Rescue dog portraits shot in my Centurion studio
Andy & Anubis. Two sweet mutts who have secured themselves a featuring role in 'Mutts the Exhibition' which is in the works for mid-2018. You'd be right in thinking that Andy's eye looks a bit odd, the poor chap got bitten by another dog as a pup before he was launched over his adoptive Mom's fence. Thankfully Mom was only too pleased to have another mutt to add to the pack.
Anubis was rescued after being hit by a car and left at the side of the road in Diepsloot, he still sports an enormous scar along his back and has a slightly wobbly walk, but otherwise he's aces.
Despite missing some teeth and being blind in his bad eye, Andy is exceptionally obedient, well behaved and very, very smart.
Clark, as in Kent, is a slightly older chap who was initially fostered by his mom and dad (#fosterfail) but ended up staying put. I have several medals for my inability to foster, so I totally understand why Clark became a permanent addition. He was rescued by PETS in 2016, and now he's enjoying chilling on the sofa in his twilight years. Clark had never been inside before he was re-homed, so it took him a while to venture indoors, now apparently he rarely goes outside, proving that you can teach an old dog new tricks.
Little Jenna lives with Clark. She was adopted from an SPCA after being advertised as a Dachshund X. There is possibly Dachshund in there somewhere, we just don't know where.
No-one knows how Jenna ended up at the SPCA and and she refuses to tell.
Navabi was adopted from the same SPCA as Jenna and to be honest, I think they were both painted with the same Pantone colour because they pretty much match.
This little brown mutt is very small in real life, she somehow looks big I think. Her ears are even more impressive in the flesh, but she kept them hidden from her new moms until they got her home and opened some dog biscuits.
If you've purchased a copy of my book, Mutts, you'll recognised Oliver. If you've not got a copy, get yours here. Oliver lives with Navabi (he arrived first) and was adopted from Sandton SPCA. He's a rather shy boy, so photographing him was a challenge. Of the two shots I got, this slightly ridiculous facial expression was one. Followed fortuitously by this one.
Cleo was rescued from an idiot, oops, I mean person, who was selling puppies at a shopping centre. Unfortunately she ended up with her Mom via the person who saved her, so no-one knows what happened to the rest of the litter :(. She's a very shy girl in new situations, so it took some persuasion and a LOT of snacks to get her to cooperate.
Zorro was rescued from a township and this is the second time I've photographed him. The first time I met him was in 2010, so he's now quite senior and I feel old too.
This was the best effort Cleo and Zorro were prepared to make for a twosome portrait.
Delightful Daisy, who has only three legs after one was badly broken, was adopted from Sandton SPCA. She had previously been abused, so is still adjusting to life on the outside as it were. She was keener to help me take pictures rather than be in the shots which made shooting her portrait a little challenging to say the least.
If you have a fame worthy rescue mutt, please get in touch with me to find out how they could be included in the exhibition. I'm doing what I can to promote shelter dog adoption and together we can make a difference.