Worth a giggle

Steve, Jill & Baxter

Didn't Steve and Jill get married in the most picturesque spot? After being together for over 13 years, they got married this September at Lost Creek Winery near Leesburg Virginia. It was a small, family wedding that really represented the love they have for each other and the support of their family. And of course, their beloved Baxter was by their side the whole time! As you can see, he was very happy to be included in the festivities. I was so honored to be part of their amazing day where I could combine my loves of people and pet photography

I met Baxter for the first time while doing a Wylie Wagg photo shoot last November. Baxter was a perfect model--he has the most amazing honey-colored eyes--and we got lots of great shots from the day. I'm doing another shoot at Wylie Wagg in Tysons this December 4th from 12-5pm. I still have a few time slots open so let me know if you are interested by writing me at houndstoothphotography@gmail.com

Also, these illustrations on dog dream creations gave me a much needed laugh.

Hope you are all staying cozy on this foggy day!

La femme Nikki

Isn't Nikki a beautiful dog? Her owner Sherrie, who is also quiet lovely, agrees completely. We spent one of warm fall afternoons walking around Shirlington and getting some great shots. Nikki was super shy in front of the camera at first but she really warmed up and by the end she was posing. People always ask if my job is stressful and I tell them it isn't because I always have faith that we will get the picture. And up until now, it's worked every time.

In other good news, Lola (from the previous post) was adopted! Her owners Adam and Cassandra are really happy that she is going to a good home with people who will appreciate her "Lolaness."

And what is everyone going to be for Halloween this year? I just took some really fun Halloween portraits with my friend Matt and his friendly pack which I'll put up here on Monday. Here are the ones we did last year that that made it into People magazine's pet section.

As always, I am behind on posting but really want to share some of the fun work I've been doing this fall so expect to see some more photographs soon. Also, I am starting to sign people up at Wagtime and Wylie Wagg for the end of November and early December so let me know if you are interested. I'll send out an email early next week.

Stay warm and dry this weekend!

Adopt Lola!

Hi all! I am back from Costa Rica (amazing) and wanted to get the word out about lovely Lola, who my friends Cassandra and Adam have been fostering (their last foster, Chester, went to a great family in Mt. Pleasant)....

Lola (also know as Suzie Q by her friends at K-9 Lifesavers) is a wonderful 3 and half year old Southern Bell. Rescued from Vidalia, GA, Lola has had a rough beginning of life. Used by a backyard breeder for over two years, she was then abandoned to her fate and later found with a stick stuck in her mouth. Fortunately she was rescued by the K-9 folks and brought to the DC area where a new chapter in her life began. Unfortunately, while loved by everyone, Lola hasn't found a forever home yet, and a one year from her rescue she is now living la vida with her foster family and foster sister in Mount Pleasant, enjoying walks and the random squirrel and chipmunk chases (someone has to keep them under control). This Georgia peach is probably a black lab mix. Some think she also has some pit and beagle in her, given her funny and extremely devotional personality. Her foster parents just know that she has brought a lot of love and many (really, MANY) dog kisses in their lives. In spite of her first years of life, Lola is a loving girl. She is a little shy and at first tends to stay away from new people and new dogs, but give her some time and she turns in the silly dog that she is (her foster parents suggest to meet her at another scheduled time other than the adoption events, those can be a little overwhelming!). After a couple of months to become familiar with the city environment and work on her confidence, Lola is now looking for a family to call her own. If you're looking for a life long companion that loves yoga (she has the most fierce positions ever seen), green beans, and couches, please contact her adoption coordinator. You can find her contact info here (ask about Suzie Q). Lola would do great in a house by herself or with another dog after the necessary introduction, older children, and possibly cat-free.

Beautiful Wild Cumbe

Cumbe is a wild animal! Just kidding, Cumbe is just about the cuddliest, friendliest dog that I have met but she does have those beautiful wolf eyes that make her unique. Matt and Laura, her owners, met Cumbe when they went to the shelter to pick out their first dog together. Cumbe came right up to them and it was a match well made. They think she is a Husky/Terrier mix and in my opinion, it's an amazing combination. I photographed them in Flenview, Illinois when I was on my midwestern tour in July (I visited St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Chicago in 10 days and had a lot of good times).

