From Gizomodo.com, read about how one pet photographer who single-handedly increased the adoption rate at a local shelter by 100%! The secret… better pictures:

How to Save a Dog’s Life? Take Better Pictures

So many dogs are euthanized every year because they can’t find a family to adopt them. It’s not their fault. With some better picture taking, a few cute poses and accessories, dogs can find a new home in no time.

It’s true, Dallas pet photographer Teresa Berg has taken it upon herself to “better market” homeless dogs so they can find a family to take them in. Instead of just snapping a random picture of a dog behind a chain-linked fence, in poor lighting and unflattering poses, Berg takes time with each shot, dressing them up and creating pictures of dogs you can imagine on people’s mantles. Gone are red-eyed, blurry shots. In are dogs with a soul.

The results of her pictures were instant. Every dog Berg took a picture of was adopted and the entire dog shelter as a whole has seen a 100% increase in adoption rates. Berg is now starting to teach volunteers how to take better pictures of homeless dogs. It’s a pretty great idea for any professional photographer who wants to give back.

Periodically we like to remind people that we don’t only do pets in that popular Pop Art style, and since lately we’ve done a lot of Pop Art “stuff” portraits lately in addition to our custom pet portraits, it seems like a good time .

Recently, we were commissioned to created a very unique birthday present for the fabulous Nan! And in addition to the unveiling of  her portrait at the birthday party, each guest received a special party favor.. a magnet featuring Nan’s custom Pop Art created from her photo.

     

 

Reportedly, a good time was had by all, and Nan’s very own Warhol-style portrait looks awesome on the wall! [Click here to check out our Pop Art People site]

And now we’re working on some very large scale wall art created from our client’s own personal photography. The finished dimensions of this landscape will be 36″x60″!

What a great way to decorate your home – with YOUR photos!

And coming soon, we’ll be working on some Pop Art of a hot car that looks something like this..

This isn’t the photo we’re going to work with, our client is still looking for the perfect picture.

So next time you’re in search of a truly unique gift, or want to redecorate your living space to make it truly you, be sure to get in touch and see what we can do for you!

We found this story on the Telegraph, a UK news source, which reports that now one in ten pets there is on Facebook, or has a Twitter feed, or even a Youtube channel. We have to think that the number in the US is likely as high if not higher!:

One in ten pets is on Facebook
More than half of pet owners post about their animals on social networks and one in ten pets has their own profile.

A different breed of celebrity is taking over Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, a new study suggests. One in ten of all UK pets have their own Facebook page, Twitter profile or YouTube channel, and more than half of UK pet owners are sharing photos of their pets online.

The rise of pets online has also seen a number of owners joining dedicated sites, with names such as Critter, Catster and Doggie Dating. Others have also set up entire websites devoted specifically to their pets, many of which have raised money for rescue centres or animal welfare charities. The New York-based owner of a cat called Romeo has raised more than $50,000 in two years and amassed nearly 10,000 followers.

Top of the international zoo turning social networking into petworking is Maru the cat, who has amassed more than 6million views on YouTube since joining the site in 2008. Described by his owner as “a little bumbling and a little awkward”, Maru has been filmed embarrassing himself in nearly 200 videos, and has attracted almost 140,000 subscribers who have signed up to be notified of his next adventure.

Stephen Davies, a social media specialist, said that the phenomenon was not as peculiar as it might appear. “As social networking plays an increasingly important role in our lives, it’s only natural that our pets become part of the phenomenon too. We use sites like Facebook and Twitter as an extension of our real-world selves and when we think of our pets as part of the family we want them involved too,” he claimed. He added that “there is an insatiable pet demand online.”

Other animals with major followings online include Mark Zuckerberg’s pet dog Beast, as well as those who have become famous without the help of such celebrity endorsement.
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Here’s a question.. how many of the pets on Facebook also have a custom portrait created from their photos??


Answer.. not enough!

The care and concern for aging pets is a subject near and dear to our hearts, and apparently we’re not the only ones. Photographer, Isa Leshko dedicated a portfolio on her website to Elderly Animals in order to depict their dignity and beauty in their later years. 

In her words, “Images of animals that are prevalent in popular culture generally depict animals that are juvenile, or at the very least, in the prime of their lives. In these images, animals are exoticized, anthropomorphized, and/or infantilized. This project examines animals who are elderly or at the end stage of their lives.”

Please click here to view her beautiful photos.

Also, Jezebel.com in the “Dog Edition” of their series on Aging in America features the photography of Nancy LeVine who traveled across the country taking pictures for her series called “Senior Dogs Across America.”

Click here to see some of those pictures and read about her inspiration for the project.

Beautiful, adorable animals in all stages of life, and the amazing bond we share with them has always been our inspiration too.

Saw this on Discovery and had to share…
Ducklings following in a line behind a mother duck is enough to turn heads and elicit a few “awwws.” But ducklings following a dog? Now that’s worthy of Animal Planet’s Wall of Fame where this photo first appeared.

While it might look like a strange friendship between two species, this adorable, multi-animal, fluffy overload is actually the byproduct of thousands of years of avian evolution.

 

Click here to read the rest of the article for an explanation of how the Ducklings “imprinted” on the corgi..

And if you found this story because you’re a big fan of Corgis check out some of our cute Corgi artwork!

As is often the case CNN’s Anderson Cooper has become the voice for the often forgotten victims after a natural disaster, the animals. In the video below he draws attention to the miracle stories  of pets who survived the tsunami and earthquake in Japan, as well as the struggle of those now abandoned in the evacuation area near the nuclear plant.



Please remember, the animal rescuers of Japan still need our support. If you’re able, please donate to Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support.

