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Best Balls Around ...

Best Balls Around ...
A somewhat later than intended entry for this week's Sunday Challenge.

For this we were actually given several subjects to choose from, but in the end I opted to shoot anything to do with pets. This was given as an option because apparently April is National Pet month, or at least it is here in the UK.

So, why the tennis ball? Well, our youngest dog Sandy is barking mad when it comes to balls and loves nothing more than going over the nearby fields with me, the plastic launcher and a ball.

The trouble is that until recently his eagerness to play ball was costing us a small fortune as none of the ones that you get in the pet shops, which are supposedly intended for such purposes last for any length of time before falling apart.

Not sure if it's just him that's too hard on them or if they're simply not fit for purpose, but I've actually seen him destroy one of those balls on a single walk.

Anyway, I got to wondering if 'proper' tennis balls would be any good and so a few weeks back we went online and ordered up a set of 6 for £4.99, as opposed to the £2.99 for 3 usually charged for the others. And it has turned out to be a very wise move indeed as nearly a month later and he is still using the first ball.

So, if your dog goes through those pet shop balls as quickly as our Sandy then my advice is to try ordering some 'proper' tennis balls like the one pictured.

Please view on black for best effect.

Gudrun, Wierd Folkersma, Amazingstoker, and 12 other people have particularly liked this photo


33 comments - The latest ones
 Jan
Jan
Great idea and super shot!
6 years ago.
autofantasia club has replied to Jan
Many thanks Jan for the kind comments ... glad you like what I came up with! :)
6 years ago.
 Doug Shepherd
Doug Shepherd club
Cracking shot and wonderful narrative :)

Best regards, Doug
6 years ago.
autofantasia club has replied to Doug Shepherd club
As with many of my shots Doug I have to admit it's hardly SOOC as I do like to give them a few tweaks, but I'm glad you like what I did with this one and am grateful for the star! :)
6 years ago.
 Danielle
Danielle
Quel tir extraordinaire !!!!!!
6 years ago.
autofantasia club has replied to Danielle
Many thanks Danielle for the kind comments! :)
6 years ago.
 Andy Rodker
Andy Rodker club
Come on Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim!!!
The most irritating crowd catterwall this side of I don't know what ... and now fortunately moribund.
Sorry. Nothing to do with dogs but the tennis ball reminded me of a less than glorious episode in blind patriotism. Have there been more recent examples I wonder?
From a patriot.
6 years ago.
autofantasia club has replied to Andy Rodker club
Ha, yes, I'd forgotten about Henman's Bump or whatever it was they called it! ;)
6 years ago.
 William Sutherland
William Sutherland club
Superb shot!
6 years ago.
autofantasia club has replied to William Sutherland club
Thank you William! :)
6 years ago.
 Indycaver (Norm)
Indycaver (Norm) club
Great photo and detail Paul!
6 years ago.
autofantasia club has replied to Indycaver (Norm) club
Nice to see you stopping by Norm and thank you for the kind comments. Pleased you like what I've done with this one! :)
6 years ago.
 Pam J
Pam J club
Chuckit's are a godsend ! Flicka is/was tennis ball crazy. He cant now run as he used to. But he loves to peel them too !

I have a bushel of them.. and yes.. ONLY use real ones.. the pet shop ones are very dangerous as they shatter in moments. A local tennis club will often donate old balls.... worth looking at.
6 years ago. Edited 6 years ago.
autofantasia club has replied to Pam J club
Glad you like the shot Pam and thank you not only for the fave, but also for the advice about perhaps sourcing them from a local tennis club! :)
6 years ago.
 christel.k
christel.k club
zwangsweise musste ich Deine Beschreibung lesen, sonst hätte ich das Bild zum Thema nicht verstanden, Paul ;-));
guter Tipp für Hundebesitzer!
6 years ago.
autofantasia club has replied to christel.k club
Sorry if you felt coerced Christel ... at least you liked the shot enough to give it a star! :)
6 years ago.
christel.k club has replied to autofantasia club
ach Paul, das war doch ironisch gemeint ...;
das Bild gefällt mir, ebenso Dein indirekter Beitrag zum Thema!
6 years ago.
 Delirium
Delirium
+++
6 years ago.
 autofantasia
autofantasia club
:)
6 years ago.
 Clickity Click
Clickity Click
:) love it Paul... give that ball a toss for Sandy from me!!!
6 years ago.
autofantasia club has replied to Clickity Click
Oh, not this one Chris ... this is one of the 5 untouched ones. I didn't think the slevery one he's been playing with these last few weeks would have made a pretty subject - lol! ;)

Still, I gave that one a few throws earlier on your behalf! :)
6 years ago.
 Shuttering Yukon
Shuttering Yukon
lol, I have had 2 dogs now and funny enough both very big brindle coloured that are mental about tennis balls! We have to buy the expensive ones too, the cheapies get a tooth through them in mere minutes!
I love this pov! however if my dog saw me on the ground so close to her ball I am afraid after she jumped all over me and licked my ear, the ball would be gone!
6 years ago.
autofantasia club has replied to Shuttering Yukon
Funny how so many dogs seem to destroy the ones supposedly manufactured with them in mind. Still, I guess they make more money if they don't last ... that's until you suss them out and switch to the 'proper' ones - lol!

As for the ball Wendi, this was a new one that Sandy hasn't played with yet and I kept him well away while I was taking the shots! :)
6 years ago.
 Amazingstoker
Amazingstoker
nice image, like the compo and colour, but that ball doesn't like it's seen the inside of a dog's gob yet . . . I'm forever seeing bits of dog destroyed tennis ball on my walks out
6 years ago.
autofantasia club has replied to Amazingstoker
No, this one was straight out of the packet. As I said they're proving to be fairly indestructible and so Sandy is still on his first one! ;)
6 years ago.
 Wierd Folkersma
Wierd Folkersma club
love the story, nice picture too
6 years ago.
autofantasia club has replied to Wierd Folkersma club
Much appreciated Wierd ... glad you like it! :)
6 years ago.
 Gillian Everett
Gillian Everett club
Great idea Paul. We have kind of industrial rubber balls which don't puncture easily, slightly smaller than tennis balls.
6 years ago.
autofantasia club has replied to Gillian Everett club
Those rubber balls sound quite good too Gillian as long as they're not too hard. I tried Sandy with a rubber one, but found that the force of him catching it on the run was giving him a sore mouth so we quickly gave up on that! ;)
6 years ago.
 Malik Raoulda
Malik Raoulda club
Une histoire remarquable et bien enjolivée par ce superbe rendu ++++++
Bonne semaine.
6 years ago.
autofantasia club has replied to Malik Raoulda club
You too my friend ... glad you found this to your liking! :)
6 years ago.
 Léopold
Léopold club
Tennis ball nap !
6 years ago.
autofantasia club has replied to Léopold club
Something like that! ;)
6 years ago.

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