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Internationally-renowned, award-winning animal photographer Illona Haus created scruffy dog photography inc. as the province's premier pet photography business in 2007 ... the first of its kind in Canada ... and, still today, continues to serve clients across Ontario, the US and the world. Based in Kitchener, Ontario and photographing exclusively animals for almost 20 years - both commercially and for private clients - Illona is considered one of the world's leading and most influential pet photographers.

 

To learn more about scruffy dog photography, its creator, history, and the scruffy dog experience, feel free to browse through the menu above, and scroll over a decade's worth of blog entries below!

 

Please drop me a line! I'd love the opportunity to capture stunning, creative, one-of-a-kind photographic memories of your 4-legged loved ones to treasure in artwork for a lifetime, and show you just what makes the scruffy dog experience second to none.

and heeeeere’s Nelly! ~ {Woodstock, Ontario pet photographer}

so you met big-brother Ziggy yesterday, and today it’s little-sister Nelly’s turn …

but wait, don’t let her diminutive size fool you … she may be small, but this girl is mighty.

there’s no question who’s the boss in this mini-pack.

yup, mighty like a lion … hear her roar.

this 9 year old girl has every ounce of intensity you would expect from any self-respecting Jack.

and the word ‘uncle’ does not exist in her vocabulary … she plays to win … every time.

and on the trail, this little girl has places to go and things to do …

and because she has such a terrier-ist drive, Nelly can’t be trusted off-leash … so we used one of the scruffy dog long lines for this little devil.

as you saw in Ziggy’s blog entry, the late spring grasses were lush and long and lovely … but a little too long for wee Nelly …

we had a lot of fun with the Cuz balls i always bring to shoots, and in spite of Ziggy always being out in front, running faster, leaping higher, i’m not sure how it is that Nelly almost always ended up victorious.

little devil.  🙂

but with the long-line and some good treats, this girl was actually impressing me with her recalls.

and she’s actually quite a little poser when she puts her mind to it …

as i mentioned in Ziggy’s blog entry, i loved the light along this trail.  with the leaves still not summer-full, the light was quite dappled, and you had to pick your spots carefully, but when you found those perfect patches … they were divine.

and seriously, what’s cuter than a terrier butt in a jungle of grasses and buttercups?

pretty girl …

even in her own back yard, this little girl knows how to have fun …

thanks, Amy and Robin, for introducing me to your pack-of-two and for the lovely afternoon/evening.  i hope you enjoy your gallery.  talk to you soon!

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  • Joanna ReichertNice set! Did you use a 24mm, 20mm, or something wider for the Nellie-in-the-air shots?ReplyCancel

  • MarlaLoved both sets – the lighting is just gorgeous. Loved the cuz ball series. Adorable!ReplyCancel

  • Lori E.Adore the cuz shots! I love your terrier shoots the best. 🙂ReplyCancel

  • Holly Garner-JacksonHa!!! Awesome Cuz action!! These are great. Love the tug of war shots, too! Must have been a fun shot!!ReplyCancel

  • Donna LukerShe looks like a mini-Ziggy. Girl can get serious AIR!! Little in stature; big in attitude. You really captured that attitude!ReplyCancel

  • RachelTug of war on the rug is an AWESOME shot!ReplyCancel

  • LoriLOL~looks like she’s got the ‘tripping-up-big-brother’-tactic DOWN for ultimate ball triumph! 🙂
    Lovely shots, as always! One of my faves, anyway, is her gazing up at you with one paw lifted…ReplyCancel

  • bublynskiWhat a pair! A wonderful little pack, both Nellie and Ziggy are adorable. You’ve really captured little Nellie’s BIG Jack Russell personality in these shots. Getting to know my friend’s Jack Russells has given me a great appreciation for this indomitable breed. Go, Nellie!ReplyCancel

  • Liz UribeLove love your photos, they are amazing!ReplyCancel

  • JulieAwesome session! You really captured that little Nelly’s big personality.

