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a much-overdue facebook recap ~ {Ontario pet photographer}

14 May 2012 – 10:05 am

sorry, everyone out there in blog-land.  it’s been a crazy spring … sessions, album design, taxes, upgrades, preparation for Woofstock, and some special jobs.  i remember the good old days when almost every client received a spot light on the blog at some point … and now, it seems that no one does.  i remember when the blog was the place you came to for the latest news and happenings, for the client sneak peeks and session highlights … today, i’m afraid, that has been replaced by the faster, easier to digest facebook.

but don’t despair … we will never abandon the SDP blog!  in fact, we’re in throes of giving this old girl a special makeover … it’s just taking a bit of work behind the scenes … but trust me, we’ll make it worth the wait.  in the meantime, here are some of the crazy, goofy, scruffy faces you may have missed on the scruffy dog facebook page if you’re not following us over there.

first up, handsome Raja … looking so … er … dashing? … in his Doggles.

these Doggles aren’t just his fashion statement, they are actually protecting this big boy’s eyes, as he suffers from a deteriorating condition, the name of which escapes me right now … i’m thinking it’s retinal atrophy.  but i’m not sure if many dog can pull these off better than Raj can!

and then there’s sister Vanda …

these two came from Toronto for their session and, like all of our clients, had a blast here in SDP territory.

Raj was certainly more than willing to tell me all about what he thought of his fun time …

… even if he wasn’t sharing his ball.

then, after stumbling through the archives on the search for some images in preparation for Woofstock, i shared a photo of little Ryder from his session last fall that put a smile on my face …

and, of course, nothing puts a smile on your face faster than a puppy … especially a puppy as cute as little Rosie!

i did have a few shoots with cats several weeks ago … bizarrely enough, they were all black!  this is Keeton. … i think!

i also shared a few images from Duke’s Honour SessionTM…

for an old man, this boy still has a lot of giddy-up.

and a lot of bark!

a lot of bark …

and of course, no blog entry would be complete without an appearance by the resident scruffies … matea and merrick goobernuts out for a hike  (taken with my not-so-great Blackberry) …

and the goober himself … with his most favorite thing in the world: balls.

hope you all have a fabulous monday and a rockin’ week.

 

By illona | Posted in facebook images recap | Also tagged , , | Comments (1)

yes, another facebook recap ~ {Ontario pet photographer}

20 April 2012 – 9:14 am

welcome to another recap — a little overdue — of the goings-on on the scruffy dog facebook page.  if you’re not following SDP on facebook and keeping up with all the news, client sneak peeks, and photos, no worries … you can always catch up with things here on the SDP blog … although sometimes we do fall a little behind.

first  up we have young Sophie Rose … she’s a “miniature” bulldog, and one of the sweetest, snortiest snuffleupaguses you’ll ever meet.  and really, she’s not as grumpy as she looks!

like any respectable bulldog, this girl can catch some air …

and she loves the scruffy dog Cuz balls.

next up we have Chai.  although his session was a year ago, we didn’t work on his images until recently due to family issues and then Chai’s early passing from cardiomyopathy.

we had a very brief sneakpeek on the blog around the time of Chai’s session.

this big boy is very much missed and it is an honor to have had the opportunity to capture his happy spirit.

we also shared a few images of big, drooly boy Buddy from his session the other week.

and, no, in spite of his appearance, i’m pretty sure this boy is not part Bridge Troll …

then there was the very handsome Moose, posing in front of one of the Royal York murals …

i had an awesome time with young Beretta, a six-month-old Dutch shepherd who truly stole my heart.  this little drivey girl sparked a lot of memories for me — having grown up with german shepherds — and at one point when i took Beretta’s leash for a moment so mom Dorothy could get her things out of her vehicle, i swear, i felt something i hadn’t felt in a long time: the promise of an incredible drive ready to be harnessed and worked with, a young dog with the world ahead of her and so many amazing things in her future.  i was truly and deeply in love.

and the greatest part is that Beretta has two more scruffy sessions on the books before the year is out.  i’m so looking forward to working more with this amazing girl.

as with any week on facebook, i also shared a little before-and after … this one is of my latest love-interest, Beretta …

and then one of sweet old girl Penny from her second session a few weeks ago.

i shared a couple of sneak peeks of the ball-crazy Cooper from his session last week …

this boy o.w.n.s his ball.