I've been on the road and I'm hitting the road again. I'll be in Costa Rica for 10 days and I'm hoping to photograph some of the monkeys that live in the jungle trees along the ocean. When I get back I am going to be launching a new blog which combines my pet photography work with my human photography work in an attempt to streamline my online world and post pictures more often. I have a lot of great pictures stored up from these past few months so expect to see some of them soon. In the meantime, I hope all of you enjoy the last few months of summer.

Also, I wanted to mention that Willy, of Willy and Shakes the therapeutic bunnies, has to have surgery to remove a cancerous tumor that is threatening his life. The surgery is $3,000 and their handler Sherri is asking that everyone donate $10 to help cover his bills. These furry guys have brought a lot of joy to the people they visit and Sherri works tirelessly to spread their bunny therapy. If you can help, please make a donation to the address below. Make sure to mention "Save Willy" if you are paying with a credit card or write "Save Willy" on your check.

VCA Veterinary Referral Associates
500 Perry Parkway
Gaithersburg, MD 20877
(301) 926-3300

Attn: Melody / Accounting
(For Willy The Angora Rabbit !!)

Shark whispering and a few good links.

This is incredible! I'm not quite sure what to think about there being a whisper for each animal group, but it's visually stunning.

Also, reading this amazing story about a bear who helped the allied forces in WWII.

And click here to see a picture of human-induced animal obesity and this cheetah cub is out of control cute.

Pop quiz--which of these baby animals isn't real?

Sara, TJ and Co

Going for a walk.

Juda and Nola have beautiful smiles.

Keyser is coy in front of the camera.

Siren was an unexpectedly good model.

I had such a nice Saturday morning photographing Sara, TJ and their crew of adorable pets at their lovely home in Fairfax, VA. I had met Sara and TJ before while photographing Juda at a Wylie Wagg photoshoot. This time it was nice to catch Juda in his natural environment and around the rest of his pack.

bless you!

Wally, Willy and Shakes

Remember Willy and Shakes, the therapeutic bunnies that made the cover of Rabbits, USA? Well, they continue to get themselves into even more interesting situations. In honor of their first story book, their owner Sherri invited Wally Amos (Founder of Famous Amos cookies in 1975) to come in from Hawaii and record an audiobook version of the story at MLK Library downtown. The entire library staff came out to welcome Wally, Willy, and Shakes and by the end of our time together, everyone was laughing with the crew's infectious good cheer. The bunnies continue to find themselves in exciting opportunities, so I will keep you all updated of their future activities of making the world a more cuddly place.

Adopt Chester!

Chester posing for the camera.

My friends Adam and Cassandra are fostering this fine-looking dog named Chester and looking for a great home for him. Cassandra writes:

Chester is a lovely 4-year-old Tennessee boy. A perfect balance between a couch potato and a playful partner, Chester loves to cuddle with anyone who would give him attention. Other than being uniquely beautiful (our guess is some sort of Wire Fox Terrier mix), Chester is quiet and very intelligent. He knows "stay" and "sit", though sit usually turns into a "I'll just lie down so that you can rub my belly". He would love to spend time learning tricks (for food and/or love of course). Some other unique features are his natural mohawk (I know, how cool is that?) and his little puffy tail.

This bundle of hair and joy unconditionally loves humans and dogs of all ages. After just a couple of hours he was already sleeping and cuddling with his pit bull mix foster sister - a sweet and funny sight considering the fact that he's only 30 pounds while his sister is almost 60. His only Achilles' heel are cats. It's not that this Southern gentleman doesn't like them, he probably likes them too much: all in all he's a Terrier mix (and you might want to agree with him that they can be mistaken for big squirrels and who can resist big squirrels??).

Chester is now living in DC and can be seen playing around in both the Adams Mill and the 11th and Park dog parks. If you'd like to learn more about him and adopt him :) please contact Lara of K-9 lifesavers at lara.loveman@gmail.com. To see more pictures of Chester, please click here.

Thanks for that awesome write-up Cassandra!

Also, in a bit of pet and military theme, check out this comparison of baby seals and Navy Seals and this awesome series of dogs in combat (I especially love the first one).

