Danger Dog Blog

Live from Kathmandu: Finals from Dilip

It is always a pleasure working with the artist Dilip Niroj.    His work never disappoints...

Dry ready and waiting!

Dilip's artwork is always fun to see as he leaves it out on the street for me to find.

Rasta the Black Standard Poodle by Dilip Niroj

Rasta is handsome with his yellow scarf in his first final by Dilip.   It is a classic Danger Dog portrait with his prominent tongue.

Dolce the Greyhound by Dilip Niroj

Dolce's portrait is big and bold, as is he.   A full sized brindle Greyhound, he looks strong and muscular in his first final portrait by Dilip.

Homer the Boxer mix by Dilip

Homer is part Boxer and all charmer in his first final portrait by Dilip Niroj.   

 

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Want to immortalize your pet?   .,

Now is the time to order:   Be ahead of the Pack!   Orders now being accepted for the March 2016 trip.  I will be back in June 2016.   Orders close for this trip on June 9th, 2016, but sooner is always better as we need time for the paint to dry!

1. Please send me a photo of your pet.  I will give it to three different artists, giving you a choice of 3 paintings and three people will get work.   Each painting is about one square foot and is on metal with synthetic enamel paint.   These can be hung indoors or out.

2. Let me know what you would like it to say.

3. Let me know what style of portrait you would prefer:   naive, realistic, colorful, etc.

4. Tell me your pet's name and breed.   

5. Send your photo to me at:   [email protected]  
That's it !

Satisfaction is guaranteed as I accept no money up front.   If you do not like one of the three, you pay nothing, and the 3 artists are paid in full in any case.   Let me know what you want it to say and that's it!

The cost is $250 plus shipping.   Shipping is around $22 per sign (to and from the US).   And 9.75% California sales tax for California residents.  
Pay after choosing your portrait. 
Multiple pets on one sign cost more ($325 for Double, $400 for Triple).

Let's keep these artists painting.

This hand-painted art form is fast disappearing in Kathmandu, as it already has in most parts of the world.   I pay fair trade wages, the artists get to paint again, pet lovers get a choice of three paintings for each commission, and I get to help Nepali artists make a living.   Everybody is happy.   Rescue dogs from America get to rescue artists from Nepal!

Live from Kathmandu: Finals from Sagar

Sagar Bitsa's new finals are lovely...

Dee Dee the Chihuahua by Sagar

Dee Dee the Chihuahua by Sagar captures her mystery.   No lettering was requested on this Danger Dog sign.

Mavis the Open Hearted Dog by Sagar

Mavis the dog's order is a bit unusual with her head being put onto the body of Hanuman and Ram and Sita are replaced by Mavis' humans...   This is Sagar Bitsa's version.

Oliver the Love Cat by Sagar Bitsa

Oliver is an American long-haired Domestic Cat and here is his final by the artist Sagar Bitsa.  He looks wonderful with his background of blues and greens.

Sagar's final portrait of Floribel the American Bulldog

Floribel the American Bulldog by Sagar Bitsa is hand painted on metal.

Shuff the Black Pug by Sagar

Everyone loves a Black Pug.  Shuff is handsome with his background of the mountains in Sagar's portrait.  This one still needs the Nepali lettering.

Mikey the Cockapoo and Ruby the Labradoodle by Sagar

Mikey and Ruby also still need their Nepali lettering, but this is well on its way.

 

Lola the Borzoi almost final by Sagar Bitsa

All classic Danger Dog portraits include a tongue, even more than teeth, so Lola the Borzoi continues this tradition in her final portrait by Sagar.   Sagar's still needs the final Nepalese lettering.

Stay tuned, there is much more to come.   You can subscribe to these updates by becoming a fan, up near the top.

Or you can join my mailing list by writing to me.

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Want to immortalize your pet?   Order by May 18, 2016.

Now is the time to order:   Be ahead of the Pack!   Orders now being accepted for this 2016 trip.  I will be back in June 2016.   

1. Please send me a photo of your pet.  I will give it to three different artists, giving you a choice of 3 paintings and three people will get work.   Each painting is about one square foot and is on metal with synthetic enamel paint.   These can be hung indoors or out.

2. Let me know what you would like it to say.

3. Let me know what style of portrait you would prefer:   naive, realistic, colorful, etc.

4. Tell me your pet's name and breed.   

5. Send your photo to me at:   [email protected]  
That's it !

Satisfaction is guaranteed as I accept no money up front.   If you do not like one of the three, you pay nothing, and the 3 artists are paid in full in any case.   Let me know what you want it to say and that's it!

The cost is $250 plus shipping.   Shipping is around $22 per sign (to and from the US).   And 9.75% California sales tax for California residents.  
Pay after choosing your portrait. 
Multiple pets on one sign cost more ($325 for Double, $400 for Triple).

