The weather has suddenly turned beautiful and I, for one, is so glad! So, are all of the dogs and cats at Toronto Animal Services – North who can now go outside and feel the sun on their face and the wind in their hair!
A bit smaller group this week, but lovely furry faces just the same. If you would like to inquire about any of them, please contact TAS – North directly.
Please meet Kate, who I had the privilege of photographing last week. She is a 4 year old, dark-haired beauty currently enjoying life with her foster mom in Toronto. But…she is really looking for her forever home. If you would like to find out more about Kate, check out her profile on the Canadian Dachshund Rescue site and contact them for more details!
Look at those soulful eyes…
Here, Kate strikes a pose…
She really is a gorgeous furry face with tons of love to give!
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.
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!
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.
I was back at Toronto Animal Services – North on Monday and the weather was definitely milder! Which was a nice change from the previous week. Photographing some other wonderful wagging tails and furry faces is always a highlight of my week.
This little troupe is available from TAS – North, so please contact them directly to inquire about them. As always, there is some information such as ID number and other little details on the Posh Pets’ Facebook page. Enjoy and see you next week!
Having been away for a week of vacation seemed like a long time. So, I walked into the shelter this week to find that there were a few more dogs than usual to photograph. Not only that, but it was freezing outside, so we had to be quick!
There are some beautiful furry faces this week and I am sharing all of their lovely faces here. If you see someone you like, please contact Toronto Animal Services – North directly. There is an off-site adopt-a-thon this weekend, so it would be good to call ahead and see where the particular dog or cat you are interested in will be. That way, there is no disappointment 🙂
I also have posted a few details about each of these adoptables on the Posh Pets’ facebook page. Check that out here.
So, here we go!
We spent a day in Lake Havasu City which is technically in Arizona, but shares its border with California. First thing I noticed: this city belongs to the dogs! I have never seen so many people about with dogs, and most significantly, everyone seemed to be walking two. There were little groups comprising of 8 paws everywhere and, in speaking with a number of the humans, these little pairs were almost always related to each other.
Given the fact that it was a gorgeous day, I did get to have some impromptu “mini shoots” while we vacationed. One of these was with Shasta and Sugarplum, who are a mom and daughter Shih Tzu duo, and whom I met by chance in the hotel lobby (this is a pet-friendly city and the hotels reflect that). Their mom told me that she had once taken the two of them to a pet store for pictures, but that the images were not what she had wanted. So, we decided to take 10 minutes for some quick photographs on the hotel grounds. So, in honour of the fact that today is Family Day in Ontario (and some of the other provinces in Canada), please meet this little family…
First up was Shasta. She is 6 years old and is a quiet little soul, always observing.
Sugarplum is Shasta’s daughter and is 3 years old. She is a gregarious, attention-loving little thing. And she has the wind-blowing-in-your-hair-head-tilt-supermodel pose down pat!
After a few minutes, Shasta decided that this was going to be fun and relaxed into a lovely reclining pose.
…while Sugarplum flashed her gorgeous smile!
Towards the end of our time together, we were able to get an image of them together, which their mom just loved!
After their mom saw the images, she told me that she wished I lived closer so that they could experience a full Posh Pets Boutique Session. I honestly hear that a lot. The difference between a holiday photo in a pet store environment and custom portrait photography is dramatic. Thus, I always encourage people to consider investing in portrait photography because it is a gorgeous way to capture the essence and life of our pets now, and for years to come.
Shasta and Sugarplum, I am so glad we met and your mom gave me the opportunity to photograph you. You are darlings and I know your mom loves the pictures!
So, this week found me driving the length and breadth of Arizona on a little vacation, enjoying the breathtaking Grand Canyon and Sedona. However, for this week’s Project 52 theme, I had to find a doggy that would “smile” for my camera. Fortunately, by the time we reached Lake Havasu City, it was a gorgeous spring day and I found a city full of people walking dogs…mostly in pairs. When I happened upon an off-leash dog park, I met Wally and Tyson, both who were willing to show me their great smiles!
Thanks so much to you both!
Next in the blog circle is Tara Lynn, owner of InBetween the Blinks Photography in Raleigh, NC. Please click through to see who she made smile this week!
Here is a smaller group of beautiful furry faces from this week – all looking for their forever homes! You can meet each and every one of them at Toronto Animal Services – North and, should you wish to arrange an appointment, please contact TAS directly. Looking for some additional details about these guys? Then, please come on over to the Posh Pets’ Facebook page and have a look!
Here are the results of my weekly visit to Toronto Animal Services – North. We were a little dirtier this week as the snow has all melted and left a field of grass and mud. But the dogs had so much fun!
These furry faces will soon be available for adoption, but you might not find them on the TAS site (yet!). If there is someone you would like to make an appointment to meet, please contact TAS directly. All of their ID numbers and stats are also on the Posh Pets’ Facebook page. See you next week!
Here is Posh Pets’ first edition of Project 52 for 2013, named Seasonal Fun!
Depending on where you live, you are in the throws of Winter or Summer. Or, maybe you enjoy something more temperate all year round. But, for those of us who enjoy seasons, I find that each one has its own, unique beauty. In Toronto, we have finally received a respectable amount of snow and I was determined to get out there and photograph it for this week’s theme!
While Posh Pets‘ has its wonderful private and commercial clients, I like to “give back” by volunteering to photograph adoptable dogs and cats at the local shelter each week. This is a work that I enjoy immensely! When it comes to the dogs at the shelter, I photograph them almost exclusively outside, no matter the weather! This is because, not only is natural light beautiful, but it gives the dogs an opportunity to enjoy the fresh air and feel the snow or grass between their paws. Those few minutes of attention, treats and the great outdoors often translate into moments of unbridled joy. And, there is always one dog who seems to love it more than any other.
This week, that dog was Rocky. He is a lovely 6 year old german shepherd who is available for adoption from Toronto Animal Services – North. The pent up energy created in the shelter environment means that walking him initially can be a bit of a challenge. He likes to pull a bit in anticipation of getting somewhere awesome. But, after a few minutes of exercise and love, he is a different dog – our return walk to the shelter had Rocky walking beautifully like a proper gentleman. If you are looking for a loyal companion, then please consider an older boy like Rocky – there are many ‘Rockies’ just waiting in shelters around the country, the continent and the world.
But, for now, please enjoy Rocky’s ‘mini-session’ highlighting all of fun of winter!
Here is Rocky when we first made it outside. At the sight of the snow, Rocky began to rub and roll in the snow in sheer delight! This was such a joy to watch!
Then, the running began. Dogs love to feel the wind in their fur and I love the look of the snow flying behind him and the look of happiness on Rocky’s face!
A little tired from his romp, Rocky stopped to listen and enjoy the world around him. Isn’t he gorgeous? This boy should be in pictures!
And, after some more rolling in the snow, a graceful portrait. I love his snow-covered muzzle in this one!
And finally, Rocky’s adoption photo which will help him find his forever home!
And there you have it – the beauty of winter through the eyes of a dog! Now, please continue through the blog circle to see what the other photographers in the group came up with. To start with, please check out Melbourne Dog Photographer, Ragamuffin Pet Photography and see what Caitlin has for seasonal fun in Australia!