More unexpected animal friendships.

Suzi and Moppet in FL

Moppet is younger but totally the spunky alpha.

Suzi had great model energy though.

My mom's friend Pam was pretty adorable herself.

I'm just back from a lovely two week get away to sunny Florida to visit my mom who just moved to the Villages, a giant retirement resort-like village. There are many great dogs who live the good life there with their owners and my mom was kind enough to arrange a photo session with her friend Pam and her two dogs, Suzi and Moppet. Each of the houses at the Villages has a little placard outside with the last name of the people who live there. Well, Pam's sign had two little other placards hanging off, with Suzi and Moppet's names engraved on them. I saw immediately that this was a tight-knit family and I had a great taking some fun portraits of them.

amazing.

Which animal rides better?

A few fun things for a sunny Wednesday.

from Alexis Madrigal's Atlantic Monthly blog:

"Meet a baby Javan rhino, possibly the rarest infant mammal on Earth. Biologists estimate that there are only 40 or so Javan rhinos left in the world. Scientists worry they could be wiped out very soon by human poachers or a volcanic eruption.

The video and photo below were obtained by the World Wildlife Fund-Indonesia with motion-activated cameras. The cameras have been a boon for researchers trying to find rare species in the wild. Cameras don't smell like animals and they can stay in place for very long periods of time."

Also, I want one of these dogs too!

And this post from Hyberbole and a Half made me giggle.

If you haven't already, get a 50% discounted photo session from Houndstooth by reserving a coupon on the new group deal's website SampleFLY. Click here to for more details.

A few shots from the Lucky Dog Rescue shoot at Wagtime

Aren't these dogs just amazingly cute? Isn't it awesome that we photographed them for such a good cause? I just found out that we raised $590 for Lucky Dog Rescue during our shoot two weekends ago. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported us. Also, if you didn't get a chance to make a donation before, you can always donate online by clicking here.

Really interesting (and sad) Radiolab story on human/animal interactions.

Lucy from Radiolab on Vimeo.

Here are a few pictures of Lucy, a chimpanze raised exclusively with humans in the 1970's. She was able to sign her thoughts about life, take care of a pet cat and drink a gin and tonic, yet eventually got too strong and wild to be domesticated. What happens next is fascinating and haunting. If you are interested, listen to the free podcast on Radiolab (and listen to other ones too--they are all brilliant).

Happy belated Valentines Day!

My brother with Monk (aka Rasputin the Mad Monk, aka Monkey) when he was a wee bit smaller than he is now.

Have you all seen the amazing NYtimes interactive dog photography feature on the Westminster. Take a look and you can see beautiful dogs from 102 of the 179 breed represented at the show. I definitely learned some new ones and enjoyed the photography of Fred Conrad.

And thanks to everyone for coming out to the Lucky Dog fundraiser on Saturday! I haven't heard an exact number yet but I know we raised a good amount and took some lovely photographs in the process.

Enjoy the beautiful weather and your loved ones! XOXO

Nothing says love like these guys...

Feline love.

Sammy.

Keiko.

Here are the pictures of Keiko and Sammy, two beautiful cats who live with a lovely woman named Shoba. We had a great session together and I was struck by how dignified these cats are and how nicely they welcomed my presence one chilly winter afternoon.

Also, I want to remind you all about a shoot I am doing tomorrow from 12-4pm at Wagtime in DC to benefit the awesome Lucky Dog rescue. Sessions are $20, drop-in (no appointment necessary) and all proceeds go to Lucky Dog. Come and get your pets photographed!

Some laughs while I'm away.

Willy and Shakes are famous!

When Sherri contacted me this summer to photograph her two therapeutic Angora bunnies, William and Shakespeare, she mentioned there would be a possibility they could be on the cover of Rabbits USA, a nationally-distributed rabbit magazine. Well at the end of 2010 this became a reality! And these guys really do deserve the publicity. Sherri brings Willy and Shakes, both rescue bunnies from the House Rabbit Society, to hospitals and nursing homes in the DC metro area. This gives them the opportunity to give and receive love (to do what they do best is how Sherri puts it). I'm honored to have a couple of photographs featured in Rabbits USA and to have met Sherri, Willy and Shakes in the process.