Let's keep these artists painting.

This hand-painted art form is fast disappearing in Kathmandu, as it already has in most parts of the world.   I pay fair trade wages, the artists get to paint again, pet lovers get a choice of three paintings for each commission, and I get to help Nepali artists make a living.   Everybody is happy.   Rescue dogs from America get to rescue artists from Nepal!

Live from Kathmandu: New finals from Sanjib

New finals are coming in, these great portraits are from artist Sanjib Rana.

Florbel, an American Bulldog, by Sanjib Rana

Sanjib Rana captures Floribel's strength and she looks great against her mountain setting.   She is an American Bulldog and is very striking with her two different colored eyes.   Floribel's companions requested Nepali lettering only.  The Devenagari script reads Katarnak Kukur, or Danger Dog in Nepalese.

Mikey the Cockapoo and Ruby the Labradoodle by Sanjib Rana

Mikey the Cockapoo and Ruby the Labradoodle in their final by the artist Sanjib Rana are hand painted on metal, using acrylic paint.

Lola the Borzoi as a Danger Dog by Sanjib Rana

Lola is the first Borzoi to be included in the Danger Dog fair trade art project.   Here she is enjoying some ice cream in her final by Sanjib.   

Shuff the Black Pug by Sanjib Rana

Shuff the Black Pug looking regal against the backdrop of the Himalayas in his final by Sanjib Rana.

Oliver the Long-haired Domestic Cat by Sanjib Rana

Oliver is looking good in his portrait by Sanjib.   He is a pretty

Dee Dee the Chihuahua by Sanjib Rana

Last but never least is the dramatic portrait of Dee Dee the Chihuahua hand painted on metal by Sanjib Rana.

 

Stay tuned, there is much more to come.   You can subscribe to these updates by becoming a fan, up near the top.

Or you can join my mailing list by writing to me.

====================================================================================

Want to immortalize your pet?   Order by May 18, 2016.

Now is the time to order:   Be ahead of the Pack!   Orders now being accepted for this 2016 trip.  I will be back in June 2016.   

1. Please send me a photo of your pet.  I will give it to three different artists, giving you a choice of 3 paintings and three people will get work.   Each painting is about one square foot and is on metal with synthetic enamel paint.   These can be hung indoors or out.

2. Let me know what you would like it to say.

3. Let me know what style of portrait you would prefer:   naive, realistic, colorful, etc.

4. Tell me your pet's name and breed.   

5. Send your photo to me at:   [email protected]  
That's it !

Satisfaction is guaranteed as I accept no money up front.   If you do not like one of the three, you pay nothing, and the 3 artists are paid in full in any case.   Let me know what you want it to say and that's it!

The cost is $250 plus shipping.   Shipping is around $22 per sign (to and from the US).   And 9.75% California sales tax for California residents.  
Pay after choosing your portrait. 
Multiple pets on one sign cost more ($325 for Double, $400 for Triple).

Let's keep these artists painting.

This hand-painted art form is fast disappearing in Kathmandu, as it already has in most parts of the world.   I pay fair trade wages, the artists get to paint again, pet lovers get a choice of three paintings for each commission, and I get to help Nepali artists make a living.   Everybody is happy.   Rescue dogs from America get to rescue artists from Nepal!

Live from Nepal: Jajala pass in full bloom!

Off the Beaten Path in Nepal, part 6.  This spring in Nepal, the haze is unprecedented.   However the Lali Gurans bloom is in full swing.   Nepal is famous for their huge Rhododendrons and this year's flowers are big and beautiful!  

Jajala Pass with many Lali Gurans

The trek from the Dhorpatan Reserve through the Jajala Pass to Moreni was a 7 hour walk.   We hired a porter to carry our load.   It was not such a big uphill, approximately 500 meters, but after the pass there was a precipitous drop of 1200 meters in only 2 or 3 kilometers!   Not easy on the knees.  

Jajala Pass in full bloom

The views were breathtaking.   I can only imagine what it must look like when the Himalayan Mountains can be seen...

The fires came through here 2 years ago

In the 7 hour walk, we passed through at least 7 kilometers of remnants of a forest fire that struck the region 2 years ago.   There are signs that the pines are returning however, and many Lali Gurans made it through.   Rhododendrons are hardy.

Lunch break at Jajala with our porter Badahur

Lunch was at 3414 meters at the top of Jajala.   We had a little apple brandy to prep us for the 3 kilometer and 1200 meter drop!

This spectacular Lali Gurans was along the way...


