When I first decided I was going to take my pet photography more seriously I asked some friends if I could photograph their dogs for my portfolio. The first dogs I chose were Enzo and Mila the Frenchies. I unintentionally picked some very easy subjects to photograph. They are big personalities, achingly cute and well used to having a camera stuck in their little faces!!
Cute little munchkins <3
These little guys are great, I’m sure they will make fantastic collar models. 
How cute!!
Stunning, love the Frenchies,I didnt realise they had ear dramas tho…lol
Yeah, I’ve seen one on DOL that has two floppy ears!
How precious! These are the cutest little dogs. Great shots!
Towards the end of 2008 I started learning leather craft. I found the process very frustrating at first as there were no people who specialised in dog tack nearby who could teach me. I took some classes to learn the basics, but then I bought all my own equipment and set up a studio at home.
The first collar I made was for Ivan. Unfortunately I hadn’t figured out how to measure correctly yet so it didn’t fit him! Luckily we have enough dogs for it to be bound to fit one of them! I thought it might be too masculine for Trixie, but I’ve been assured that she’s pretty enough to carry it off!
The next one I made was a disaster, but #3 actually fitted Ivan. You can’t imagine my glee! It’s a bit rough around the edges, but I quite like that. It’s still going strong several months later!
The next collar I made was for my friend Kim to wear to Mardi Gras. I bought the hot pink hide a few weeks beforehand and I was determined to use it somehow! Apparently she got in trouble for accidentally stabbing people when she went in for a hug, woops!
Kim’s collar inspired this one that I made for Angel. I thought it would be too delicate for every-day use, but it’s wearing really well, so I’ll probably add something similar to my retail collection.
The last collar I finished was for Rocco, an 80kg Bullmastiff. His owner was finding it difficult to source a strong yet stylish collar for her dog and commissioned me to make one for him. She liked Ivan’s one, so I made her something similar in black and brass to match a lead she already owned. I changed the way I attached the centre d-ring to make it even stronger. As they live in Queensland I had to get Chopper to model it!
by Ruth[less]
no comments
Recently my friend bred her first litter of Dobermann Puppies. I was lucky enough to get to photograph them a few times before they went off to their new homes. Puppies are particularly hard to photograph cause they want to be beside you and jumping all over you. I was using a long lens and trying to work at a distance. It’d work for a small amount of time, but once they spotted me they’d all come running! At one point I was desperately trying to keep still and line up a shot while two of them were behind me giving me a wedgie!
A couple of weeks later …
Furia was the pick of the litter, these were taken the week after all her litter mates had gone to their homes.
by Ruth[less]
3 comments
I don't like dobermans much but those photos have me converted!
Beautiful!
Such a gorgeous set of photos. All are brilliant!
As a Doberman lover I have to say I love your photos! Your friends pups are adorable! Found your blog via your Flickr photos!
Chopper was my first foster dog. When he turned into a foster failure it took a long time to convince Dave that it wouldn’t happen again. About two years later we moved house and had dog runs set up and I got “permission” from him to try fostering again. I promised not to keep any more dogs.
Handsome Eddie came and went in less than a week. He was a gorgeous big black Amstaff x Dane [I think?!]. I was sad to see him go, but I have to admit that the house did feel half it’s size when he was here!
Next up was Trixie, a 2 year old American Staffordshire Terrier. Within a few short days we realised that she’s not a dog for the faint hearted and she would end up right back in the pound or put to sleep if she went to the wrong home. So we decided the most responsible thing to do was to keep her. Needless to say, this put an end to any more fostering. My husband has also learned that a written contract will need to be in place between us next time! Hehe.
Adding a fourth dog disrupted our pack enormously and the last year has been interesting to say the least. Trixie is a total clown though and she’s worth the extra effort. Last week she had surgery to remove a mass cell tumor. For now she has a clean bill of health, so hopefully she’ll be with us for many more years.
More photos of Trixie can be viewed on Flickr.
by Ruth[less]
no comments
We offered to foster Chopper about three months after we got Angel. He was 10 months old and he’d been living at the shelter for three months already. He’d been bought from a pet shop as a pure bred Staffordshire Bull Terrier [buyer beware!] and the reason he was surrendered was because the owners were moving into a unit. I firmly believe they got rid of him cause he’s such a huge pain in the ass!!
It didn’t take long for Chopper to work his way into our hearts. He’s a very full on dog with an appetite for destruction and he still breaks my heart on a regular basis, but we love him to bits and despite his pitfalls he’s a great little dog and a consummate professional when it comes to his modeling!
Chopper’s DNA tests revealed that he’s a Staffordshire Bull Terrier crossed with an unknown mixed breed! Money well spent, I’m sure you’ll agree!!!
More photos of Chopper can be viewed on Flickr.
by Ruth[less]
no comments
by Ruth[less]
4 comments