Apr 4, 2015
A few weeks ago, I quietly entered my first juried show. (Well, it wasn’t completely quiet in Posh Pets land as I had sort of left it to the last minute to get my entry together.) I wasn’t really expecting much – more doing it for the experience and, if I was selected to show my work, that would be kind of fun.
Well, I was so thrilled when I received notification that my photograph, Arctic Tundra Dog 1 had been accepted into the 8th Annual Beaux-Arts Brampton Open Juried Fine Art & Photography Show. As an exhibiting artist, I was invited to attend the Reception and Awards Presentation this past Thursday evening. Needless to say, I was completely overwhelmed when it was announced that I had been chosen to receive the 2nd Place Photography award.
The show runs from March 31 until April 18, 2015 and includes both the fine arts and photography mediums. Come and see a beautiful dog portrait on a canvas print as well as the images from all of the other great artists!
Beaux Arts Brampton
70-74 Main Street North
Brampton, Ontario L6V 1N7
Oct 1, 2014
Welcome to October! And, if you haven’t heard, October 1st is National Black Dog Day. Why a day celebrating black dogs? Well, it seems that there are those who feel that dark coloured furry faces are not as beautiful or friendly as their light-coloured counterparts. But, we at Posh Pets know nothing could be further from the truth!
It seems appropriate then to share these lovely images of the gorgeous and aptly-named Cinder. She lives in Yellowknife, NWT, so she is an ‘arctic dog’. She also has the head tilt down pat and it does indeed render the humans powerless.
Cinder is a fun-loving girl who wants nothing more to than to run and play with you. She is quite young, so she is still learning all of her manners, but she definitely knows her commands (both verbal and hands) and will win you over with her gorgeous smile.
Throw a stick and Cinder will always bring it back. And look at the beautiful backdrop she has to explore! This is one happy dog!
At the end of it all, Cinder will always be happy to pose for you!
So get out there and enjoy the outdoors with whatever colour your furry face is! And if you know any dark-coloured beauties, give them a hug 🙂
Sep 13, 2014
It’s been a wee bit busy here at Posh Pets, but I have finally had a chance to gather up the rest of the images from the SwissRidge Doodle Romp held on Saturday, August 23, 2014. This is Part II, but if you missed Part I, you can find that here.
A gathering of lots of doodles is quite possibly the best dream a pet photographer can have. I loved meeting all of the beautiful furry faces and getting to know their individual personalities. So, to start with, here is a quiet beauty that I missed posting last time. Such an adorable face!
There were tons of activities for humans and dogs at the Doodle Romp. One of these was a fenced in leash-free area. Talk about unbridled joy as dogs became acquainted with each other and then did what they do best – PLAY!
First you have to learn to figure out which way your friend is going to deke… (hint: the little ones are usually faster!)
Then begins the chase…
And then the wrestling and playing.
It’s fun when you know that you are out in front. I believe this is Bentley, who can hardly conceal his happiness!
Told you Bentley is one happy dog!
Little George was having a grand old time, and held his own although one of the smallest there!
I’d say everyone had a really good time (even if they needed a bath at the end!).
Please let me know if you know the names of all of these lovely guys and girls – I’d love to update the post.
Aug 26, 2014
What did you do this weekend? Us? So glad you asked! Our weekend at Posh Pets was pretty awesome! We had the chance to attend SwissRidge Kennels 2nd Annual Doodle Romp in Schomberg, Ontario and it was a blast! Each year, the SwissRidge Kennels family gets together and raises money for a worthy cause – this year it was to help two young boys raise funds for a service dog. You can read all about Ciaran and Shay here.
The skies threatened rain, but these events happen rain or shine! So, although the day started out overcast, neither the dogs or humans seemed to mind. There was lots of meet and greets at what is essentially, a large family reunion. Here’s the first part of our summary…!
To start off, let me introduce Blizzard (on the left) and Zolo (on the right). Zolo is a former client of mine and these two dogs are the furry kids of the hard-working event organizer, Karley Gitten of Gitten Creative. I loved seeing them again!
More guests arriving for the start of Doodle Romp. The grounds here are spectacular and the event was designed for fun for both human and dog. There was a treasure hunt, contests, food and awesome vendors.
I’m afraid I have forgotten the name of this little one – but you sure were cute! (Update: This is Finn! Finn’s mum reached out to me and let me know the name of her gorgeous boy!)
This is Motley and he reminded me of how much our world has changed. You see, I have never met Motley in person, but I already knew quite a bit about him. Such are the results of the social media world we live in. It was great to finally shake paws.
