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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.

the Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society 2012 calendar is now available! ~ {Waterloo, Ontario pet photographer}

do you have your KWHS 2012 calendar yet?

as part of our ‘giving back’ initiative here at scruffy dog, for the past several years, scruffy dog has photographed and designed the KWHS charity calendar which raises thousands for the Centre to help the orphaned animals.  and this year’s calendar is filled with dogs and cats who have been adopted from the KWHS Centre!  this is extra special for me since the ultimate ‘giving back’ is not only raising significant funds, but — of equal importance — raising awareness of the plight of abandoned cats and dogs, and the overpopulation of shelters just like the KWHS.

part of raising awareness is to show people the amazing dogs and cats available … contrary to popular belief, most shelter pets don’t come with a laundry list of problems or behavioral issues.  almost always it’s their former humans who had the issues — buying a puppy of a breed that is not suited to their lifestyle or abilities, or a change in living situation which forces people to give up their pet, or just plain laziness.  for almost as many pets as are in shelters, there are as many reasons as to why they have wound up in their desperate situation … but in most cases, the issue is not with the pet, it’s with their former human.

i hope that the extremely happy, well-loved dogs and cats in the pages of this year’s KWHS calendar this year — some of which are purebreds — will not only demonstrate the amazing companions that can be found in any shelter, but perhaps — even in a small way — alter at least a few people’s thinking and beliefs on adopting from a shelter instead of buying that cute, cuddly puppy from a store, a backyard breeder, a farm (which is almost always a front for a puppymill situation), or from listings on Kijiji or Craig’s List.

these are just a few of the amazing pets i met this year during the calendar’s shooting …

… big boy Figaro, one of several extremely loved cats in the home …

and awesome doodle Dixie …

then there’s fun-loving Static …

and ball-crazy Orville, whose guardians opted for a full scruffy dog session.  you might remember Orville from his graffiti shoot back in the summer … or from the sneak peek of his big session in the early fall.

and little, smiley Milo …

these are just a few of the happy faces of rescued pets you’ll find in the KWHS 2012 calendar.

and with scruffy dog’s clean design, it is our hope that this calendar will appeal to just about anyone, as all the profits go to the animals of the KWHS.

these 2012 calendars can be purchased directly through the KWHS website or picked up in person at the shelter for only $15.  get yours today!

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  • Helena ThompsonThanks for supporting us last year at Dog Guides. I have purchased calendars again in support of your cause. Wonderful Christmas Gifts. Beautiful work! Thanks for giving back! HelenaReplyCancel

  • Susan HumphreysThese are wonderful as usual Illona! A worthy cause too.I wish we could
    buy these calendars here in England.

    Susan Humphreys
    Northampton
    EnglandReplyCancel

  • Holly Garner-JacksonAnother great job, illona! Well done!!!ReplyCancel

  • JoniLOVE it! LOVE it! LOVE it! Thank you for giving back in such a delightfully beautiful way!ReplyCancel

  • Tucker's MomWhat beautiful animals! Thank you for sharing them with us!ReplyCancel

  • bublynskiI want one – they are beautiful! A great price, too – my rescue group has got to find a better printer!ReplyCancel

  • michelle bradshawBeautifully said…..the calendar is gorgeous!ReplyCancel

shadow’s scruffy session ~ {Toronto, Ontario pet photographer}

if you follow the scruffy dog facebook page, you’ll have already seen several sneak peeks of Shadow, the ever-smiling golden …

i know i’m not the only one thinking: “Squirrel?!”

we had a lot of fun at our session, driving around and finding different locations in which to shoot this lovely boy … from parks, and Unionville station …

mom, Betty, was after a photo of her boy in a very natural setting like a field.  alas, those can be hard to find in Toronto, but how about this?

as the sun was setting, i spotted these long grasses behind a restaurant in some plaza just off the highway …

and some fun in Shadow’s backyard …

and his favorite park.

my favorite images from the shoot were taken at the tracks in Unionville …

of course, it was all going great until a wedding photographer and her entrouage elbowed their way onto our location, with no regard for our shoot …

so, we moved on.

we even found a not-quite-ripe soybean field to romp in …

thanks so much for being such a happy boy, Shadow.

