Pawsome friends and family

It’s always an extra special treat when I can involve my friends and family in my photography (especially rescue shoots).

Jan 2012 - Heartland SPCA

This last weekend my friend, Matthew and my sister, Hannah, joined me in a fido session at Heartland SPCA. Hannah has an extremely kind heart and swoons at the very idea of glossy puppy eyes.  She is finishing up her last year in college and I can’t wait for her to be a dog owner! Matthew is a former co-worker and specializes in maternity and newborn photography. He is a visual talent! Matthew is the one who designed my sweet Fido Fetch Photography logo:

Woof Woof!!

Here’s some of Matthew’s photographs taken for Heartland SPCA:

Thank you to both of you for lending your talents! I really appreciate you! And so do the dogs =)

Thanks guys!

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Have some fun

I haven’t always enjoyed my camera *gasp* - the horror! There have been personal struggles like balancing the odd hours of being newspaper photojournalist, student and new wife. Or avoiding former colleagues because after college I found myself working at a cheesy portrait studio instead of traveling the world.

There have also been creative struggles like learning to trust my visual instincts and not follow the norm. Or taking in constructive criticism.

Now that I have found my true niche in life – “dog-umentary” photography -         I can pick up to camera because I want to, not because I have to.

Part of my creative exploration is allowing myself to have some fun! My dogs are always camera ready, especially Dante if he thinks we are playing.

I see it, I want it, It's mine!

Curly pug tail

Oh, hello.

Chloe refused to participate in my shenanigans this time:

Chloe Bear

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KC Pittie Pack and Friends

KC Pittie Pack and Friends

On Saturday I met with a dog walking group, KC Pittie Pack and Friends, at Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens. It was quite chilly so I bundled up with two layers of pants, a short sleeve tee, a long sleeve tee, a sweatshirt, fingerless gloves, a scarf and a headwrap. Needless to say, it could have been a blizzard and I would have been warm. I made sure my camera battery was fully charged (the cold drains life out of it very quickly) and off I went.

Jan 21, 2012

I make it a habit to arrive a little early to any photo shoot, because I like to scope out the area and take a few shots to test my exposure. Okay, I admit, I arrived way early and sat in my car for 30 minutes reading up even more on the group. Here is what I knew going into the walk:

1. KC Pittie Pack and Friends “are a dog walking group in Kansas City that strives to create a safe environment for dog owners to work on socializing their pets.” – Facebook

2. This was their second walk. The first one had seven dogs in attendance.

3. One dog per walker, no retractable leashes, bring poop bags and treats!

4. Their inspiration to start a dog walking group came from Two Pitties in the City, a blog written by a couple in Chicago who focuses on having two large breed dogs, Mr B & Miss M, while living in the city. This blog is one of my favorite ones to read and look at photos. They delve into everything that involves being a dog owner -  how they decorate and accommodate their apartment for two dogs, training (I especially like the post on walking two dogs at one time – still working on that myself), even dog gear where they write about costumes and the GoPro HD Hero camera, a compact camera that attaches to Mr B’s harness. I wrote an email asking questions and was pleasantly surprised with a very quick reply!

Once everyone had arrived, we all stood in a circle with plenty of space between every dog. I really like how they reinforced a ‘no nose to nose’ interaction. This takes the pressure off the dogs and doesn’t lead to any problems with leash aggressive doggies. We did short introductions and some people even said what training they would like to work on while on the walk. They put a lead dog in the front of the pack once the walk started. Everyone made sure to keep a safe distance from each other, but after the dogs relaxed a bit, little packs were formed. It was a really neat experience and one I had never participated in before (but will in the future!)

I love this idea of bringing not only the dogs together, but dog owners as well. I had the opportunity to chat with dog bloggers (Our Waldo Bungie & Wayward Dogs) , fellow photographers and all around great people.

THANK YOU to KC Pittie Pack and Friends for letting me part of such a great event. So happy you more than doubled the dogs from your first walk! I look forward to watching your group grow and inspire other groups to form!

KC Pittie Pack and Friends

Sweet Spirit

Animal Shelter - August 2011

You are alone.

You smell other dogs, but can’t see them. Noises echo all around, bouncing off the walls. Confusion sets in quick and you don’t quite know how to react.

Everything hurts.

This is how I imagine the dog ‘Spirit’ felt when he sat in an animal shelter in August 2011. His body, practically hairless, probably shivered with horrible memories of his home life before a rescue organization and animal control stepped in to help.

Spirit got his name from his foster mother, Elisabeth. I had the pleasure of meeting her last Saturday at an adoption event. She sat proudly by her sweet Spirit, wanting me to know his story and eager to show photos of how far he had come. I spend a lot of my time volunteering by taking photographs of adoptable dogs. It was hard to believe this beautiful white dog staring back at my camera was the same dog in the photographs just months before. His wide smile lit up my heart.

In foster care - August 2011

Feeling safe - August 2011

Happy Boy - September 2011

Foster Family - December 2011

These pictures really say it all about Spirit’s incredible recovery. Imagine the love he felt while being nurtured by all the important people he met, and especially Elisabeth. Having the ability to love and let go is what makes foster parents so special and vital in the pet community.

Spirit was recently adopted and his happy tale continues. Thank you to all the volunteers, rescue organizations, foster parents, adopters, vets, donators, photographers and kind hearts.

Best of luck Spirit and cheers to your new family!

Adoption Day - January 7, 2012

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Puppy Love

Okay, it’s no secret. I love dogs.

And if ever I need to smile, I just think of Dante. He is our happy 4 year old pug/bulldog mix. His curious nature usually gets him into trouble at least 78 times a day. Standing only 14 inches tall and weighing about 35 pounds easily equals an adorable, round body. In Dante’s world, an unattended handbag or dirty sock on the floor are fair game for him to prowl, investigate and attack if need be. He’ll be the first to let you know when someone (or some squirrel) is in his yard.

His doggie sister Chloe is his mother hen, and constantly keeps an eye on him for us. That’s not even an exaggeration. She literally keeps him in check and out of trouble, being the first to scold him with a soft bite on his back legs. This, of course, results in the most awful cry/growl from him followed by a short lived wrestling match with Chloe. Dante loses everytime.

"Hot Dog" pose

Skype time

Whenever food is present, you better believe Dante is doing the infamous ‘hot dog’ stance. Thank you to my husband, who thought it would be cute to train him to sit perfectly vertical, bottom directly on the floor, while little useless arms dangle in the air.

When he is ready to retire for the evening he will dig furiously into the couch, and then find the warmest body to lie next to. It is in these quite moments (aside from the snores), I fall in love with him all over again. His ‘only a face a mother could love’ gets him out of trouble and all mishaps during the day are forgiven.

Watching the history channel

 

Check out my dog photography website here.