It’s just been in the last few years that its become commonplace for Firefighters to administer CPR to dogs and cats and to carry oxygen masks made to fit their little faces. This was pretty wonderful already, but now it seems these life-saving efforts are beginning to be extended to even smaller furry family members!

According to MailOnline Firefighters in Ashland County, Oregon were trained last week in CPR for small animals and were issued oxygen masks in three different sizes for small animals.

“Fire and Rescue division chief Greg Case said : ‘The purpose is to rescue pets that have been involved in fire so we can help the whole family.’

The masks were donated by the charitable Project Breathe which aims to save the lives of pets caught in fires.

Smaller animals such as pet birds and lizards can be placed inside the masks, while the devices can be fitted over the nose or beak of larger animals.

Veterinarian Dr. Alice Sievers, who led the training, said the masks were designed to be hooked up to a standard oxygen tank, just like human ones.”

This video, also provided in the article, actually shows a dog trainer giving resuscitation and reviving a four-year-old boxer.

 

You can click here to read the entire article.

We have made our donation to the Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support, which is made up of three Japanese animal welfare groups, Animal Friends Niigata, Japan Cat Network, and HEART-Tokushima, who have coordinated their relief efforts for animals in the wake of the multiple disasters there.

On foxnews.com of all places there’s a great story about their operations:
“We want to take those pets and hopefully reunite them with their families once the families can figure out what they want to do,” said David Wybenga of Japan Cat Network.

There are more than 10,000 people still missing since the quake, and ensuring food and shelter for humans remains an enormous challenge, let alone animals.

But Wybenga says they’re not trying to say that animals are more important than people. “We just don’t want animals to be forgotten,” he said.

JEARS provides shelter for lost animals, and food and water to owners, some whom are camped out at shelters.

For some survivors, pets have been their lifeline. And remarkable stories of pets defying the odds have provided a glimpse of hope, amid all the disaster. For example, the tear-jerking video of the dog that refused to leave his hurt friend became an instant Internet sensation. The two dogs survived the tsunami after they broke free of the ropes that tied them to a shed, and according to local reports have been rescued.

But many animal rescuers in Japan say that these incredible stories are rare.
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Click here to read the complete article.

We hope to be able to donate more by the end of the month and hope you will do you whatever you can as well.

Desperately in need of some good news about Japan, we found the following on Treehugger.com and wanted to share:

While international relief organizations are pouring into Japan to help people after the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami, a handful of animal welfare groups are pulling together to take care of the nation’s displaced pets.

Japan is a country that loves pets so it is no surprise that rescue groups have teamed up to help the estimated thousands of cats, dogs and other animals that were injured or left homeless after the quake.

Assisting pets after a natural disaster is nothing new for Animal Refuge Kansai (ARK). The organization which has locations in Tokyo and Osaka took in 600 animals after the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995.

Elizabeth Oliver who chairs the group said, “Here at ARK we are preparing for what might be a huge influx of animals. We already have some facilities in place and a team of experienced staff able to deal with traumatised animals. We may have to build emergency shelters as well.”

Ms. Oliver explained that rescuing many of the animals will be more difficult than the previous earthquake.

“The logistics of getting animals from the Tohoku/Sendai area is immense since roads and other transport links have been cut and may take time to restore. Our only means to get animals down to Osaka may be by helicopter, which was one method we used after the Kobe earthquake.”

Three other rescue groups have joined together to save animals.

Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support is a collaboration of 3 No-Kill animal welfare organizations in Japan: HEART – Tokushima, Animal Friends Niigata and Japan Cat Network. The coalition quickly joined forces after the disaster struck.

Japan Cat Network posted on their website, “We are all greatly saddened and have been continually horrified by news of the devastation, following the recent earthquake here in Japan. We, the kitties at the JCN Kansai shelter, and the shelter itself, are all fine. However, we remain very concerned about the animals in the severely affected areas who may be overlooked in the midst of so much immediate need to address human concerns. We are working with two other no-kill organizations to coordinate plans for getting animals from these areas out to safety, and have already begun helping people with pets in crisis.”

Organizations outside of Japan are coming to the aid of injured and homeless pets. World Veterinary Association, a nonprofit organization that provides global veterinary care has sent a first-responder team to treat animals.

The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) is sending their own team of veterinarians on Tuesday. Their goal is to help pets whose families can’t take care of them while they are being housed in temporary emergency shelters.

Dr. Ian Dacre and Dr. Damian Woodberry from WSPA are both veterans at saving animals after natural disasters.

The vets also have a meeting with the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to save wildlife caught in the aftermath of the quake and tsunami.

WSPA is coordinating their efforts with Kanagawa Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals – another Japanese based organization.

And as with every disaster, heroes from the Search Dog Foundation are already on the ground with six Canine Disaster Search Teams locating people who are trapped in fallen buildings and other debris.

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Please consider making a donation to one of these wonderful animal rescue organizations today!

In light of natural disasters, and the devastating destruction and human suffering we’re witnessing in Japan this week, it seems superficial to speak of things like pet portraits. So please instead help us help non-profit organization, “Dog Bless You,” raise funds to send search and rescue dogs to Japan.

All you have to do is go to their Facebook fan page and “Like” them. if 100,000 people ‘Like’ the Dog Bless You Facebook fan page in the next 10 days, the Annenberg Foundation will fund $100,000 to relief efforts following the devastating tsunami in Japan. If that number is reached by Sunday, the donation doubles to $200,000. You can read more about the plan on MSNBC’s TechnoLog.

 

So please visit Dog Bless You on Facebook anc click on Like – btw, their mission is To Champion the Selfless Acts of Animals, so what’s NOT to Like?

 

Then maybe share it on your Facebook page too!

Thanks!

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