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  • AliceThat unconditional love of people and life is so endearing…..Shadow, if only I can be as pure and free as your spirit…. You are the best teacher and healer of humanity truly.ReplyCancel

  • EireenI love all the pictures. So beautifully taken ! Shadow is such a lovely boy !ReplyCancel

  • Grace VGreat to see a golden on the Scruffy Dog site! Such a beauty.ReplyCancel

  • IanFrom one photographer to another I love your work and would hire you to shoot my own dog. Too bad about the wedding photographer but it looks like you did get your shot.ReplyCancel

  • LaurenWhat a beautiful creature! and the expression in the first image is just priceless and made me smile. 🙂ReplyCancel

  • michelle bradshawShadow is so beautiful. I love, love the shot at Union Station below the sign and the “track” shots, as well!! Gorgeous..they are all gorgeous.ReplyCancel

  • Tucker's MomWhat a beautiful boy!ReplyCancel

another facebook weekly recap ~ {Ontario pet photography}

we’ve had another busy week over on the scruffy dog facebook page … it’s the place to be for all the sneak peeks of the latest scruffy clients and what’s going on in post-production over at scruffy headquarters.  but if you’re not a facebooker or are simply not following SDP on facebook, then here’s what you missed last week …

we started the week off right …

… a restock of the SDP studio Cuz balls.  we’ve been using the Cuzes since they first came out.  even my old man morley was pretty fond of Cuzes and always thought that every new shipment was for him.

matea, however, never quite adopted the same fervor for Cuzes …

then i shared another sneak peek of Rosie, who had clearly spent some time in Makeup before her shoot … just check out her stunning eye-liner … it’s all the rage this fall!  all the dogs are wearing it.

and her big brother Champ … a rescued tripod from south of the border.  where he’s lacking in legs, he makes up for in smiles.

and a quick capture of their feline companion at home … somehow i don’t think that’s his pillow.

we had a chilly but fun shoot with Bisou and Scout.  Bisou presented a challenge as she is shy of the camera and skittish around noises … um … like the huge clacking shutter of the scruffy dog cameras.  but i brought this lovely girl around pretty quickly with treats doled out at the right time, using the right toy, and, of course, the right energy.

about 45 minutes into our session, i felt Bisou was ready for an even bigger challenge, and i started to shoot overhead.  this kind of overhead shooting, for shy pets,  where you disappear behind the camera and loom over them, can be extremely challenging for them and should be done only when the pet is ready.  Bisou did wonderfully.

and her lovely sister Scout …

then i shared another sneak peek of 1-year-old Henry.  i can’t wait to see this boy once his body has filled out to match that big head of his.

and the corgis … lord help us all, but their adorableness it simply too much!  Camilla and Sara …

those smiles!

and that tongue!

those eyes!

and yes, it’s a little known fact, but corgis do, indeed, consume rocket fuel for lunch.

their session was a few weeks ago, but with the heavy shooting schedule we experience every fall, post-production is often delayed.  i shared these images as i was editing their big shoot, but they’ll definitely have to have their own blog entry soon!

then there was Jessie and Aero, another earlier shoot, but shared during post-production.

Jessie giving her best “more treats?” mind-melding stare … no worries, it didn’t work on me.  scruffy clients have to work for their treats!  🙂

while brother Aero has a fondness for little sticks he finds in the woods …

and he wields it with great skill.  who needs opposable thumbs anyway?

then a very sweet shot of Thor and his little, little, itty bitty sister Indy …

and rounding off the facebook recap … a shot of our resident scruffy merrick out at the infamous tunnel of trees …

my super awesome little dude.

and that’s what you missed last week on facebook!  hope you all have a great week!!

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  • Hiltoni love the pic with the big dag walking side with the little one…
    how calm..and peaceful dogs can bring into your heartReplyCancel

  • Montecristo TravelsThor and Indy …. LOVE!!! just LOVE!!ReplyCancel

  • leesiaall are wonderful, but i especially love those adorable corgis. such lovely light in so many of these images!ReplyCancel

  • DavidYour work, without a doubt, represents some of the finest pet photography I have seen. Your use of light and location, coupled with your apparent connection with your subject, result in outstanding canine images. Kudos…ReplyCancel

  • AmandaLove waking up in the morning to an SDP blog notification on my phone 🙂

    Makes getting up for my ‘real job’ just that little bit easier!ReplyCancel

  • Holly Garner-JacksonAll of these are such winners, illona! Hope you are over the flu soon, so we can be wowed with even more of your wonderful work!ReplyCancel

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