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a few more faces from this year’s Woofstock ~ {Toronto dog photographer}

well, yesterday was yet another incredible day at Woofstock.  i mean, could we have paid for better weather!?  although i woke at 3 a.m. with a migraine and had to medicate, i was feeling fine and ready to hit the road by shortly after 7 … flying into TO bright and early, with a surprising and new-found bounce in my weary feet.  of course, being true Canadians and none of us trusting a weather-forecast no matter in what form it’s delivered, my staff and i had stripped the booth walls of their artwork the night before in order to protect it all under tarps … just in case.  sigh … if only we’d been able to unzip that canopy to walls fully-loaded with all those big pieces and not had to rehang a thing.

still, everything went up quickly amid morning greetings and catching up with our awesome booth neighbors … and very soon the slobbery faces began trickling in.  ah, so many lovelies!

if i actually managed to tear myself out from behind the table on the weekend to snap a few quick shots of your dog, you will find at least something here on the blog of them … either in the Saturday entry, this entry, or the next one to come … so stay tuned.  please respect the copyrights of these photos and do not copy them from the blog.  instead, please email us and request them.  i’m happy to provide you with a copy for your facebook page!

so, without further ado … check out this handsome boy!  this young catahoula leopard dog was a handful.

yeah, that sit makes it look like he’s a poser, but don’t let it fool ya.  this boy is a mover and a shaker, and if you don’t give him the treat you’re bribing him with within 2.7 seconds, you’re going to hear about it.

… and then he’s going to launch himself onto the booth table and clean out the treat bowl himself.

others were a little less direct … calmer and quieter in their approach …

maybe even a little bashful.

and then these two scruffmuffins …

gauging by the drool on both of them, i think they’d been sampling a number of booths before hitting ours.

“did someone say: squirrel?” yup, that was me. i’m such a tease sometimes to get the shot.

next up were these two lovely labs owned by one of our facebook followers … i just loved this girl’s face …

… and her sweet, quiet brother was such a doll.

i would have loved to snap a few more shots of this gorgeous girl, but from the first release of the shutter i could instantly see that she was wary.  if a dog ever shows even the trace of nervousness with the cameras or their energy is just a little off, i always work with them first.  but in a situation like Woofstock, where there are crowds and noises, and the overstimulation can be overwhelming for a young dog, and i’m unable to work with them, the last thing i’m going to do is set a standard for her in regards to cameras.  so sadly, in spite of her stunning looks, this is all i allowed myself to snap …

perhaps one day i will meet her again, and have the time needed within a shoot to develop her confidence.  just look at that face!

but here’s a little nibblet who had no issues with the camera, even though it was bigger than she was.  this little gremlin was just the cutest!  i think i died a little inside when she took the bits of dehydrated liver from my fingertips … SUCH a little dollface.

and her wilder, scruffy buddy …

and if this guy isn’t begging for a scruffy dog shoot, i don’t know who is.  ;)

and this hunk of sweetness? just look at those white whiskers … and those eyes!

i have to admit, it’s rather frustrating shooting in this kind of environment … extremely tight quarters, overwhelmed and overstimulated subjects … and frankly, when i see these gorgeous faces, feel their amazing spirits, and meet their loving owners, i just want to be out on a shoot with them, not in a booth in the middle of festivities, with concrete and crowds as a backdrop.  sometimes i think i’d do best to leave the camera at home.

still, i wouldn’t see this at a scruffy dog shoot, would i?

and this armful of sweetness.  (apologies as i’m struggling with a migraine today, but i can’t remember this darling’s name) this little rescue pup is definitely wary of the camera, so it was just a quick shot, but i had to.  apparently mom drove all the way from Windsor to see us at Woofstock!

and what’s Woofstock without a wolfhound?  of course, since this big guy had just had a drink, i had to quickly clear the table as he sauntered into the booth and i encouraged him to come on up to the table.  yeah, his highly respectful owner tried to pull him back, dribbly beard and all, but i asked for it … i just had to say hi!

