March 2010
Edited by Tina & Dennis Homes
MODERN ARTISTS: LENA SVALLING EKDAHL
In the second of our series of articles on modern day artists who specialize in Cavaliers as subject matter we are pleased to feature Lena Svalling Ekdahl, a very talented artist from Sweden. She comes from a very creative and artistic family; one of her brothers used to paint hot rods for one of Sweden’s top hot rod magazines, while her other brother creates clay models and also crafts flyable model planes. Lena first started to paint when she was just three years old, drawing a rather scruffy looking fox. Her parents were truly amazed at her talent and encouraged her artistic flair. As a young child she would draw animals from books and from anything else that she came across. With her parent’s encouragement she tried her hand at many forms of artistic handicraft including painting china and sewing lamps. She also shared her father’s skill at being able to cut with scissors all manner of animals and other shapes from blank pieces of paper without any pre-drawn lines. She even involved herself in woodcraft and built an owl’s nest box when she was only six years old. She was so proud to have it hung behind her country cottage.
In the early 90’s she began her career in the beauty industry and worked for Lancome for several years. She is a skilled make-up artist and her creations have made the cover of Amelia and also the first print of Amelia Bride.
Lena was sadly diagnosed with rheumatic problems but owning Cavaliers has really become central to her life. As Lena says, "I love the mild, happy Cavalier and everything about them. It is therefore so natural for me to paint them. It has given me great happiness to have people send me pictures from all around the world for me to paint. Every painting gets so easily done when the motif makes your heart sing."
She has a small kennel of seven blenheim Cavaliers that she absolutely adores. Her first dog was named Woodie and had the kennel name of Gnistans Hazlewood-Lazy. It was from a derivation of his name that she created the name of her own kennel. Hazelcoats. She loves to show her Cavaliers and only breeds around one litter a year.
In the second of our series of articles on modern day artists who specialize in Cavaliers as subject matter we are pleased to feature Lena Svalling Ekdahl, a very talented artist from Sweden. She comes from a very creative and artistic family; one of her brothers used to paint hot rods for one of Sweden’s top hot rod magazines, while her other brother creates clay models and also crafts flyable model planes. Lena first started to paint when she was just three years old, drawing a rather scruffy looking fox. Her parents were truly amazed at her talent and encouraged her artistic flair. As a young child she would draw animals from books and from anything else that she came across. With her parent’s encouragement she tried her hand at many forms of artistic handicraft including painting china and sewing lamps. She also shared her father’s skill at being able to cut with scissors all manner of animals and other shapes from blank pieces of paper without any pre-drawn lines. She even involved herself in woodcraft and built an owl’s nest box when she was only six years old. She was so proud to have it hung behind her country cottage.
In the early 90’s she began her career in the beauty industry and worked for Lancome for several years. She is a skilled make-up artist and her creations have made the cover of Amelia and also the first print of Amelia Bride.
Lena was sadly diagnosed with rheumatic problems but owning Cavaliers has really become central to her life. As Lena says, "I love the mild, happy Cavalier and everything about them. It is therefore so natural for me to paint them. It has given me great happiness to have people send me pictures from all around the world for me to paint. Every painting gets so easily done when the motif makes your heart sing."
She has a small kennel of seven blenheim Cavaliers that she absolutely adores. Her first dog was named Woodie and had the kennel name of Gnistans Hazlewood-Lazy. It was from a derivation of his name that she created the name of her own kennel. Hazelcoats. She loves to show her Cavaliers and only breeds around one litter a year.
Lena at a dog show in Sweden
Although highly skilled in the traditional art forms, Lena has greatly encompassed the 21st century hi-tech artistic skills that computer technology can bring and began using photoshop software programs as another medium for her work. She uses the same approach to her work as a conventional artist, but instead the computer screen becomes her canvas and the mouse and keyboard her brushes and paint. When creating her work she has the mindset of an artist rather than a computer geek. This can be seen by the superb examples that we have displayed below. They are not just clever pictures of dogs, she has really captured the soul and emotion of each one with expressions that portray curiosity, amazement, playfulness and most importantly love.
OBESITY IN DOGS
A recent study conducted by Hill’s Pet Nutrition believes that a large number of pet dogs and cats in the UK are facing a ‘dietary time bomb’. The study of over 100 vets states that a great many of the caseloads are man-made dietary related problems. As well as obesity, other diseases that are exacerbated by poor diet include diabetes, high blood pressure, pancreatitis, kidney problems and heart disease. One researcher said that these similar to many of the health problems that are also found in children and mirrors the modern lifestyle of fast food, excessively large food portions and too little exercise. Amazingly the survey found that many people were totally unaware that their pet was overweight. Often people say that they are only feeding the recommended amounts of proprietary dog food when in fact they are also giving their dogs far too many titbits and table scraps.
If you have an overweight dog it is very important that this excess weight is reduced. Obesity can complicate other conditions such as arthritis and cardiopulmonary disease by adding stress to an already injured anatomy. The most important thing when embarking on a weight loss programme is to ensure that calories burned exceed calories eaten. Ideally you should reduce fat and calories and increase exercise.
