Kelley,
I kinda agree with Don's comment in that these shots incorporate the environment on an equal basis with the subject. To do that, you need to have an environment that works well with your subject and in this case, it really does. However, when you are truly focusing on the dog -- for a magazine cover for example -- letting the background go soft and dreamy while the dog is sharp and fully-detailed is a perfectly acceptable approach. But seeing your images has really opened my vision up to find locations that can be an equal part of my portraits. Thanks for sharing.
Jim