Your New Best Friend?

I swear that the Great Dane Rescue of the Carolinas has the sweetest and most loving dogs EVER! I know I say it all the time, but I have yet to find one dog there that isn't overflowing with love and ready to share it with the lucky members of its forever home. Please contact the Rescue if any of these pups look like your new best friend. Before I begin with the photos, I want to give a shout out to a few people. First, Amanda, for helping me out with the photo shoot. Second and third, to Janeen and Allison Mayfield. Janeen's family adopted Buddy (Gilbert) from the GDR in June 2008 and are completely in love with him. To show their appreciation, Janeen's daughter, Allison, collected donations for the Rescue in lieu of presents for her birthday. Many thanks go out to the Mayfield family! The world is lucky to have such a warm-hearted and thoughtful child and kudos to Janeen for raising such a beautiful daughter!

Picture Time!

First on the roster today is Elvis. Cute brown puppy? Check. Sweet as can be? Check. Loves the head tilt? Check. Do I want to take him home? Check.

Next we have Sadie, a pretty Beagle mix. She was found hidden underneath a trailer and now wants to spend the rest of her life with a loving home...

I have had my eye on Priscilla for a few weeks now and I finally had the opportunity to photograph her. She is absolutely gorgeous!!!! She is still young, ready to play, and is a genuinely happy girl!

I don't know the names of the next two dogs but they will probably get adopted fast. The puppy on the left almost went home with my helper for the day!

The next few pics are of a pair of Schnauzers that (I believe) were rescued from a puppy mill. The first guy is Mugsley and is just as friendly as can be and walks around without a care in the world! His girl friend, Poopsy, seemed to be a little more shy and would love to go home with her BFF.

Lastly, we have Bo. Bo was such a ham for the camera. His expressions were priceless! This dog will definitely provide endless entertainment for you and your family...

Please take us home!

Time for some new pics from the Great Dane Rescue of the Carolinas! I'm a little nervous posting these because these are the first images I have edited with my new computer. I'm still not sure if it is calibrated correctly and I think I have to do some more tweaking. Anyway, I'm thrilled to have this new computer and, so far, it has really cut my editing time. Definitely worth going into debt for. :) So here is the first doggy of the day... This handsome man is Ziggy. He is a new arrival to the rescue and was an owner-surrender. He already knows how to "sit" and is a sweet and curious guy. Oh, and aren't his eyes gorgeous?!?

Next we have Bart. Don't let the snaggle tooth fool you...this little guy is a cuddle machine!!! This chi-mix will make an awesome companion for a lucky person! He could just drift right to sleep in your arms...

Kobe is this next big guy. He is a Dane/Shepherd mix and will need lots of room to play. He is a smart fellow and another one of these dogs that has beautiful eyes!

Ok, how cute is this next guy? This boy is Jax (yes, with an x) and is ALL Bloodhound. He is still a pup around 8 months old and has the classic Bloodhound wrinkles and droopy ears. What a handsome young man. (Please note: he is available through the Michigan Bloodhound Rescue)

This next little (er, big) lady is Queena. I almost didn't want to post her pictures because I really want her to come home with ME! She is a beautiful Great Dane with a heart of gold. She loves to cuddle and could spend hours getting her rump scratched! I think her name is fitting...doesn't she look like royalty?

Next in line is Homer. Homer has the biggest personality and a huge smile and expressive ears to match!

Jhett is the next pup I got to spend some time with. He is another Shepherd mix with the brains to match. I swear he learned to sit as we were in the pen with him!

Is this the sweetest face ever? I think so! This is Jackson - another new arrival to the Rescue. This sweetheart was an owner-surrender on death row at a high-kill shelter. He is soooo happy to be safe now and wants to find someone to cuddle with...