although yesterday didn’t seem any busier than Saturday, it was steady, and i have to admit, i simply love meeting everyone who stops by the booth: past clients, current clients, people who follow the scruffy dog blog and facebook page, and others who simply had to stop when they saw the display photos … especially goofball Oxford (a client from last year’s Woofstock) standing on the fencepost.  he was quite the hit.  and meeting all the dogs!  my gosh, what a mish-mash of gorgeous faces and amazing characters.  it was difficult to tear myself away from the booth just to go to the washroom!  so yesterday, sadly, i did not make it out for any wandering around.

i’ll be posting another round of faces from the booth tomorrow, so stay tuned.  and again, if your gorgeous pup is posted here and you would like a copy of the photo for your facebook page, just drop me a line.  please do not copy the photo from the blog as this is a copyright infringement. thanks, everyone!

oh, and of course, we can’t forget wee Sasha … she was our booth dog this weekend, belonging to staff member Kim.  my how she’s changed since her first shoot a couple of years ago.

again, stay tuned for more!  and stay tuned for when we announce the winner of the draw for the free scruffy dog photo shoot!  (i haven’t even dug out the ballot box yet … but soon! i promise!)

here’s what you missed at Woofstock yesterday! ~ {Toronto, Ontario pet photographer}

yesterday’s Woofstock was a blast … at least, at the scruffy dog booth it was!  aMAzing faces showed up, and the dragged along their equally wonderful people. sometimes i was too busy doling out treats and massaging weary old bodies or smooching scruffy baby faces to actually take photos, but i wanted to share a few of the gorgeous scruffies i managed to capture both at the scruffy dog booth, and during my one brief outing into the throngs of Woofstock visitors during the first day of festivities yesterday.

[added note: if i pointed my camera at your pooch any time during the Woofstock weekend, you will find them here on the blog in one of the three Woofstock entries.  please respect the copyrights of these photos and do not copy them from the blog.  instead, please email us and request them.  i'm happy to provide you with a copy for your facebook page!]

ol’ mr. blue eyes … (at least, i think it was a mister … my sincerest apologies if i’m wrong!!) … just look at those eyes!!

and come on, is this kid not begging for a scruffy dog session, or what?

last year it was bulldogs … this year the breed that seems to be in high-representation is the Bostons …

and to the owner of this sweet brindle pitty: see? she’s not a black blob!  how pretty is she?  maybe my girl matea will pick your name out of the ballot box this year and you’ll win the free scruffy dog photo session so we can get even more lovely photos of this sweet pup.

and check out these patient pooches all lined up while their owners had some lunch.  this little girl is Abby.  upon first click of the shutter, she promptly turned her back, so it took some cajoling and several of my signature sounds to get her turned around and interested again.

and this young pup stopped by the booth … Bailey, i believe … the most unique colour of a dog i’ve ever seen!  a cross between a boxer and a vizsla …

and what’s a Woofstock entry without a chihuahua!  this little 3-pounder was to die for!

now, you all know that Woofstock is known for its fashion shows, wild costumes and getups … dogs wearing all kinds of crazy clips and dye-jobs.  and while i watch all the other photographers and attendees snapping endless photos of the purple poodles and the mohawked, studded whatevers, well, my apologies, i still prefer my dogs on the “real” side.  so if you want to see all the crazy, zany getups, a quick Google of Woofstock will get you hundreds of photos of its wilder side.

but me, i like the real guys … like this bad boy …

and the dogs over at the rescue area.  unfortunately, my visit to the rescue booths yesterday was cut short by a slight sprinkle … not before a few shots at the Setter Rescue booth though …

… i’ll get back today though.

and of course, you all know the soft spot i have for seniors.  check out this sweet pup …

and these little princesses with their matching dos!

did i mention there were a lot of Boston puppies? sleepy ones too.

and then the unforgettable Buster …

“oh wait, do i have slobber on my ears? again?”

and okay, one photo of a dyed mohawk …

heading off shortly for round two.  looks like another awesome day as far as weather.  hope to see you there!!

