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Tag Archives: rescue

gilmour and murphy’s sneak peek ~ {Kawartha Lakes, Ontario pet photographer}

you saw ‘em on the scruffy dog facebook page first, but for those of you who may not be on facebook, i figured you might want to see these two boys … and for those of you who do follow us on facebook, here are some new sneak peeks from Murphy and Gilmour’s session up in the Kawartha Lakes area …

this is Gilmour …

… and his new rescue brother Murphy.

Murphy has only limited sight in one eye, so for safety’s sake, he had to stay on one of the scruffy dog long lines.

Gilmour, on the other hand, was a wild man …

you’ll be seeing more of these two in the future, once the heavy fall shooting schedule eases up and we can catch up on some of the post work around here.

so stay tuned!

the latest FB scruffy dog poll ~ {Ontario pet exclusive photographer}

if you follow the scruffy dog Facebook page , then you’re already aware of the polls we have over there, asking pet-related questions.  some are purely for fun, others are a little educational as we learn more about you and your pet.

this week’s poll is about how you came to be the guardian of your current 4-leggers.  we want to know how our followers met their Rovers and Fifis and Fluffys too!

the poll is fun and easy … a few clicks … and if you follow the scruffy dog Facebook page (and why wouldn’t you?) you’ll see the results posted in a week or so!

you can get to the poll through this link.

of course, i can’t possibly do a blog entry without a few photos, so here’s a little before-and-after of our most recent scruffy rescue boy, merrick … rescued at 6 years of age …

his “before photo”, taken by the not-so-nice puppymill/breeder people who wanted rid of him …

and merrick today … with a little love, guidance, training, and no more breeding and abuse.

so go on over to the scruffy dog Facebook page and click the Polls tab on the left, or follow this link.  we’d love to hear from you.  and if the way by which you became guardian of your 4-legger(s) is not on the list, please drop us a line on the Facebook page, and we’ll rectify it pronto!

ALSO if you have an incredible rescue story, you know we’d love to hear it!  you can share it in the comments below and/or share your rescue pup/cat’s photo on the scruffy dog Facebook page! (please keep photo submissions to one-per-pet).

looking forward to seeing the results from the latest poll!  have fun!

this is Orville ~ {Waterloo, Ontario pet photographer}

this tall, dark, and handsome man is Orville …

dashing, isn’t he?

this boy was adopted from the Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society.  as you can tell from the backdrop, this shoot was done in the graffiti tunnel right after Memphis’ dad, Don, painted it specially for Memphis’ custom shoot.  i didn’t want the painting to go to waste after Memphis’ shoot so we booked Orville for a quickie …

you’ll be seeing more of Orville later this year as he is scheduled for a proper big shoot in the fall …

… when he can run and fetch and be a goofball on some real doggy turf, not some grotty train tunnel.

still, Orville was a good sport about his little graffiti shoot … even though i know it was tough for this high-powered athlete to sit still for this kind of shooting …

thanks, Orville.  and i’m looking forward to seeing you really let loose in a more species-appropriate setting this fall!

Miles is back ~ {Ontario pet photographer}

you may remember Miles …

his full blog entry from his previous shoot can be found here.  and we had a great shoot last summer, but when mom Ingrid saw Buster’s latest shoot in the train tunnel and the tunnel of trees (for which a lot of scruffy dog clients travel here in order to have their shoot incorporate), she just had to bring Miles here for some similar shots.  she especially wanted the train tunnel because of Miles’ past … picked up as a stray in Tennessee, Miles’ history is unknown, and Ingrid imagines him having toughed it out on the streets and in tunnels.

so, it was off to the train tunnel.  at first Miles was a little confused as to the odd location, and maybe just a little uneasy … a quick tongue flick of nerves …

then … “wait, did i hear a train comin’?”

“and hang on a second, is that Skeletor? seriously, are you sure he can’t get me?”

“okay, okay …i’ll sit for you …”

“… and i’ll give you my best faces.  howz this one?”

“and this one?”

but if you wait long enough for something to catch their attention, eventually even the craziest little terrier goofball becomes a stellar model.

even a bit of a runway … er … railway model?

this was the first shoot to which i brought Merrick along for the ride.  he’d met Miles last fall during Ingrid’s studio-consult and these two “chill” little boys hit it off, so i thought it would be fun to take him along and let him run around at the second location.  in the tunnel though, i set down my camera bag and asked my boy to wait by it; and the entire time i worked with Miles, my boy stayed by the cameras.  still, i thought it would be fun to get a few shots of the the two adorable rescued terriers in the tunnel …

and this is the image that Ingrid is deciding to go with big … a 54″ canvas.  i can’t wait to see it!

so after the train tunnel, it was a drive through Mennonite country to the tree tunnel.  i swear, Miles was like: “seriously? more posing what am i?”

“oh, all right…”

“wait, do i smell something from that farm over there?”

and then i dared to ask for a “stand” from sweet Miles.  “are you kidding me, lady?”

“now, where was that delicious smell i just had?”

“oh yeah, baby!  there it is.”

“that’s one terrific smell … i love the countryside.”

“hold up. got an itch!”

okay, now we’re posing …

and … that’s a wrap, Miles.  “seriously? we’re done?”


all done.  “and i’m outta here!”

thanks, Ingrid, for a fun shoot, and thanks, Miles, for always being such a fabulous and patient model.  you’ll be seeing another blog entry soon about Miles when i talk about dogs on posts … so stay tuned.

adopt, don’t shop! ~ {Kitchener dog photographer}

for merrick — our newest scruffy, rescued from a puppy-mill situation, used as a breeding dog for the first six years of his miserable life — the sentiment “adopt, don’t shop” means many things … from a good home at last and a new lease on life, tons of love and good food, to a warm bed (well, our bed to be exact) and owning absolutely every corner of our hearts.

but this little guy definitely pays it forward, applying the adopt-don’t-shop maxim himself by adopting most of his predecessor morley’s toys.

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no need to go out and buy a slew of new toys when there are so many great ones close at hand to enjoy and give love to.  you’ll notice that ms. fishlips was well loved by morley, took a beating, saw some minor surgery, and is now thriving with great doses of merrick-love …

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but with merrick, there’s a very fine line between love and pure chaos …

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so merrick says, adopt, don’t shop! … because there’s nothing better than a pre-owned, pre-tested, pre-slobbered-on, pre-squeaked, pre-tattered and pre-loved toy.