Dog Art Today

Tag: shelter

  • Melencolia I by Albrecht Dürer

     

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    Melencolia I by Albrecht Dürer, 1514

    I went to our local shelter today.  It is a no-kill rescue.  The dogs are walked twice a day.  The cats are petted and cared for.  I gave one little guy a bath because he had soiled his crate.  I threw away a clump of his hair with feces on it in a garbage can that held dog food.  They had to throw away all the dog food.  A convict washed out the can with Clorox.  

    I took the little dog for a walk outside.  His backend is wonky, but he got going.  I kept him away from a Pit Bull, but I was frightened.  I brought him back inside, put him back in his crate, and started to fill out an application.  I didn’t finish it. 

    I left, and Romeo and Juliet smothered me with kisses on the way to the path.  I knew I was allergic to them.  But I let them.  They need to be adopted together because she cannot survive without him.  Her heart is too big and she has a murmur.  I came home and took a Benadryl and a shower.  Everyone says, “You’ll know when it’s your dog.”  I believe that.  But I am having trouble with knowing they are not my dogs.  I have been sheltered.

    Via The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

  • Seth Casteel’s Dogs of Summer

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    Yay!  Summer officially starts today and I have some amazing action pet portraits to usher in the dog days of 2008.  Seth Casteel is a Los Angeles-based pet photographer who specializes in documentary-style photography and capturing the spontaneity of dogs in their own surroundings.

    I love his crisp style and his ability to get the elegant lines of dogs in motion as well as their wonderful split-second, utterly focused expressions.  Clearly, Seth’s background as a wildlife photographer in the Australian Outback permeates his work today in the jungles of L.A.  He also is a passionate advocate for shelter dogs, giving his time to photograph them so they look their best for potential forever companions.  Wonderful work Seth, on every level.

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    Contact Seth for a photography session of your pet at his website Little Friends Fine Art Pet Photography.

    Learn more about Seth’s work with shelter dogs from this CBS News segment.

  • Grace Chon’s Beautiful Black Dogs

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    Zoey

    Yesterday, dog blog friends, Ann B. at the The Daily Dachshund and Linda O’Neill of Abby Creek Art both mentioned the AP’s article about Black Dog Syndrome – the sad fact that black dogs make up the highest percentage of dogs put to sleep in animal shelters because people have the perception that they are unfriendly.  The article cites several reasons for this phenomenon including the misperception that all black dogs are aggressive, that white hairs in their muzzles can make them look elderly, that they are hard to see against the shadows of their cages, and that they are difficult to photograph, especially their dark eyes.

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    Maya

    This reminded me of an amazing L.A. pet photographer I recently discovered named Grace Chon.  I love Grace’s clean, modern style and her playful approach to photo shoots.  She actually comes bearing treats and toys.  But what I truly admire about Grace is her dedication to shelter dogs and the way she uses her talent to help them, especially black dogs, find forever homes.

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    Gorgeous black shelter dog

    Grace spends her spare time volunteering for an animal rescue group called The Paw’d Squad.  She takes beautiful photographs of the shelter dogs for their website in order help capture the essence of the dogs and help draw in people looking to adopt.  Through what she affectionately calls her Extreme Dog Makeovers, she can make a big difference in whether or not a dog finds a home.  For example, here is a snapshot of a Rottweiler named Fannie Mae taken by The Paw’d Squad:

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    Fannie Mae "Before"

    And here is Grace’s photo:

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    Fannie Mae "After" really captures her happy, playful, silly nature.  And by the way she’s still in need of a home if you know anyone.

    And she doesn’t give up.  Sometimes she will go back month after month taking photos of the same dog to try to get the exact right image that will attract a prospective doggie parent.  Her results have  been remarkable and have had a profound impact on helping The Paw’d Squad find homes for dogs that seemed completely unwanted, before Grace did her magic.  For example can you believe this little guy had trouble finding a home?

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    Paw’d Squad snapshot of Brass a Rottweiler puppy mix.

    Not after Grace gave him a photography makeover:

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    Who could resist seeing this little face on a website?

    Also, as an owner of two black rescue dogs, Maeby, a former Mexican street dog, and Zoey, a pup born in the gutter of Taiwan whom she rescued through an international organization called ART, she is an advocate of adopting and promoting the joy of owning black dogs.

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    Maeby

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    Zoey after her bath

    It’s been a tough week looking at the brutality of puppy mills on Oprah, searching for ways to raise money for the ASPCA, but when you see the impact that one person can make on the lives of so many dogs, it’s truly inspiring.  It’s an honor, Grace, to feature you and your beautiful black dogs on Dog Art Today.  Thanks for all your hard work on behalf of these sweet creatures just looking for a place to call home. 

    To commission a portrait of your pet visit Grace’s shinepetphotos website.  To see more of her work along with more Dog Extreme Makeovers visit her blog.