I brought Stan into my home when he was a year old. He used to live at a cat rescue sanctuary, a bad mix for him. I felt Shadow was a good cat name. I also call him, "Stanley", and "Staniel".

Bruce's family comes from Australia lines, so I felt the Bruce was appropriate. Upon later research, I learned the first Airedale that came to the United States was named Bruce. I like to roll the r, when I say his name.

How were you and your dogs united?

I adopted Steve from the Maui Humane Society. Most of my dogs have been rescues.

Stan [photo right] came to me as he was unsuited to live at the cat sanctuary.

I helped train Bruce's parents, and had part of his litter in my puppy kindergarten class.

Where do your dogs most like to visit on an outing?

They enjoy going to the Makawao Forest and the Beach. Steve pretty much like to go anywhere I am going. He is my right hand man.

Who are your dogs' best non-canine pet pals?

Steve like to hang out with our two cats, Mowgli and Winston.

Squeaky toy, ball, stick...?

Stan the Doberman is obsessed with jolly balls and other kong toys. They are the rising sun to him. Bruce and Steve like rawhide chews.

What is each dog's best quality?

Steve is an excellent trick dog. He plays dead, waves, speaks and sings.

Stan [with Steve, photo left] has an excellent recall.

Bruce can go anywhere and be well behaved. He is mellow and doesn't mind anyone or anything. Quite unflappable.

If your dogs could change one thing about Hawaiians, what would it be?

They don't share their food enough?

If Hollywood made a movie about your life in which your dogs could speak, which actors should do their voices?

That is easy as we joke about this constantly.

Steve would be played by Liam Neeson, Bruce would be Ewan McGregor and Stan would be voiced by Denzel Washington.

If your dogs could answer only one question in English, what would you ask them?

Do you mind all the doggie visitors that come to the house for board and train?

Visit the Ohana Pet Training website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Kathryn Hunter & Junior

Who is in the photo at right?

I'm Kathryn Hunter: I own/run a letterpress printing shop where we design, print and make letterpress stationery, wedding invitations, and other paper ephemera called Blackbird Letterpress.

This is Junior, he is what we like to call a dober-mutt, he's about 5 1/2 years old. We have another dog, Jack, but this outing was just with Junior.

What's the occasion for Coffee with a Canine?

We went for a walk to the park (which is the beautiful Live Oak tree area of a nearby High School) because Junior reminds me he doesn't get enough.

And we are celebrating the release of The Mapmaker's War by Ronlyn Domingue. We are super excited because I created the 18 linocut illustrations inside the book!

What's brewing?

Today it's a double espresso with 1/2 & 1/2 made at home on an old espresso machine. The beans come from a local coffee shop that roasts their own beans.

Any treats for you or Junior on this occasion?

He does like a milkbone, so he probably got two.

How did Junior get his name? Any nicknames?

This dog "fell" into us, and so we named him Junior, loosely named after the baby in Raising Arizona.

Nicknames: Boo, dog, Sasquatch (his feet are huge!), stompy (he likes to stomp around).

How were you and Junior united?

One day in February 2008, my husband David came inside the studio and said "who put the puppy in the dog yard?" (We have a large fenced-in yard at the studio where the dogs stay during the day-and we had 2 dogs already in the yard that day).

I replied, "huh?"

Sure enough, there was a 6-month-old, mangey, starving puppy in the dog yard, scared to death. Now keep in mind that the other dogs were good guard dogs and they would have never let someone open their gate. So we think he was thrown over the 6 ft fence! He was so sweet and we decided to clean him up, get him fed and back to good health and neutered and then we would find him a home. He had to be dipped for the mange for 8 weeks. The day after he was neutered he was riding in David's truck with his head out the window and the truck hit a bump and he fell out. He wasn't badly hurt but he knew the kind of act he should play, and it played right into my hands. Junior went home with us for good that day.

You did the original linocut illustrations for Ronlyn Domingue's new novel, The Mapmaker's War.  You're a dog person, and I understand she's a cat person--how did that work out?

Ronlyn took a relief printing class I taught several years back. I know she was working on the book then and wanted linocut illustrations inside. We connect on the love of that type of image.