It’s hard to resist the allure of a puppy and Jax certainly delivered. All 12 weeks of him!
George was such a character and came all the way from New Jersey to attend the event. He’s young and still learning, but he it’s obvious he knows how to work the camera!
Cash was a gentleman and looks like a miniature golden retriever. He really is a labradoodle (and a good-looking one too!), and I absolutely adore his look!
This is Blizzard, Zolo’s brother. I photographed Zolo before Blizzard arrived, so this was our first meeting. Blizzard certainly had LOTS of fun and, although no longer freshly groomed, was a stunning boy!
Another one of Jax. Just because… 🙂
Here’s another beauty whose name escapes me! Such a clean, white coat! (Edit: I am told that this lovely furry face is Bailey. How DO you keep your coat sooo clean?)
And this is Ollie. This boy is training to be a service dog. Given his lovely personality, I have no doubt he will be a hero!
So, there you have it! Some of the furry faces I met on Saturday. Share the images and if anyone can identify the dogs I missed the names of, please let me know! And…stay tuned for Part II!
Jul 4, 2014
So, this weekend (July 4-6, 2014) is the first Mega Pet Adoption Event in Toronto. It is being held at the Exhibition Grounds on the waterfront and is a joint effort between Toronto Animal Services, Toronto Humane Society, Toronto Cat Rescue and Pet Smart Charities…all in an effort to get lots and lots of furry faces forever homes! Adoption fees are only $25 for either cats or dogs, plus the license fee if you live in the City of Toronto. By all accounts the event is going very well and we are only at the end of Day 1!
Last week, I spent a few hours at Toronto Animal Services – North photographing as many animals as we could. It is so nice if they can have a beautiful adoption photo that showcases their beautiful little mugs and charming personalities. If you or anyone you know ends up welcoming one of these guys or girls into your home, please drop me a line at Posh Pets and say “hi”. I absolutely love to hear happy endings.
If you are thinking of adding a pet into your family, this would be the weekend to come down to the CNE. Don’t believe me? Well, I have news – my husband and I just adopted a new little furry girl into our family! I’ll definitely be sharing more about her shortly 🙂 In the meantime, enjoy these lovely faces…
Dec 23, 2013
It’s on the lips of everyone you meet today – questions about this weekend’s Ice Storm. “Did you lose power? Have you got back your power? Did you see the trees? How is your car?” It certainly caused havoc, inconvenience and for some who are still waiting for the lights to come back on, at this point, it is far beyond that. To all of the crews who are working feverishly around the clock to get everyone back on the grid and all of those who are still affected and patiently waiting, thank you! (Toronto Hydro is updating their twitter feed regularly as the work progresses. You can follow them here.)
Here at Posh Pets‘ HQ, we lost power for approximately 6 hours yesterday. We consider ourselves one of the fortunate ones. In that time (during daylight hours), our home became uncomfortably cool. We can only imagine what it is like for the people and pets in the homes across the city where they are still without power and have had to go through 2 nights in darkness, no heat and not even the opportunity for a warm cup of tea or a hot meal. We sincerely hope that friends and family have opened their doors and that everyone is safe!
Venturing outside yesterday for about 20 minutes was enough to convince us that we needed to stay inside. Trees were creaking, power lines sparking, branches falling…it was hard to even walk without risking a nasty tumble. However, we did find some beauty amidst the chaos.
The first thing we noticed were the blades of grass poking out from under the snow were each covered in ice. Individually. It made for a very dimpled surface on the grassy areas.
The sheer weight of having every branch, every acorn, every leaf covered in a thick layer of ice was causing trees to split and branches to sheer off. The sound when they fell was incredible!
Nothing was exempt. These railings can take their time to melt and lose their icicles, but people’s cars cannot.
The sight of ice glistening in the daylight does have its own beauty.
Even the animals had to learn to cope. This little guy had only a frozen dinner for supper last night.
As bad as the weather outside might be, our pets still have to go. This beautiful senior (she’s 13!) and her human were being extra careful on the slippery sidewalks and ‘grass’.
Everywhere you looked, the City was enveloped in a layer of ice and fog.
So, there you have it – a tiny little summary from our part of the world. We hope that wherever you are and whatever you are doing, things are slowly getting back to normal. Everyone, please stay safe (and snuggle with your furry faces)!
May 19, 2013
In case you haven’t heard, things “they have been a-happening” at Toronto Animal Services – North. Just two weeks ago, construction began on a new “dog park” that will be coming to life. As I understand it, the hope is that construction will be completed by the end of June. I am absolutely thrilled to consider the possibilities of getting images of the dogs running and having fun each week – this is a pet photographer’s dream!
