Last weekend Brent and I took my two Cairn Terriers—affectionately nicknamed the Haggis Twins—to a local Seattle park. Brent had this idea of tying balloons to both Conan and Winnie's collars. But much to our surprise, Winnie went ballistic the moment Conan received his balloons, and the chase was on.

Below is a photo essay of what we witnessed.

Brent Smith started getting serious about photography in 2004. Since then, I've seen him grow from an amateur to a real artist. And watching that progress has been so much fun, as well as inspiring. He shoots a lot of landscapes, and lucky for me, dogs.

I love my furry children. And for any person without the two-legged version, you know how important they are in your life (feel free to substitute "kitty" in place of dog). Dogs are loyal, forgiving, and always happy to see their human parents. Mine make me laugh everyday.

Like a wild, possessed animal, Winnie went berzerk. She never took her eyes of the balloons, trying to pop them but only managing to set one free. I had a 45 minute smile on my face, and I laughed harder than I can ever remember.

All Photos: © Brent R. Smith

at Gasworks Park with the Balloon Chaser and Conan Raye

Full Throttle

The Chaser is tired but won't take her eyes off the prize. (Looks a little like the Cairn's native Scottland, don't cha think?)