She is so sweet to the dogs here at the studio and her love of animals shines through, what ever kind of animal it might be. With that said, any person sweet to my big dogs is a friend of mine.

Where does Junior most like to visit on an outing?

Junior loves to go down to the Louisiana coast/marsh and ride on the boat barking at buoys.

Squirrel, cat, postman...?

Squirrel.

Squeaky toy, ball, stick...?

Squeaky toy.

What is Junior's best quality?

Goofiness.

If Junior could change one thing about the good folks of Baton Rouge, what would it be?

He'd ask the people to quit harassing them. Our neighbor kids like to make them a bit crazy.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life in which Junior could speak, which actor should do his voice?

The voice for Junior would be Ed Helms.

If Junior could answer only one question in English, what would you ask him?

What is the key to happiness? (He's always happy).

Visit the Blackbird Letterpress website, and view much more of Kathryn Hunter's work.

--Marshal Zeringue

Rebecca Enslein & Maccabee

Who is in the photo at right?

My name is Rebecca Enslein and I’m a wedding photographer. Maccabee is a 2-year-old male Doberman.

What's the occasion for Coffee with a Canine?

We like to go outside in our backyard every afternoon and evening for some play time.

What's brewing?

No coffee here, my caffeine drink of choice is Sugar Free Red Bull.

Any goodies to go with the coffee?

I made some peanut butter and nutella bars last night for our friends who came over for dinner. Maccabee can’t have any though, because there’s chocolate in them.

How were you and Maccabee united?

My husband and I had been waiting for the right time to get a dog and finally we came across a great opportunity. The breeder who my in-laws got their Doberman from had a new litter of pups available and saved one just for us.

Any treat for Maccabee on this occasion?

Maccabee’s chewing on the remnants of a foot long rawhide he started a couple of days ago.

You've got some beautiful wedding photos on your website and blog. Which are more challenging to photograph: dogs or brides?

I’d say that brides are more challenging to photograph. They don’t respond nearly as well to treats as dogs do.

How did Maccabee get his name? Does he have any nicknames?

The story of Hanukkah involves a tribe of warriors, called the Maccabees. We liked the sound of the name and the story, so Maccabee he became. He has a bunch of nicknames: Beetle, Beetie, Snuppy, Snuparoon, Roon Head, Smelly pup…I could go on forever. We hardly ever actually call him Maccabee.

Squirrel, cat, postman...?

Maccabee loves to chase squirrels. We moved from an apartment to a house and basically picked our home because of the huge backyard. He has an acre to run around and chase squirrels up trees and he loves it. He loves squirrels so much that he’ll run and bark at imaginary ones when he can’t find the real thing.

Tennis ball, Frisbee, squeaky-toy...?

The Waggle. I found it on Amazon one day after researching dog toys that would stand up to a strong and relentless chewer. It’s a dumbbell shaped rubber toy that dispenses treats randomly when shaken around or bounced on the floor. It keeps Maccabee busy for hours and he gets so excited when you bring it out of the toy box.

Where is Maccabee's favorite place for an outing?

He loves going to the local Pet Smart. He usually sniffs out a new toy while we’re there and the friendly cashiers always give him a treat or two.

Who is Maccabee's best pet-pal?

Boots, a bloodhound/lab mix from our old neighborhood. They still have play dates at our new house and Maccabee shows him where all the squirrels hide out.

What is Maccabee's most endearing quality?

Definitely his ears. When we got him as a puppy his ears were still in braces after having them cropped. We took his braces off of him too soon and his ears sort of touch over his head instead of standing up straight like they should. People always ask why his ears look funny, but I think it’s part of his charm and I love them.

If Maccabee could change one thing about you, what would it be?

He’d probably want me to let him up on the couch with us while we watch TV so that he could snuggle some more.

He’s kind of an attention hog.

What is Maccabee's proudest moment?

His proudest moment was probably making his modeling debut a few weeks ago at one of my photo shoots. It was an bridal shoot, and the night before my husband suggested that we bring Maccabee on set at the end and take some pictures of him with the model. The model was up for it and Maccabee is always happy to be bribed into doing anything for treats. He was a star!

Most embarrassing?

