Dog's Life

On The Big Screen

By Maria Estrella

Ever wish you could record those moments when your dog suddenly decides to help with those autumn leaves—by rolling in them every which way? Or how about the day your brown-eyed, four-pawed pal unexpectedly took a dip in the lake last summer? Times like these deserve to be cherished, and what better way to do that than video!

Today’s recorders are easier to use than ever, and small enough to tote along with the toys to the park for the ultimate friendship on film.

Inez Larkey of Sacramento, California, always has her digital recorder on stand-by when it comes to playtime with her happy-go-lucky Shih Tzu, Pangga. The filming started several years ago when they were playing catch during a backyard barbecue: “I threw the ball, did the usual ‘fake’ throw, rolled the ball over to her, and all those fun things. Pangga was so eager to grab the bouncy object that she would sometimes overshoot the ball and have to double-back to retrieve it. It was so fascinating to watch her get the ball with such gusto and try to grip it with her furry paws until she would finally snatch it with her mouth.” And Larkey couldn’t resist capturing those moments on video so they could enjoy watching it later.

Ever since that lively round of fetch, Larkey’s various recordings of her and Pangga grew large enough to create a video montage, which is simple to create with software that lets you plug and play! “By now Pangga is so used to seeing the camera that she’ll get up on her hind legs and look up straight into it when I say, ‘action!’ ” And Larkey loves having a video of her and her best friend playing to show to her family and friends.

Over on the East Coast, Barkley, a black Labrador Retriever, shares his owner’s affinity for soccer. So much that Washington D.C. resident Domeka Garamendi has ample opportunities to catch Barkley in action. “I’ve been playing soccer my whole life and so has Barkley—he can even score a goal or two.” Friendship like that deserves to be in pictures, right? This duo enjoys the ultimate playbacks that they film during their soccer games. Like Garamendi, Barkley loves the outdoors and becomes extremely animated when it’s time to play on the field. “I’ll just set my video camera down and let it record for as long as it can while Barkley and I play a game or two. It’s amazing what Barkley can do—he balances the ball on his nose, dribbles, steals the ball and jumps up to block it. I’m glad I was able to film what we do best: hanging out with each other.”