You must be firm; no treats or table scraps or extra food because you succumb to your dog’s large pleading eyes! If your dog is excessively overweight you should first consult your vet who may recommend a low calorie proprietary diet food. These type of foods tend to contain few calories but more fibre to give bulk and make your dog feel fuller. Some dogs may need vitamin, mineral and fatty-acid supplement to maintain good coat condition while on a low calorie diet. You could also try feeding three small meals through the day rather that just one large meal.
Tails are essentially an extension of the spine but tails are used by different animals in a variety of ways. They provide a source of locomotion for aquatic mammals such as otters while many land animals use their tails to brush away flies and other biting insects. Other animals such as cats and kangaroos use their tails for balance, while some, such as monkeys and opossums, have a prehensile tail which allows them to grasp tree branches. But with dogs the tail is often used as a means of communication.
Dogs very rarely wag their tails when they are alone, they mainly use this gesture to communicate to others. For example, when you offer food the dog often wags because he is expressing pleasure to its owner. When they eat and play alone, they hardly ever wag because there is no one to see them. When wagging, surrounding muscles press on scent glands, releasing pheromones that signal all sorts of information that other dogs can pick up, such as the dogs’ age, sex, and social status.
Submissive dogs may not wag their tails when frightened because they do not want to draw attention to themselves. A high, quickly wagging tail is often a sign of playfulness, but can also signal an aggressive dog. A horizontal, steadily moving tail suggests that your dog is closely studying something. If a dog tucks its tail between its legs, it is afraid, and attempting to communicate that it is submissive and does not pose a threat.
On 22nd February the Guinness Book of Records officially announced the world’s tallest dog. He is a Great Dane called George and his picture appeared in many newspapers. He comes from Tuscon Arizona and stands 43 inches from paw to shoulder and 7 foot 3 inches from nose to tail. He beats the previous tallest dog, (Titan, also a Great Dane), by 5cm (2 inches). Other record holders are:
Heaviest dog in the world
"Kell", from the UK holds this title. He’s a Neapolitan Mastiff, weighing 286 pounds with only a 32-inch neck
Biggest dog (ever) in the world
"Zorba", from London has this title hands down. At 8 years old, in 1989 this English Mastiff, weighed 343 pounds
Smallest dog in the world
"Danka", from Revuca, Slovakia. A long haired Chihuahua that is only 27 oz.
Shortest dog in the world
"Brandy", from Florida. A Chihuahua who weighs 29 oz. but measures only 6 inches from the tip of her nose to the end of her tail.
After the success of the Coventry Cavalier Fun Day last year where £225 was raised for the Animal Health Trust’s EBV project, Kate Hughes will be holding another Fun Day on Saturday 24th April. There will be a Companion Dog Show starting at 12.30, judged by Sylvia Lymer (Lymrey), plus two simple obedience classes judged by Betty Wilson. They will also be having Have a Go Agility, a photo competition on the theme of Springtime, a raffle, a BBQ and homemade cake, a stall selling home-made dog treats, and an information table. Proceeds this year will go to the Royal Veterinary College’s Cavalier foetal tissue research. For more information and a programme, please contact Kate Hughes, phone 024 7659 3694 or email kate879@btinternet.com
**************************
When customs officials at Dublin Airport scanned a piece of luggage the x-ray machine detected the outline of a small dog. At first the officials thought that it may have been a toy, but on further investigation a small Chihuahua was discovered in the bag. The owner had tried to smuggle the dog in to Ireland from Bulgaria. The dog was placed in quarantine and was found to be in good health. The owner may face prosecution.
**************************
In Rapid Creek Market, Darwin, Australia a lady tied her dog’s lead to a fence and left him with a bowl of water while she went shopping. When she returned she was amazed to discover that a City Council traffic warden had secured a parking notice to the lead and she was subsequently fined for leaving the dog in a no parking area!
**************************
A report in a Chinese newspaper the Fushun Daily tells how two family pets, a cat and a dog, had both recently had litters and were taking it in turns to childmind for each other. When the dog goes out the cat will nurse the young puppies and when the cat goes out the dog will nurse the kittens. Sometimes when they are both in they get confused and the dog is found with the kittens and cat with the pups.
**************************
If you want to see and hear a really amusing video of a song all about dog hair go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBYtCmJFrm4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBYtCmJFrm4
Some people like a basket of flowers while others would much rather have a basket of fruit. But I’m sure that any true Cavalier lover would much prefer a basket of puppies. This photo of four adorable little tricolours comes from Katherine Rummery from Germany. They are indeed a true basket full of delights!
"My husband and I are either going to buy a dog or have a child. We can’t decide whether to ruin our carpets or ruin our lives."
Rita Rudner
If you have any questions about owning a Cavalier then click on the envelope to email Dennis and Tina who will only be too pleased to try and help you.
However please remember that we are not Vets or Lawyers so questions on these topics should be addressed to the professionals for advice.
Questions and answers that are of interest to other owners may be published on this page.
However please remember that we are not Vets or Lawyers so questions on these topics should be addressed to the professionals for advice.
Questions and answers that are of interest to other owners may be published on this page.
Material Copyright © 2010 The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club