So here are a few images from the first two weeks. I will be sharing more as this project progresses…
Week 1
The had just broken ground and the new “tunnel” was already taking shape! Lots of digging and levelling going on as the bulldozers did the heavy lifting.
Week 2
Gravel is laid and outlines where the new rubberized training track will be. New enclosed play areas for smaller furry faces and the tunnel/hill combo appears to be completed and has new grass laid for all the little paws that will run on it!
Stay tuned for more photos next week!
Apr 1, 2013
On Saturday, I had the chance to visit the All About Pets Show in Toronto. So many lovely furry faces…everything from pure bred, award-winning studs to rescue dogs, therapy dogs and e And, of course, tons of goodies to purchase for all of them!
This beautiful australian shepherd was a natural poser.
A pretty bichon…
The puppies are always the stars and this little bulldog boy was no exception. I wanted to pick him up and just cuddle him!
I love a cavalier king charles! This is Justin, who at 2.5 years old is already quite the award-winning boy!
Just look at that gorgeous face!
All of this looking cute can be quite tiring. This guy just took a nap in the middle of an aisle…and everyone walked around him. It is good to be a dog!
A little pekinese who was full of personality!
A trio of collies…!
Of course, there were lots of kitties, but most were in their pens waiting to be judged. This little ragdoll was absolutely gorgeous and very content to meet all of the people who came by.
Last, but certainly not least, there were a few little pigs. They can be trained like dogs to be housebroken, walk on a leash and are affectionate and loyal pets.
Mar 29, 2013
I had a bit of surprise this year when I was invited to Brampton to speak to a group of students who were learning to cartoon. My friend, Daniela Easter is an award winning artist as well as a personal friend of mine. Apart from her private commissions, she founded and, for the past 9 years has run, Progressive Art for Progressive Kids in Brampton, an art school that helps young people develop their skills and exposes them to the various mediums and forms of art. For the past few months, they were learning how to cartoon!
Given that I provide some of the images of the animals that are used as a basis for the cartoon, Daniela asked me to come and speak to her students. I have to be honest – it is kind of intimidating to walk into a class room of 8-12 year olds who can draw. Really draw. Especially, if you are someone like me who cannot draw anything recognizable. However, photography is just a different medium and Daniela thought it would be beneficial for the kids to meet another working professional in the arts.
They were such a great group of students who were eager to know my process to create beautiful photographs of animals. Equally intriguing to them was the work I do with shelters and rescues. But, I think the highlight for everyone was when I taught them how to howl like a dog! (Yes, making a fool of oneself is an occupational hazard.)
So, it is my complete pleasure to showcase some of the artwork that was produced by this group of young artists!
We’ll start with the photo. This is the original image of an oh-so-cute puppy! (There were lots of awwwwwws when this little face popped up on the screen.)
And the cartoon renditions by Nicholas…
…Grace (who signed her artwork – good girl!)…
…and Avi (who also signed his name).
They then moved onto a playful, little kitten! (This image received an equal amount of awwwwws.)
And the cartoon renditions by Nicholas…
…Prerna…
…and Jessica!
I told you these kids are good!
Should you have a budding artist in your life, please go and check out the curriculum for Progressive Art for Progressive Kids. It changes regularly and covers a lot of ground, so you can nurture that creative spirit!
And, for recent updates and other cute images of furry faces, come on over to the Posh Pets Blog and see what we are up to!
Mar 3, 2013
When I heard that Dachshund UN would be making its debut in Toronto, I was very excited! The thought of 36 doxies in a room … well, these are ideas that make a pet photographer happy! If you don’t know what all of the fuss is about, check this link here.
So, as you can imagine, on Friday, March 1, my husband and I showed up with camera gear in tow, to watch the 7 p.m. performance. The curtain rose and we were greeted with this scene.
The crowd applauded the appearance of these guys. The amazing thing was to see the variety and different personalities of the individual “delegates”. Hard to imagine, but those wee dachshunds were able to interact with the crowd – albeit a wiener-dog crazy crowd. Who knew that so many people could be enthralled with simply watching dachshunds being themselves.
The first to be noticed was Mexico. Sitting, ahem, standing in the front row, he had tons to “say” to anyone who would listen. He was definitely the most vocal of the entire group!
Then the guy from Chile raised his head. He was the largest of the group and situated front and centre, he was hard to miss!
This little guy representing Ghana was Simon. This much I learned from the lady standing in line with me as she was oh-so-proud of her grand-doggie as he did so well!