and in any given week on the SDP facebook page, i always share a couple of images of the resident scruffies, matea mcscruffy and merrick goobernuts mcscruffy …

if you don’t laugh at this next photo of the goober, you might want to check for a pulse.  a couple of weeks ago the Kong company contacted me asking if they could send a box of Kong toys to be used at scruffy dog photo sessions. upon opening the huge box, merrick, obviously, was under the impression that they were all for him. he was absolutely giddy with anticipation …

and here is a short video of the goober digging through the box of new toys for his absolute favorite Kong product … (and let me qualify that this is not the best video!):

and then my amazing, right-hand-girl matea …

she’s turned 10 this year, and in spite of being on a raw diet for the majority of those years, her system has been changing over the last year.  she’s not the first raw-fed senior i’ve heard of requiring a switch to a cooked diet, and honestly, given that she’s always had a sensitive constitution (even back in those early days of quality kibble), in the back of my mind, i always anticipated this day.  so, cooked it is.

what you see below is the meat-portion of the girl’s diet prior to cooking: a few pounds of wild salmon, 15 lbs of venison and 5 lbs of organs (including heart and lungs, which i don’t factor into my actual “organ” percentage as we’re not concerned about Vit A ratios as we are with liver and kidney). not sure why I decided to grind this batch, but i figured (a) it might cook faster (i’m new to all this cooked fare), and (b) i’d be able to mix in the organs more efficiently.  this will be the last time i cook organs though.  urg! they stank up the house!  i’ll stick to feeding dehydrated and freeze-dried liver and kidneys, and cook chunks of meat instead of the ground. (too much moisture is lost when cooking ground).

and for those inquiring … this will be divvied up, frozen, and then mixed with oatmeal and veggies before feeding.

i do still firmly believe that — for optimum health – a raw diet should be the first diet for dogs and the place to start in any canine nutritional journey, especially when there are issues with intolerances and allergies … however, in the case of special needs and requirements, raw is not always the best choice for some dogs.

i hope you’ve enjoyed this facebook recap.  if you’d rather receive more up-to-the-minute news and sneak peeks, consider joining the scruffy dog facebook page … truly, it’s fun!

By illona | Posted in facebook images recap | Also tagged , , , | Comments (5)

a much delayed facebook recap ~ {Ontario pet photographer}

30 March 2012 – 8:58 am

i know i’ve been a bad blogger. i had my new web/blog person here the other day for a meeting, and was shocked to discover only two blog entries for all of march! where has the month gone? either way, no biscuits for the head scruffy.

so even though we’ve been shooting up a storm and meeting some amazing dogs and cats over the past weeks, there have been a lot of behind-the-scenes work going on … stuff that a lot of people don’t even imagine when they think about a pet-photography business. because, yes, it is a business and there’s so much more than just those pretty pictures.  there are all new business cards and promotional materials to design and layout due to the rebranding earlier this year, updating of software and hardware, there are commercial and editorial requests, a huge undertaking of the updating of the scruffy dog stock images, countless orders and albums to prep …  sadly, as well, there have been numerous copyright and trademark infringement issues which i have been forced to pursue … there are always inquiries and bookings to respond to, files for new clients to be created, contests, marketing and promotion, and let’s not forget about … <cough> … taxes.

the other aspect that takes a small chunk of time out of each day is engaging with the followers of the scruffy dog facebook page.  THAT’S where all the action is … news, contests, client sneak peeks, videos, and general pet-talk.  it really is the place to be.  and rumor has it that merrick goobernuts mcscruffy is thinking of starting up his own facebook page … lord knows, like most children with a new pet, he’ll be excited at first, do all of his duties, but then gradually slack off … and i’ll be the one having to tend to yet another facebook page.  … not so sure that can be fit into the schedule.  we’ll see.

in the meantime, let me share with you some of the client sneak-peaks and images posted on the SDP facebook page …

first up is little Annie.  she and her siblings are finding themselves needing a home.  apparently response to their posting has been very successful and The Dog Rescuers Inc. are fielding applications.  if you are interested, you can contact The Dog Rescuers to find out more.

this little girl is the sweetest … such a soft energy, and real cuddler.  she’ll make someone an amazing companion.

another pet needing a new home is Sassafrass.  she is currently staying at the Royal York Animal Hospital in Toronto. this is her info: I was found as a young kitten and surrendered to TAS. I spent a few months there being nursed and cared for before moving to RYAH for a chance at finding my forever home. I am vaccinated and spayed and have been preventively treated for parasites. Please come see me! I super cute and love to play!