This next gang was rescued from a puppy mill where their lives were miserable and doomed. Fortunately, these Rat Terriers are safe now! I don't know their names but there are 4 pups total (one was a little shy of the camera so he is not pictured). Their personalities range from outgoing and energetic (like the first guy below) to shy and sweet. [UPDATE: The black and white one is named Kicie, the bottom two are Beau and Luke, and the one not pictured is Piper.] One of them could be perfect for you...

Lastly, I want to give a special thank you to Ronnie and Corn for their help at the rescue this day. I couldn't do it alone!

The Great Dane Rescue

So many people think the Great Dane Rescue must only rescue, well, Great Danes. Well I'm here to prove otherwise! Today we are going to visit the (very) small side of this big world. We'll start out with three sets of little puppies that are available at the Rescue. These first two are sweet little lap dogs that just need a little grooming and some loving. They are true sweethearts!

These next two are little wiggle worms that are all about playing. They are very much still puppies but will grow up to be awesome lap doggies!

These two are some of the cutest puppies I have seen in a long time! They have the prettiest coats and are oh so fluffy. They love to play but are equally interested in cuddling. I would love to see these two go home together!

The pup in the next series is Luna but was nicknamed "Speck" by Brian because she is so tiny...as in the smallest dog I have EVER seen. You can see that she isn't much bigger than Brian's hand! She is a cutie!

6! Yes, 6 Dogs!

How do you pose 6 dogs on the front porch of a house when they have no desire to do so? Two words...you don't. Hehe!!! This photo shoot was for some posters and advertisements for an upcoming contest to benefit the Cornelius Animal Shelter. The theme will be, "When you adopt a pet, you make your house a home." This is oh so true! What better way to illustrate that theme than to show a group of dogs posing together in front of a house? Well, that was the idea anyway. This little gang was so full of energy and had other plans. ;)

We had to abandon the posing and go back to what I do best...candids! Either way, these doggies were so cute and were more than happy to turn it on for the camera. I think we got some good images that the shelter will be able to use and hopefully raise a lot of money for a good cause!

Doesn't Parker (on the left) look like a fluffy little black bear?!? Adorable!

The sun peaking through the trees was making for some gorgeous lighting. I'm definitely going to practice this technique more...

I think the next set of pictures absolutely embodies the theme of the contest...

One last attempt to get them to pose together...

Please adopt us!!!

Time for a ton of new images from the Great Dane Rescue of the Carolinas! As usual, every dog was a sweet little bundle of slobbery kisses and were soooo happy to spend some time with new visitors! Please, if you or someone you know is looking for a new pup, please check out this rescue group! Please pass this post along to as many people as necessary to get the word out there about these great (no pun intended) animals! The first dog of the day actually arrived while I was at the rescue. This little guy is a 7-month-old Dane with the most gorgeous eyes and floppy ears! A total heartbreaker...this is Zeus...

Another new arrival to the rescue is Pepper. Pepper has great manners and already knows how to sit, stay, and lay down. I just loved the way he would plop down in his "Superman" pose!

This next guy is a veteran of the rescue and is often overlooked because he has a couple of patches of missing fur. Its too bad because he is the kindest and most lovable boy there...definitely a volunteer favorite. He cracks me up because he makes the funniest faces, including the one below. This is Gary...

Bentley is the next pup and he has lived at the rescue for basically his entire life. Don't worry - he has eaten well! He totally reminds me of Ruben Studdard because he is like a big teddy bear. He will be the first one to roll over to get that big tummy of his scratched!

This next happy guy is Scooter. He loves to give kisses, wag his tail, and he tries to carry on a conversation with you. He can't though because we think his "barker" (Brian's word for it) has been taken out. He is a love bug!

This handsome Pitbull is called Blue and was just rescued from some not-so-good people down in South Carolina. You would never know based on his personality! He was just as bright-eyed and ready to play as the rest of the doggies!

The next pup is Casper! I don't know too much about Casper other than he is a sweet pup that is eager to play! He is a wonderful boy and oh so handsome!

These two sisters are Hannah (on the left) and Hilda. They have been at the rescue for quite some time and in need of their forever home! They were so ready to pose for the camera and just ate up the attention.

