Dallas is known as “The Big D” and I recently met up with a tiny mite of a pup named CH Tiny Comrades High Heelz and High Standardz at BMZ, call name Manolo so hence the name of this post; “Little Dog in the Big D”, more on him below.
The Photo Session Location: West End Historic District in Downtown Dallas
I’m always looking for new photo shoot locations and love sessions in urban environments. I’d heard about a revitalization of the West End Historic District so decided to check it out for this session. The West End is an area of Dallas known for its restaurants, western wear stores and various shops. It’s also a popular tourist destination for visitors. I was excited to see the new West End Square that was the centerpiece of the improvements. The project broke ground in January 2020 and opened to the public just over a year ago on March 26, 2021. The area, formerly a surface parking lot, has been transformed into the only neighborhood park in the West End Historic District.
This was my first visit to the park and it didn’t disappoint as a photo session location, there’s so much variety from city, urban to greenery and plantings. There’s a steel shade structure that wraps three sides of the park, referred to as the “Frame.”
The area inside the frame includes “The Porch”, featuring porch swings hung from the Frame’s edge along North Record Street that provides a relaxing environment for all ages and the “Outdoor Workroom” located beneath the shade canopy created by the frame, this space houses a 50 foot long table fitted with charging stations and WiFi (and I made use of that table to pose Manolo on!) and the Innovation Arcade, an area along the parks Market Street edge that is designed to host temporary installations, performances and artwork.
(click on any image to view full screen)
The Dog: Tiny, But Mighty - Meet Manolo, the Russian Toy
Manolo is a Russian Toy (RT), a breed recently recognized by the AKC. There are currently 748 registered RTs in the United States, with several centered in the Dallas area.
The breed was derived from English toy terriers and Manchester terriers and were fancied by Russian aristocracy. With the revolution, the people of Russia associated the dogs with their unpopular leadership and tried to extinguish the dogs. Servants of the homes hid the dogs in an effort to try to save them and the breed came back after near extinction in 1928.
The original coat of the RT was smooth, but in 1958 a hidden gene emerged and a single long coat pup was born to a litter of smooth coats, giving rise to the long coat variety. Interestingly, smooth coats tend to be more terrier-like in nature than their long coated counterparts.
Russian Toys by the numbers; the breed standard is 8-11 inches tall with a weight up to 6.5 lbs. Life expectancy is 12-14 years or longer. They are known to be good with children and other dogs, but take caution with younger tikes and larger dogs who may be a little rough with such a small dog.
Historically the breed is a healthy one. They are known for their elegance, long limbs, fine bones and lean muscles. They are active and cheerful, possessing keen intelligence and a desire to please. The Russian Toy loves to snuggle and be close to their human companions, but they are also sporty and compete in various canine sports such as Fast Cat and agility.
They may come off as aloof to strangers, but are neither cowardly or aggressive. I experienced this with Manolo, he was fine with me taking his picture, but he didn’t really feel the need to become friends with me, so I just kept things professional LOL.
Having both smooth and long coats, Russian Toys also come in the colors black and tan, chocolate and tan, blue and tan, red, red sable and red brown.
Lory Tannahill of BMZ Russian Toys in Wylie, Texas
Manolo is 1.5 years old and was bred by Susan Moore of Tiny Comrades in Florida. He is owned and handled by Lory Tannahill, who along with Norma Madrid, operates BMZ Russian Toys in the Wylie, Texas about 30 miles northeast of Dallas. Dallas is also home to Pinnacle Russian Toys, BuckBears Russian Toys and Cesky Terriers and Uptown Westies and Russian Toys. This little redhead is a long coat, he’s sweet and refined but is also a sporty, drivey little guy that loves to compete in Fast CAT and is currently 14th in the nation clocking a quick 16.5 mph over 100 yards.
Manolo epitomizes the breed standard, slight of build, leanly muscled and elegant carriage. He earned his AKC conformation championship in July of 2022 at the Dallas Dog Show held at Market Hall placing him in the top 25 Russian Toys in the country. This designation indicates that he has proven to be a quality example of the breed standard. “It was nice to win that on our home court” said Lory. BMZ has both smooth and long coat RTs and have plans to spread the news about this little-known breed. Now that he's earned his championship, fatherhood will soon be in his future.
All Around The Pet Photographer Blog Circle
Everyone will be out and about in the city this week in the pet photography blog circle so let’s head on over to Walworth County dog photographer Jan Bezzo highlights 10 dog-friendly restaurants in Lake Geneva and then continue clicking on the link at the bottom of each post for an around the world tour of the city life with dogs until you land right back here, then you will have completed the circle.
Tracy Allard of Penny Whistle Photography is a Certified Professional Photographer with the organization Professional Photographers of America; a designation held by fewer than 2,000 photographers nationwide and a hallmark of consistency, technical skill, artistry and professionalism. Tracy loves to photograph in urban environments and has some favorite areas to photograph at in addition to the West End such as Bishop Arts District, Deep Ellum and the Winspear Opera house.
Penny Whistle specializes in both on-location and studio photography providing pet, equine, family, couples & engagement and high school senior portraits as well as corporate headshots and commercial photography services in her studio located in historic downtown Carrollton as well as on location in Coppell, Grapevine, Southlake, Flower Mound and surrounding communities in Dallas – Fort Worth, Texas.