this little Siamese girl needs her own home!  although there has been some interest in her, the staff at RYAH report that Sassy is nervous meeting new people for the first time and then acts out … certainly not the right first impression to give people who might potentially give you a new home!  RYAH staff are working on her social skills.  in the short time i spent with her, i could see that she loves to play and interact, always trying to capture her caretaker’s attention … and i think with the right person, this girl could be a lot of fun.  i had no problems with her and loved her energy … and i know what you’re thinking: so why don’t you take her home, illona? trust me, even though RYAH has asked if i would, and even though i’d love to have her in our lives, i just can’t … i’m not confident that our resident scraggly cat, Aslan, would approve … even though Sassy seems to get along with both dogs and other cats … and i think the scruffies could be won over as well … alas, for some reason, i’m so much more allergic to Siamese than most cats.  in the short time i spent with this awesome little girl, my asthma kicked up something awful … so, sadly, she’s still waiting for a home.  could it be yours?  if you’re interested, please contact the Royal York Animal Hospital.

and now for some scruffy clients …

most of you probably remember big boy Bettis …

his session was a gift to owner Chris who was losing Bettis in a separation when Bettis’ mom had to move out of province.  this session was supposed to be a Starter session, but spending time with Chris and his boy on their last afternoon together moved me deeply … and since this was no different than any Honour Session™, i just kept shooting, determined to capture as many memories as possible for Chris.

i shared another image of cutey patootey Harlow from her puppy session … you’ll be seeing more of this girl when she has her next session in July.  i can’t wait to see how much she’s grown!

then there was Joy.  Joy was my “artist’s pick” in our facebook contest on the scruffy dog page.   she came from Toronto to scruffy dog territory for her session because Joy’s mom was determined to have her wonderful girl captured in some snow … and even though it was slim pickings, i did find us some!

then one of  my favorite shots from little Gizelle’s session late last fall … this one has actually just been printed as a beautiful framed canvas, and it’s gorgeous.

and then, well, it was the goober’s re-birthday … two years since he was rescued from deplorable conditions.  he was jumping for joy when he saw his birthday biscuit … and of course, he shared it with big sister matea.  if you don’t already know merrick goobernuts mcscruffy’s story, you can find it here, complete with links to more photos.

and finally, just a little something to get you itchin’ for summer!

and just a quick note: for those of you interested in a fall session … September and October are now booked, however every fall season we take a small number of “squeeze-in” sessions (sessions taken above and beyond our regularly scheduled sessions), but there are only so many “squeeze-in” sessions we can actually squeeze in, so please contact SDP as soon as possible if you are planning a fall session for your 4-legger.

hope you all have a great weekend!

By illona | Posted in facebook images recap | Also tagged , , , | Comments (3)

oscar ~ {Ontario pet photographer}

25 July 2011 – 11:08 am

well, i did promise you all a bunch of dachshund photos from our awesome shoot recently with repeat clients Oscar, Rollo and newcomer Charlie.  you can see Oscar and Rollo’s winter session here, and if you missed the blog entry of their “group” photos from this past weekend, you can check that out too.

so, without further doo-doo, welcome to Wiener Week!

that’s Oscar with the big goofy smile and the gorgeous eye-liner.

and if the terrain and backdrop is looking vaguely familiar, yes, these are the same locations where i shot the last two red, mini-dachshund clients last summer belonging to fabulous photographers Dave and Charlotte.  Meaghan and Ben loved that shoot so much and Fritz and Greta’s images, that they were determined to utilize the same locations.

so, into the river we went …

from my experience, wiener dogs don’t care much for water … and at first Oscar was looking for a way out …

but it didn’t take long before Oscar was enjoying himself …

soon, though, it was time for Oscar to come out and let his brothers have a turn … you’ll have to stay tuned for those tomorrow.

what a poser Oscar is …almost always up-front and centre …

in fact, encouraging Oscar to move away from the cameras took a few tricks … like sticks …

and strategically thrown Cuz balls …

other times, Oscar just wanted to play with me.

stay tuned for Oscar’s baby brother, Charlie, tomorrow!

have a great Monday, everyone!

By illona | Posted in clients & sneak peeks | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (7)

bid on a scruffy dog photo session ~ {Toronto, Ontario pet photographer}

11 May 2011 – 1:02 pm

besides shooting and designing the Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society calendar each year, donating images to rescue groups, among other support of adoption and rescue, scruffy dog photography also donates a number of silent auction certificates every year for rescue groups.

i don’t post them on the blog, but this one for the Pomeranian and Small Breed Rescue (based in Southern Ontario with foster homes in Toronto, Barrie Hamilton and Niagara region) was just too cute … i had to share.

if you’re interested in bidding on this and supporting the Pomeranian and Small Breed Rescue, you can do so at their Adopt-a-Thon on May 29th, held at Barkingham Palace, 157 Stephenson Ave, Toronto.

best of luck, Diane!

By illona | Posted in news and rumblings | Also tagged , | Comments (1)