This next girl is one of my favorites. I just found out she was put into a foster home all the way up in New York but she is still available for adoption! I feel like you get two dogs for the price of one with Taffy. One minute she looks like the dog on the left - the next minute she looks like the dog on the right! Where did those ears come from!!!

If you are looking for a dog with a ton of energy and stamina, Casey is the one for you! This Jack Russell (mix? not sure) loves to play and run but always leaves some extra energy for snuggle time!

Another high-energy dog is Petunia. She loves to run and I know that her calling would be frisbee catching if she was ever given the chance. She just needs someone to take her home and give the opportunity to master her inner talents! She is a sweetypie!

Raven (the black Dane) and Willow are both 8 years old and just arrived at the rescue. Willow showed up as a rack of bones and is slowly gaining some of her much needed weight back. I look forward to spending more time with these sweethearts and getting some great pics of them...that is unless they get adopted first!

I am in love with this image for a number of reasons. Number one, the subject. Number two, I love the backlighting. And number three, I love the noise in the image which makes the picture feel like it was developed from high speed film. I also love the expression in Raven's eyes...he seems so anxious and excited. I see the leash and I wonder: where are they going? what does the dog see? However, there is also another side that I see. For me to know that Raven just arrived at the rescue, this image also creates a since of sadness. Perhaps he was just dropped off and he realizes he no longer will be going back to his old home. Maybe he is looking back at his owners driving away and wondering, "Hey, what about me?" This has happened to each one of the dogs at the rescue no matter how old or young. Each one of them has been left behind. It is up to us to find and provide them wonderful, loving forever homes.

As usual, we end each session with hugs and kisses. These are from Scooter and Gary...

2010 Dogswalk Against Cancer

The 2010 Dogswalk Against Cancer was the biggest and best yet! On Saturday, April 3rd, hundreds of dogs and their people ascended on uptown Charlotte for a 1.1 mile walk to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Almost 1000 people registered and over $59,000 was raised to fight both human and animal cancers! Yay! This event was truly special to me as I have never seen SO many dogs and their owners unite for one cause. Every doggy was amazing and its truly touching to see how a common interest in animals can unite and create an instant bond between complete strangers. A million thanks to the awesome people, sponsors, and beloved dogs that came out to support this event.

Who can resist a face like this?

These guys cracked me up! I think they were hitting the margaritas!

This little guy was ready to go again!

This sweet guy (available at the Great Dane Rescue) made it the whole way...he just had to stop and rest a couple times.

Being cute is tough work!

A few doggies had the red carpet treatment and got chauffeured down the street!

I fell in LOVE with this Bulldog! His name is Bacon (how awesome!) and he has the coolest tongue. The poor guy was soooo exhausted!!!

Some more furry cuteness...

These next few pups are available for adoption at the Great Dane Rescue of the Carolinas...

Great Dane Rescue

Yesterday I had the honor of spending some time at the Great Dane Rescue of the Carolinas. If you judge by the name, you would think they only rescue Great Danes. However, they had every breed and mix under the sun...all very sweet and happy to spend some time with new friends! Many of the dogs have been abused and/or abandoned but you would never know based on their sweet dispositions (as you can see in the pics, they are all smiles!). Every dog I had the pleasure to interact with only wanted two things...love and a forever home. If you are looking for a new pet, please keep this rescue in mind. They run a no-kill facility and survive only with donations and volunteers. I have decided to volunteer my time and services to this group in hopes of getting the word out there and possibly increasing the chances that one of these deserving doggies find their forever home! Please check this blog and my Facebook page frequently for photos of new, available pets. Rain kinda put a damper on the shoot yesterday and cut it short but I will get tons more pics soon!

If you see a dog featured here that you are interested in, please contact me or the Great Dane Rescue. Also, thanks to my husband Brian for helping me out at the rescue on his birthday! The doggies love you forever for it and they give you tons of slobbery kisses!