Smile Like a Dog » Fort Funston

Scenes from Fort Funston

Mark — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:47:14 +0000

Photo of the Day

It’s hard to stay in bad mood long at Fort Funston (Unofficial Dogland USA) on a clear sunny evening — especially when you have a good-looking fellow like Thor to work with. This is from my second of two shoots with Thor (the first one was at McClaren Park earlier in the summer). Between him and the beach there’s a lot of beautiful things to look at…

Bonus Shot

This is why I carry lens wipes

Tygon and Onyx: Out-of-Sight Hounds

Mark — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 09:01:22 +0000

I’m a sucker for sighthounds: Salukis, Whippets, Afghans, Greyhounds…you name it. I love the way they run, their long elegant lines and their soulful eyes. Last week I had a chance to photograph a pair of greyhounds in action down at Fort Funston. Tygon and Onyx are both rescues from Golden State Greyhound. Tygon is a large guy, about as big as greyhounds come while Onyx is small and sleek. They make quite the pair and it was amazing watching them open up and tear down the beach at full speed. T & O, enjoy your sneak peak…

Onyx

Tygon

Tygon on the Run

I can run, too

Who's Faster?

Dynamic Duo at Rest

Onyx = Elegance

Tygon

Buddies in B&W

Doing the sighthound thing...

Onyx on the beach

I see you (I'm a sighthound)

Fun at Fort Funston

Mark — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 23:24:01 +0000

Nothing like a morning walk at San Francisco’s own dog mecca: Fort Funston. We took the Biz to meet some friends down there and ended up with a good-sized pack of 5 people and 7 dogs. One of them, a newcomer named Fletcher, may actually give Bizzy a run for his money in both the underbite and cuteness department — evidence below. My favorite part of the hike, though, was watching a three-legged pitbull play in the surf — it didn’t even slow him dow. Wish I could bottle that sort of attitude.

Bizzy at the Beach

Fletcher – 9.8 on the cuteness Richter scale

Ok, maybe a 9.9

Three-legged pitbull at play (count, you’ll only get to 11)

Three legs but lots of speed

The Odd Couple

Jax the not-so-miniature schnauzer

Nothing comes between me and my Frisbee

Drool is good

Three Dog Morning with Rocky, Rookie & Haley

Mark — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 04:53:27 +0000

Man did I have fun last Saturday morning. I met with three great dogs and their owner at Fort Funston on an uncharacteristically clear and beautiful November day. Rocky is a feisty little French Bulldog who pretty much rules the roost. Haley and Rookie are both labs who just love playing ball and jumping in the water. I spent the morning pretty much watching them be dogs and play in the surf–it really doesn’t get much better than that. My favorite thing about Ft Funston is that you never see anyone leaving the beach with their dog without a smile on their face. Everyone has a great time.

Zev Valentine

Mark — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:24:29 +0000

When I found out I had a My Mutt assignment to photograph a dog named Zev Valentine I was, to say the least, intrigued. With a name like that he had a lot to live up to and boy did he ever exceed my expectations. Zev turned out to be beautiful brindle pitbull with love for life even bigger than his name. We went to Ft Funston (my destination of choice these days) and took advantage of the fall iceplants for background scenery.Zev spent the outing marking everything in sight, meeting and greeting lots of dogs, retrieving his wubba, and, believe it or not, climbing a tree. And now, without further ado, meet Zev V…

Let his mom know which shots you like the most for a Pet Food Express poster.

I just love Zev’s focus. This was a classic pose for him

Smiling and Running

Meet and greet

Hi there!

Wheeeeee!

Zev’s Dewer’s Profile Pose

6 Million Dollar Dog

Yep, he climbs trees

Dog Butt

That’s a good look for you, Zev

I had no clue that reindeer migrated this far south

Jasper & Mabel

Mark — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 03:21:04 +0000

There’s nothing quite like Fort Funston and Ocean Beach on a fall afternoon here in San Francisco — the light is that perfect California gold and it’s still warm enough for you to hit the beach without a jacket. I met Jasper, Mabel and their mom down there last Thursday for a donated session they bid on at a recent animal welfare fundraiser. Jasper’s a spry aussie shepherd mix and Mabel’s a pitbull mix. Both of them love to play — Mabel’s a ball girl while Jasper prefers frisbees. We had a great time and got some really cool shots of them at play. We also got what may be my single favorite Smiling Dog shot of the year — a classic pitbull grin.

Bucky

Mark Rogers — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 19:59:12 +0000

I met a fine young lad named Bucky this week. Bucky’s a strapping 1 1/2 year-old King Charles Cavalier Spaniel whose mom, Djuna Woods, is a realtor down on the peninsula who specializes in finding and selling homes for dog owners. Check out Djuna’s excellent blog and website if you’re interested in finding a dog-friendly home want to learn about places to take your pooch for a walk or hike in the bay area or just want to pick up some general dog-owning tips. Djuna’s a wealth of knowledge.

Bucky loves the beach and is a fan of tennis balls and birds (mainly birds) You can see some shots from our walk below as well as all the photos from the day here.