Annemarie O’Brien & Zar and Zola

Who is in the photo at right?

My name is Annemarie O’Brien. I’m the author of Lara’s Gift, a “Lassie-meets-Dr. Zhivago” young adult girl empowerment story. I also teach writing courses at UC Berkeley, Stanford, Pixar, and DreamWorks, as well as edit children’s books for Room to Read. My friends in the photo are borzoi: Zar (5 year old male) and Zola (8 year old female).

What's the occasion for Coffee with a Canine?

We’re celebrating the launch of Lara’s Gift, my debut middle grade novel coming out on August 6, 2013. Check out the starred review from Kirkus who calls Lara’s Gift, “powerful and engrossing.”

What's brewing?

I’m having a caramel macchiato with extra caramel! Zar and Zola are having a Russian coffee with a shot of Stolichnaya vodka.

Any treats for you or your dogs on this occasion?

Häagen-Dazs Dulce de Leche ice cream for me and caviar for Zar and Zola.

How did your dogs get their names? Any aliases?

Zola comes from the Russian word, “zolotaya” which means golden, the color of her coat. Zar comes from the Russian word, “Ryczar” which means knight, for he is my white knight.

How were you and your dogs united?

Both of my dogs were rescues. Zola came from the California Sierras and Zar came from the Washington, DC area.

Please tell us about your new book.

Lara’s Gift is inspired by a former life I led living and working in Russia during the Gorbachev years when I was gifted Dasha, my first borzoi puppy. For more information check out my web page.

How do your dogs help, and how do they hinder, your writing?

Zola and Zar were huge inspirations for me in the writing of Lara’s Gift. So much so, the fictional characters share the same names.

Squirrel, postman, cat....?

Definitely the squirrel! Whenever they see one, I think of the Pixar movie, Up! All they can think about is racing after it!! Even our silken windhound puppy, Zeus [photo left] can be found chasing squirrels up trees when he isn’t cuddled up with my girls reading books in bed.

What is each dog's best quality?

Zar is the most loyal dog I have ever had. Zola is the most loving animal I have ever met and would be an ideal therapy dog.

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

Zar would have Sean Connery’s voice and Zola would have Grace Kelly’s.

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

I would ask Zola: “Why do you howl like a wolf?”

I would ask Zar: “Why don’t you like Richard?”

Visit Annemarie O’Brien's website, blog, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.

--Marshal Zeringue

Terri Jacobson & her greyhounds

Who is in the photo at right?

My name is Terri Jacobson and I am one of the servants at Greyhound Gardens. By day I am a graphic designer at a community college, by night I take photos and everything in between I spend with the dogs. The greyhound snagging the treat out of my hand is Minnie. She’s eight years old and is one of the spunky ladies that keeps the rest of the hounds in line.

What's the occasion for Coffee with a Canine?

My partner Karen and I actually have coffee twice a day, every day with the hounds. Our back patio overlooks a fenced acre and we spend an hour every morning and an hour every evening out on the patio having coffee.

What's brewing?

Fresh ground and home brewed, strong with a splash of cream.

Any treats for you or your dogs on this occasion?

During the summer months, the dogs love to eat the fresh fruits, cherries, plums and apples as they ripen on the trees. They have also discovered bully stix, they are a coveted favorite.

How were you and your dogs united?

I’ve been involved in greyhound adoption for a long time. Some of our hounds we adopted because they were seniors or shy or had other issues that made it harder for them to be adopted. Minnie was three months old when we met her at a greyhound farm. I really wanted to see what the racing side was like, so we bought her and her half-brother Flocko [photo left] as puppies to follow them through their careers. When they retired, we brought them home to be our pets.

Timber [photo right] is a fluffy greyhound, a borzoi. He was a complete surprise for us. A friend of ours knew the family that had Timber and the allergies had kicked into full swing with a borzoi. In November 2011 he called and asked if we would be interested. I thought for sure that our friend was kidding, who would give up a one-year old borzoi? Two weeks he called me back and asked if we’d thought about it. He gently reminded me that most of our pack was getting older and it might be nice for us to have a younger dog around. Enter the borzoi at Greyhound Gardens.

When Mickey was born, the kennel owner called me because she knew I had a secret obsession for white and black dogs. Mickey was two days old when we held him for the first time. I think I may have named him Mickey so that I would have “Mickey and Minnie.” He came home from the track only having raced once or twice.

How did your dogs get their names?

Any nicknames? Most of the greyhounds kept their kennel names when we adopted them. We named Talley after one of our veterinarians, we got to name Minnie and Mickey when they were pups. They all have nicknames and a song to go with their name.

You've got some beautiful photos on your website. What's the biggest challenge in shooting dogs?

My hope is to someday become a pet photographer. The more photos I take of the dogs, the more challenges I encounter. The natural light outside is rarely perfect. Most of the time I am either fighting direct harsh sunlight or because we live in Oregon, I deal with a lot of really flat, overcast skies. I’m an eye person, so if the eyes are perfectly focused with a highlight, the photo rarely makes the first cut. I’ve dumped a lot of great action shots just because of the eyes.

Do your dogs have a favorite place to go for walk?

Anywhere with a leash attached is a favorite place to walk. Since photography is my second passion after the dogs, nearly every week-end we take one dog on an adventure. Sometimes we go to the beach, sometimes we hike in the mountains and sometimes we just go for a drive to see where we end up.

Squirrel, postman, cat...?

Surely you jest, the squirrels drive the dogs crazy. Our property is surrounded by tall cedar trees, perfect squirrel villas.

We used to have a significantly large population of feral cats, but I think they all got the memo and no longer come around. Or, they have each other to chase around.

Squeaky-toy, stick, Frisbee..?

Squeaky toys rule for most of the dogs. Flocko lives to play with his ball and Timber is quite the tug-o’-war king.

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

Definitely, without a doubt quit the day job and get a bigger bed.

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

Actually, I think being Oregonians suits us perfectly.

The occasionally potty break out in the rain is not always welcome, but the standing water afterwards is a favorite to run through.

The temperature is almost always livable. We are only an hour from the coast and an hour from the mountains. It’s perfect.

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

You live in a multi-hound household and that isn’t going to change. We’ve given each of you your own cushions, kennels and bowls. We’re always available for ear scritches. What else do you want from us to make this the best life ever?

Visit the websites for Greyhound Gardens and Terri Jacobson Photography & Design.

--Marshal Zeringue