NOTE: if you’re the owner of one of these dogs and are interested in any of the images, just drop us a line.

come see us at Woofstock and win a free session! ~ {Toronto pet photographer}

scruffy dog is going to be at Woofstock again this year and — come rain or shine — we’d certainly love to see you!

yeah, the forecast doesn’t look the greatest, but then it seems to change every other day, so — paws crossed — we’ll have some lovely sunny breaks and you can get Bowser and Fifi out for a stroll down at the St. Lawrence Market area to check out all the goings-0ns!

there’s always lots to see and do, lots of vendors from canine health to cool new dog products, treats, collars and leashes, clothes, beds and all kinds of dog services including a number of new dog photographers.  so lots to check out, lots to choose from to answer everyone’s tastes …  if you want to see a preview, here’s a list of this year’s vendors.

and if nothing else, it’s just awesome to check out all the amazing faces …

the super-awesome scruffy dog staff and i will be on Front Street at booth #339, between Scott and Church Streets … see the map below.

we’ve got lots for you to see … and, yeah, i know, you’re waiting for it … i mentioned winning a scruffy dog photo session, didn’t i?  well, you’ll have to show up and find out how!  so, leash-up and come on down!  we’d love to see you and meet your scruffies.  and yes, i’ll have at least one camera along, so maybe the scruffy dog lenses will have an opportunity to meet your 4-legger!

how we start our mornings ~ {Ontario pet photographer}

sometimes a migraine wakes me … sometimes — although very rarely, since the scruffies are highly respectful — it’s a cold nose that drags me out … sometimes it’s the smell of coffee as my partner gets up for work, although i’m usually the first one up in these parts.  this morning, however, at 4 a.m. it was the birds.  yeah, i know the adage about the worm and the early bird, but dagnabbit, whether it’s the excessive rain that’s to blame for a bumper crop of worms or grubs or June bugs, it seemed that at 4:00 this morning, every bird had its worm and they were bragging loud and bold about it to the entire neighborhood.

so this morning, after a couple hours of work, we watched the sunrise … quite the sight after our weeks of rain …

and of course, no morning is a good morning without extreme tickling …

now, i think it’s time for a little ball-fetching out in the back yard.  i don’t have to ask merrick goobernuts mcscruffy twice!

for those curious, the photos in this blog entry were all taken with the Lensbaby Composer.

senior moments for dogs ~ {Ontario pet photographer}

i guess dogs have senior moments too … i’m just trying to figure out precisely when it was that my old girl matea figured that we removed the screen door which has pretty much been a permanent fixture in her life no matter which house we’ve lived in.  because this afternoon, with no bird or squirrel or bunny in sight to possibly invigorate any generally-dormant stupid genes, with no one anywhere near the back door to potentially confuse her as to whether or not the screen door may have been slid open, and without merrick outside to trick her into believing that the screen had been foolishly left ajar to let the goober out, matea simply, surely and quite deliberately went sailing through our so-called “dog proof” screen door.

don’t get me wrong … it’s not the first time for this old girl.  but at nine years of age, she’s wise beyond her years.  she knows better, and as mentioned above, there was nothing to compel her.  if i hadn’t been in the same utter disbelief as matea, or worried that the cat could escape through the three-foot gaping hole, i might have gone down to the studio to grab one of the cameras to capture matea’s shock and complete embarrassment.  she stood, unmoving, stopped in her tracks, midway across the deck, her back to the shredded screen, head turned back toward the destruction, hung with what could only be abject apology … although, i’m certain, for a few long moments, she was calculating if it was at all possible to blame it on merrick this time.

after merrick went through the former screen twice last summer — having never lived in a house before and never experiencing a screen door — i’m tired of dismantling the thing and running it off to Home Hardware.  some 20lb fishing line will do the trick for now … besides, matea’s not getting any younger.  i suppose i should expect more of these senior moments?  or maybe after watching me spend almost an hour fixing this, she’s figured it out?

merrick, on the other hand, i’m sure, will have a few more Superman moments when his excitement propels him through the screen … so this home-repair will do for now.  fingers crossed the mosquitoes don’t discover the rift!

happy weekend, everyone.  may it be senior-moment free!