Definitely when he ate over 100 rocks at the dog park as a six-month-old pup. He had to have them surgically removed because there were so many and then he had to wear a muzzle every time he was outside for a couple of months afterward. He learned the hard way to stay away from eating non-food objects.

Visit The Studio B Photography blog and website.

--Marshal Zeringue

Tricia Stohr-Hunt & Sydney

Who is in the photo at right?

This is me (well, the back of me!) and Sydney. My name is Tricia Stohr-Hunt and I am on the faculty at the University of Richmond. I have the honor and pleasure of preparing future teachers. I also have the not-so-fun job of chairing our department. (I love teaching, but the administrative stuff is my least favorite part of the job.) Sydney is a doberman-terrier mix. She'll be 12 at the beginning of November.

What's the occasion for Coffee with a Canine?

Saturday mornings are my special time with Sydney. I get up early to write and she always joins me. I settle into a comfortable chair and she lays at or ON my feet. If I don't give her enough attention, she unplugs my laptop (I'm convinced she knows what she's doing) and puts her paws on the keyboard. If I'm writing in a notebook, she tries to grab my pen. Did I mention she's sometimes ill-behaved?

What's brewing?

I don't drink coffee, so it's always loose tea. It's made in Harney & Sons teapot and is either Supreme Breakfast or Earl Grey (also Harney & Sons). In the winter I sometimes drink Hot Cinnamon Spice or Indian Spice. If I'm feeling really energetic, I'll make up my own batch of masala tea.

Any goodies to go with the coffee?

I don't usually eat while I'm drinking tea, but afterwards I often whip up a batch of banana muffins.

Any treat for your dog on this occasion?

Sydney gets an extra-big milkbone or peanut butter slathered inside an old bone.

How did Sydney come to be united with you?

We'd been living in Richmond for more than three years, but I'd refused to get a dog while we lived in an apartment. During spring break 1997 my husband and I went to the local shelter. The day we went was cold and rainy and there was no heat in the kennels. The poor dogs were all crying and shivering. I saw a puppy that was sitting up, wagging her tail, and licking folks through the bars. I was immediately smitten. She only had one day left before she was due to be euthanized, so we took her home right then and there. (BTW, I'm happy to report that our local SPCA no longer puts dogs down.)

How did Sydney get her name?

She came to us with the name Honey, but we couldn't see calling her that, so we changed her name to something that sounded a bit like it.

Stick, frisbee, tennis ball...?

Actually, her favorite is a stuffed wiener dog. I can't tell you how many she's had. She loves to fetch it when it's thrown, though she never gives it back. She much prefers to play tug-of-war with it. It's the first toy she brings to all our guests.

What's an ordinary day like for Sydney?

Sleep, sleep, sleep. I swear that's all she does. Her favorite place to sleep is our bed. She does have a dog door, so she can come and go as she pleases. When she was younger she ran outside to chase squirrels, but now that she's older, she's not as active. If we forget to close the bathroom doors she'll wait until she's alone and then dig through the trash and pick at the Kleenex.

Who is your dog's best pet-pal?

Sydney is a big baby when it comes to interacting with other dogs. She acts tough but they frighten her, so sadly, no other pet-pals.

What's your dog's best quality?

Sydney loves to be in the middle of things and with people. If I'm cooking, she's lounging in the middle of the kitchen floor. When I talk to her she thumps her tail, sometimes without opening her eyes. When I'm writing, she's on the floor next to my chair. If we're watching a movie, she's in the middle of the living room rug. It's rare that she's not close by. If we forget she's there, she reminds us by nudging a newspaper or book out of the way, licking any patch of bare skin, and sometimes doing her best lapdog impression (which at 50+ pounds, she's not).

What's your dog's proudest moment so far? Her most embarrassing?

Sydney's a wonderful dog, but she hasn't done anything particularly special beyond putting up with us and loving us. That in itself is pretty amazing. There are lots of most embarrassing moments, but throwing up on my husband's shoes when he was carrying her outside is probably at the top of the list!

Tricia Stohr-Hunt blogs about poetry, children's literature and issues related to teaching children and their future teachers at The Miss Rumphius Effect.

--Marshal Zeringue