Page 56 - Demo

54Over the years, Lynn and I have had our car chased down the road by countless Hoosier dogs. I suppose, from their point of view, they%u2019ve always been successful in running us off. But there have also been more personal encounters with pure breeds, mixed breeds, and mutts of every conceivable shape, size, color, age, and fur type. Some were clean and well groomed, others filthy and infested with parasites. Some were coddled, others were kicked. There have also been a variety of pooch personalities, from dim dullard to hyperactive predator. Here are a few of the more memorable dogs we encountered while shooting Ghost Barns of Indiana. It was a hot afternoon, we were driving down a rural county road, and Lynn spotted an interesting barn. So I pulled into the driveway, parked, and started walking toward the nearby house to ask permission to photograph. Nearing the front door, I felt a sudden pain in my lower left calf, turned quickly, and saw a medium-sized, chestnut-colored dog slink away. It only took a moment to realize I%u2019d just been bitten. Luckily, it wasn%u2019t a serious bite, as there were no tooth holes in the leg of my jeans, and no blood was involved. I decided not to mention the incident to the man who answered my knock and opened his front door. %u201cSure,%u201d he said, %u201ctake all the pictures you%u2019d like. Just keep an eye on my dog. She likes to sneak up on people and give them a nip.%u201d I promised to keep my eyes peeled, and thanked him for the warning.As I walked across the yard in the direction of the barn, I looked back and saw the sneaky cur crouched close to the ground, stalking me%u2014like a lioness creeping up on an antelope. But as soon as she knew I was watching, she turned aside and settled down under the shade of a shrub. After taking a couple of pictures, I looked back, and saw her sneaking toward me again. As before, she stopped as soon as she realized I was onto her. Because I kept turning in her direction from time to time, she finally decided to stay put. It was only when I headed back to the car that she resumed stalking mode. Fortunately, by repeatedly looking over my shoulder, she maintained her distance. Lynn decided to call her the Brown Nipper.That same day, two hours later, we pulled into another drive, and were greeted by two beige Great Danes. They were neither friendly, nor aggressive, and stayed several feet behind me as I Country dogswalked up to the mobile home. It wasn%u2019t until after I%u2019d been granted permission to photograph the barn, and was going toward our car to retrieve my camera, that one of them started up with a deep and persistent barking. Hearing the commotion, the owner came out and told Susie to quiet down. She didn%u2019t, but I was glad she maintained her distance. Still, it was unnerving to have such a giant quadruped loudly voicing her displeasure just a few feet away. After getting fewer shots than I would have liked, I%u2019d had enough of the hound of the Baskervilles, and slowly moved toward the car. Seeing me in retreat, Susie got closer and louder. Despite her owner%u2019s assurance that he was sure she wouldn%u2019t bite, I was quite relieved to be safely behind the steering wheel and driving away. Lynn said she%u2019d been intimidated by Susie%u2019s pal, who%u2019d glared down at her with his face pressed against the car%u2019s window. The second time we encountered Great Danes%u2014another pair, both white with attractive black markings%u2014they were extremely friendly. Despite their mammoth size, the owner said they were only a few months old, and still growing. Like pups, they had a frolicking gait, bounded around a lot, and the male seemed to enjoy jumping up on me. With his paws on my shoulders, his giant head towered well above mine. He wasn%u2019t the least bit aggressive, so I knew I wasn%u2019t in any danger. Still, it was a bit disconcerting to know I was at the mercy of such a large mammal. With camera and tripod, I headed toward what the owner told me was a sugar shack (where maple sap had once been boiled down into syrup), while she herded her two babies into the garage so they wouldn%u2019t bother me. I sincerely thanked her.On several occasions, I was confronted by Pit Bulls and, although I was leery of their reputation, they were all quite friendly. One brindle-backed female must have been fairly young, because she was bursting with energy. She ran circles around me continuously as I set up my camera and tripod. After framing an image, focusing, adjusting the shutter speed, and setting the f-stop, I had to make sure she was well behind me, before triggering the shutter, to make sure she wouldn%u2019t run through the shot. When I%u2019d finished shooting, and was putting my camera away, it was all I could do to keep her from barging past me into the car. She really wanted to join Lynn and me for a ride. That was one powerful little girl.