The delegate from Italy was a quiet, beautiful soul. I loved her coat and colouring!
Netherlands thought the whole thing was pretty funny…
…and shared the joke with Zambia (look at that face – he had it all evening!)
I caught the delegate from Argentina napping (I wonder if this happens in ‘real’ UN sessions?).
But, Kyrgyzstan was alert and eager to follow what was happening around them.
Slovenia listened thoughtfully while others “spoke”. This little guy stole my heart with his quiet, gentle demeanour.
But, the most gorgeous award has to go to Cuba. Whoever owns this gorgeous pup…thank you for sharing him or her with us!
That’s a brief round-up of the highlights! I have so many other images to go through and I will try and share some of those in the coming days. And I have to apologize, I do not know if the delegates were boys or girls – I simply picked a gender on what I thought they looked like. If anyone knows these pups personally, please let me know and I will definitely update!
In the meantime, today is your last day to get down to Harbourfront and see these dachshunds for the last time! The performance begins at 2 p.m. and admission is free on a first come, first admitted basis.
Oct 21, 2012
By my records, Posh Pets Photography has photographed 299 adoptable pets in 2012. Incredibly, 278 have found their forever homes or have found a place with a rescue organization! It is things like this that makes my heart sing! In honour of these little furry faces, I put together a quick video showcasing some of the guys and girls that have passed in front of my lens…please enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eYD02RM9Rs&feature=plcp
Oct 16, 2012
The 13 Project is a the mastermind project of Serena Faber Nelson of the blog Pretty Fluffy. A huge animal welfare advocate, Serena encouraged everyone to make a list of 13 acts of kindness that each of us can perform in behalf of shelter/rescue animals – one for each of the (almost) 13 weeks left in 2012 . These acts do not have to be huge goals, but should be reasonable and achievable…and your list does not even have to have 13 items. The idea is to show that even small acts of kindness can add up to big help for those animals in need.
Developing the Posh Pets’ list involved a lot of brainstorming! But, I think that the our list is totally do-able and will keep me focussed for the rest of the year. So, here is our list..
- Volunteer weekly at Toronto Animal Services (North) to take flattering images of their current adoptables. I have been doing this for almost a year now, and I can honestly say that this is one of the highlights of my week. I love meeting the new furry faces, spending some time with them and then watching as they find their forever homes!
- Blog and post the adoptables’ images on the Posh Pets’ Facebook page on a weekly basis. There are many wonderful fellow volunteers at TAS and together we work to share the stories and images of these lovely adoptables to a wide audience and help these animals in need. One volunteer has a very active page that shares these furry faces far and wide!
- Pin the adoptables on Pinterest to reach a wider/different audience. I have not done this regularly in the past, but now it will be done each week.
- Donate my extra towels, bedding and sheets. Over the years, we have gathered quite a collection…most of which are not regularly used. These are going to be given to our local shelter.
- Research a Canadian rescue/animal welfare group and commit to a small monthly donation. I, like a lot of others, fall into the trap of thinking that if we do not have much to give, then it is hardly worth it to make the donation. But, many small amounts can go a long way to helping animals in need.
- Network with other local photographers to find a photographer for Toronto Animal Service’s other location. This has already been done!
- Offer to donate photography and adoption story to a not-for-profit organization’s calendar which will be sold to help shelter animals. This means reaching out to those who have adopted from a shelter.
- Posh Pets is a member of a wonderful organization called HeARTs Speak who unite animal artists in helping animals in need. There is strength in numbers, so I will introduce HeARTs Speak to 3 other pet photographers/artists in the hopes that it will encourage them to join and volunteer their time helping shelter animals.
- Write a Posh Pets blog post about the joys of adopting. Our cat, Lady Jane, is proof-positive of that fact.
- Educate others on the responsibility to spay and neuter their pets. We simply would not have an over-population problem if responsible pet ownership existed.
- Seriously consider adopting or fostering a shelter animal. This is a hard one for me as we lost our dear Ripley (who came from the Toronto Humane Society some 16+ years ago) last June. It has been hard for me to even think of another family member as it seemed like a “replacement” for our Ripley. I’ve come to realize that Ripley will never be replaced and that we, and our 15.5 year old kitty Lady Jane, just needed time to grieve. Of course, we will need to be thoughtful about introducing a new family member to Lady Jane, but I think that maybe, just maybe, we are ready to welcome a new furry face into our lives.
- Share the idea the 13 Project with other like-minded people and businesses.
So, that is our list…what is on yours?