    The light is simply gorgeous!ReplyCancel

ziggy, model extraordinaire ~ {Woodstock, Ontario pet photographer}

we had a wonderful shoot last week with Ziggy the whippet and his feisty little jack russell sister Nelly.  i’ve shared a few sneak peeks of these two characters on the scruffy dog facebook already … and if you’ve not “Liked” the SDP facebook page in order to keep up with the latest, why not?  🙂

but with far too many images from our lovely, late spring afternoon shoot to share on the blog — as i sometimes do with multi-dog shoots — i’ve decided to split them up, dedicating a blog entry to each Ziggy and Nelly.

so here’s Ziggs …

this is a boy of a hundred expressions.  let’s see, we have “elegant” …

then there’s the: “wait, was that a squirrel?”

and the always-effective “woe-is-me” …

then of course, there’s the: “i’m -way-damn-cuter-than-my-short-stuff-sister”  look …

and, “d’oh-i-dropped-the-treat!”

but whatever the look, this boy is about as handsome as they come.

and a darn fine poser …

… no matter which end you’re shooting.

after spending a a little time indoors for some home shots while the afternoon sun was still very bright, we headed out to one of Ziggy and Nelly’s favorite walking spots … a beautiful trail that resembled an old English country lane.

every turn offered new and wonderful challenges in the light.

and you just gotta love spring-time grasses …

… and funky trees …

lots of great sniffums.

and of course, running …

thanks Robin and Amy for introducing me to your two amazing pups.  and let me apologize ahead of time for the extra-large gallery you’re about to receive.  these two babies of yours are simply too photogenic and i wasn’t able to narrow down the gallery any further.

have a great Monday, everyone.  and stay tuned for Nelly’s blog entry tomorrow!  loads of fun to come!

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  • SimonLovely stuff! gorgeous dogs.ReplyCancel

  • Holly Garner-JacksonEssence of Ziggy! Perfect!!ReplyCancel

  • AngelaLove both the blogs for this gorgeous pair. I said on facebook that it looks like an English country lane and it does 🙂

    Angela
    UKReplyCancel

  • LindaI needed something beautiful too look at this morning. These photos are gorgeous. Love them.ReplyCancel

  • SarahBravo 🙂 Beautiful illona!ReplyCancel

  • Susan HumphreysYou’re right Ilona, this trail looks just like some of the country lanes
    here in England. This set is wonderful. It will be so hard to choose which
    ones to have. Can’t wait for Nelly’s blog entry.!

    Susan Humphreys
    EnglandReplyCancel

  • MarlaGorgeous!ReplyCancel

  • Donna LukerI’m pretty sure I’ve gotten tears in my eyes every time I’ve visited here. Mostly from joy. The way you represent (if that’s a proper term) all of your animals, personal & clients, so beautifully with your photography just goes straight to my heart.ReplyCancel

  • TatyanaI may have a slight sighthound weakness, but I loved the whole set 😀ReplyCancel

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.

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  • MarieWhat a cute dog! He’s so scruffy! adorable..ReplyCancel

  • DaveLove the photos.

    Our bird issue issue was a woodpecker that was convinced our chimney cap had food in it. The sound was like a drum throughout the house. The golden retrievers couldn’t figure out which door or window to defend against this invisible intruder. Fortunately the woodpecker gave up after 2 days.ReplyCancel

  • JackieI would take bird’s chriping at 5am to what I wake up to every morning…my neighbor snoring through his alarm!!!ReplyCancel

  • Holly Garner-JacksonOMD!That’s the way I feel some mornings when the birds start in at 4! Especially if the ravens and crows add their two cents worth of caws!!
    Peter says you should do what the Fonz would do. He just yelled “COOL IT!!!!” and they did.
    Love your tickle shot best but the lensbaby shots are all very cool!
    Hope you aren’t awaken at 4 again tomorrow!!ReplyCancel

  • KarenI love lensbaby. They’re so much fun to use. I hope you’re enjoying it Illona.ReplyCancel

  • Susan HumphreysLove these! I can’t think of a better way to start the morning than
    being woken up by these two gorgeous goobers!

    Susan Humphreys
    EnglandReplyCancel

  • Liz UribeBeautiful photos as always…and what a great way to start the day playing with your doggie.ReplyCancel

  • Jenniferlove the 3rd one down. 4am!!!! Jackhammering wouldn’t get me out of bed at that hour.ReplyCancel

  • karenWe have a bird as well that I could strangle come 5am.ReplyCancel

  • bublynskiThat looks like the perfect morning to me – the tickling shot is priceless!
    I forget about the difference in our latitude… birds don’t start their joyous dawn chorus here until 5-ish. Yours are celebrating spring after a long, hard winter!ReplyCancel

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