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This post is part of a series of posts of our adventures (without guide) through a rarely visited part of Nepal.   We started in Baglung, went north to Burtibang, through Bobang and up to the ex-Royal Hunting Reserve in Dhorpatan.   Then we walked through the lovely Jajala pass and out through Myagdi province.   This year was unusually hazy, so the Himalayans were not out - not even a single glimpse of Dhalaghiri or the Gurja Himal!   But the magnificent bloom of Nepal's national flower, the Lali Gurans made up for that.   Known in the West as Rhododendrons, these flowers ranged from a fragrant white to lilac and many shades of pink and red.   

Hotels are not posted with signs, but you can trust the Hotel symbols on your map and just ask a lot of people until you find the only hotel in town!   Prices were 100NR per person a night and Dahl Baht - the only food you are likely to get - is 150NR per plate.   The food is simple and tasty and clean.   Water is available in every town from the local spout and is safe and delicious.   Bring along some bottles for the long treks between hotels.   We enjoyed eggs every morning for breakfast, sometimes with chapatis.   

Even the locals here have supply problems, which is why we could not always get chapatis.

Along our way, we did not see any other foreigners until the 2nd to last day when we met a pair from South Korea who were on their 6th trip to Nepal.   They did have a guide.   

For parts of the trip, buses and/or jeeps were available, but their schedules were erratic and they were never comfortable.   

The highest point of our trek was 3400 meters (11,000 feet) and it was about 1100 NR each day.   Prices were never posted and there were no menus, but that was food and drink (including local wine aka roxi) for 2.   Millet roxi was 50NR for a Tuborg bottle full or 660ml.

In May, 2016, there are 105 NR to one US Dollar.

Off the Beaten path pt 5: Dhorpatan at last!

After that grueling walk with a gain of over 3500 feet in 5 hours, we were ready for the flat walk to our hotel in Dhorpatan.   This hotel, the Community Hotel of Dhorpatan, had been recommended by 3 people, but it was a big disappointment to us.   The room was nice, there was a fabulous dog, but the service left a lot to be desired.

 

The view to Dhorpatan Valley

When we finally arrived at the top of that long climb, the lovely sweeping valley of Dhorpatan was before us.   The hills around it are lined with Lali Gurans, aka Rhododendron trees, in many colors.   The largest flat area in all of Nepal was dotted with livestock, mostly horses.   It was a half hour trek across the valley floor to our guest house, but it was all flat and was easy compared to that 5 hour slog uphill from Bobang.

Horses and foals in Dhorpatan

 They are very successful in animal husbandry in these parts.   There were many foals.   Also the local language was Tibetan and prayer flags were present.   

Many buildings are in disrepair in Dhorpatan

As we had reached an altitude of 3,000 meters, the temperature was also markedly cooler, especially at night.   The first thing we did was change into most of what we had carried!

Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve Nepal

The views are sweeping, as the Dhorpatan region is the largest flat area in all of Nepal.   The hunting season was over for the year while we were there.

Concha the dog outside our room

Concha the dog comes and visits us on our porch.   Concha means 'boy' in Nepali.   He was a great dog, the best thing about this hotel.   The room rate was 500 NR per night, the highest of all the trip, the food was mediocre at best and the young woman who runs the hotel is surly, at best.   When you ask for hot drinking water, you get a resounding "No!"   To be fair, she does start to make the hot water right after.   But her manners are very un-Nepali.

 

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This post is part of a series of posts of our adventures (without guide) through a rarely visited part of Nepal.   We started in Baglung, went north to Burtibang, through Bobang and up to the ex-Royal Hunting Reserve in Dhorpatan.   Then we walked through the lovely Jajala pass and out through Myagdi province.   This year was unusually hazy, so the Himalayans were not out - not even a single glimpse of Dhalaghiri or the Gurja Himal!   But the magnificent bloom of Nepal's national flower, the Lali Gurans made up for that.   Known in the West as Rhododendrons, these flowers ranged from a fragrant white to lilac and many shades of pink and red.   

Hotels are not posted with signs, but you can trust the Hotel symbols on your map and just ask a lot of people until you find the only hotel in town!   Prices were 100NR per person a night and Dahl Baht - the only food you are likely to get - is 150NR per plate.   The food is simple and tasty and clean.   Water is available in every town from the local spout and is safe and delicious.   Bring along some bottles for the long treks between hotels.   We enjoyed eggs every morning for breakfast, sometimes with chapatis.   

Even the locals here have supply problems, which is why we could not always get chapatis.

Along our way, we did not see any other foreigners until the 2nd to last day when we met a pair from South Korea who were on their 6th trip to Nepal.   They did have a guide.   

For parts of the trip, buses and/or jeeps were available, but their schedules were erratic and they were never comfortable.   

The highest point of our trek was 3400 meters (11,000 feet) and it was about 1100 NR each day.   Prices were never posted and there were no menus, but that was food and drink (including local wine aka roxi) for 2.   Millet roxi was 50NR for a Tuborg bottle full or 660ml.

In May, 2016, there are 105 NR to one US Dollar.