A Country "kissmas" Pic

It is booking up fast, this year's Country Kissmas Pic at Wag Doggin it Cafe on Bank St. The wonderful staff at WAG are booking the sessions for Friday November 30 from 3-9pm. Sessions are by appointment only, but there may be room for walk-ins too.

The concept is a country feel to a great photo of your pouch giving you a kiss! UNDER the mistle toe (paw)! This one should prove to be a hoot! Sessions are $59 and include a custom 5x5 print ready for framing and 5 custom country kissmas cards.

Hope to see you there!
Cheers
Sue

BARK & FITZ
Come out to see my new collection of images featuring the dogs of Ottawa's Bark & Fitz at their location in Westboro.

One of Ottawa's favorite stores to find a unqiue gift for the discerning dog owner.

You can also pick up your 2 yr perPETual calendar, a perfect stocking stuffer fit as well as supporting PAWS for Charity at the same time.

Keep posted for information on my meet the artist day at Bark & Fitz in the coming year, a chance to come and say hello and see some of the dog books that I have published over the past couple of years.

Cheers.
Sue

It is too often that I seem to be posting another farewell tribute to a fantastic dog that has touched people's lives. I want to start by saying that I take my job of photographing people's pets' as a true dream come true. The bond between people and their animals is one of the most pure emotions I have had the pleasure of capturing as a photographer. Being able to capture in an image what people see of their animal in their own eyes is my mission as a photographer.

I connect with each dog, I love to see their true spirits come alive during each session, nothing is more true than my photo session with Louis.

One of my first photo session at Greyhounds Reach the Beach in 2006 was with Louis and his entourage. Louis was majestic, young at heart and had a wise but young at heart look in his eyes. At only four years old, Louis was diagnosed with cancer only weeks after GRTB 2006.

After surgery , love and care and a year of receovery , I was so inspired to bump into Louis on the beach this past fall at GRTB 2007! How incredible to see his spirit in tact after his battle! It made my year to see him!

And so it was such a huge sadness when I received an email only a week after returning from GRTB, that I was informed that Louis suffered from a huge internal hemmorage that they could not stop. Louis left us with only memories from a few short years.

It is dogs like Louis & all the others that have I have photographed and that we have lost, that make our lives whole. Without them we may have not seen or come to know the definition of bond, selfless love and silent devotion.

Every year I will raise a toast to Louis on the sands of GRTB.

Sue

Calendar review~
"Hi Sue, - Just wanted to let you know that the calendars arrived last week & they are gorgeous. I ordered one for myself and another for a Christmas gift. " Erin, New Brunswick

Thanks Erin! Glad you like the calendars. Enjoy!
Suzanne

perPETual calendar ®

Time to order the perPETual calendar for stuffing those stockings. They are available for ordering off of my web site under the buy link. It is a 2 year calendar featuring one year of greyhound photography and one year featuring all breed photos.

The calendar is perpetual and can be used forever! No year or day of the week is attached.

Sue

The Galgos

Every story of horrible treatment to an animal is always alarming & disturbing to me. After hearing about the GALGOS and seeing some of the horrible treatment documented on the internet, I had to draw your attention to this situation. And although there are stories of dogs being mistreated all over the world, I mentally can only handle helping one group at a time. I hope this posting will help one person make a difference in a glagos life.
Adoptions are available to us in North America and you can also help volunteer at a shelter in Spain. The body of text below was taken from a community forum for the organization www.galgorescue.org Galgo Rescue Interntaional Network (GRIN)

Without a massive international onslaught, the Spanish Greyhounds (known as "Galgos") are condemned. Condemned to suffer and to die in a deafening media silence.

For just 2, maybe 3 years of their short lives those gentle Greyhounds from across the ocean only know a miserable life, with no advantages, before experiencing the most violent and unimaginable death.


In Spain, Galgueros (hunter with Galgos) do not use guns, they use their Hounds. But those hunters show no mercy to their faithful companions. The Galgos are treated as hunting tools, shut in a shed most of the time, ignored except for the hunt.

Already used to maltreatment by the age of 12 months, deprived of food and care, their owners do not hesitate to always inflict more atrocious suffering. In spring hunting season ends. The massacre and abandonment of Galgos reaches its height when the galguero, devoid of all feeling, carries out the final atrocity. The most traditional method remains, to this day, hanging by a method known as œthe pianist. The Galgo hangs, its feet just touching the ground, causing it extreme agony for several days. Then, exhausted and suffocated, it collapses, “hanging himself freeing the Galgueros of any kind of guilt. Whilst out for a walk in the forests of Spain, it is not unusual to make the macabre discovery of one of these unwanted Galgo hanging from a tree.

Around 10,000 Galgos are thus sacrificed each year, out of a total of 500,000 continually renewed by the galgueros. Hopefully there are rescue teams battling without let-up against these rituals of a by-gone age; rituals which involve abandonment, training to run fast behind a moving vehicle, starvation because they are then supposed to run faster to catch the hares, limbs amputated by unimaginable cruelty and pain. In some regions of Spain, especially in the South, the slow agony of the Galgos guards the tradition of this taste of men playing with death and, unhappily, it is difficult to eradicate some of these rituals, even the most unbelievably cruel.

Galgos are also very often stolen in the shelters by the Gypsies, they usually use them as bait in dogs fight, the are also using them for their hunting needs, they are very cruel and heartless...

After 5 years of non-stop battle, and influenced by different Greyhound and Galgos rescue organisations, Barbara Lefranc joined the Scooby-Belgium team ( www.scooby-belgium.be ) in June 2007, their priority being to mobilise public knowledge and opinion and to get Spanish petition signed-up in order to obtain a law to forbid hunting with Galgos in Spain. Helped and assisted by a team of volunteers, Scooby-Belgium steps in, notably in welcoming the Galgos into their associated refuges in Spain, and then finding caring homes in Belgium and France.

The mission of the association.

1. To remove these gentle defenceless animals from immediate danger.
2. To welcome them into the refuges and rehabilitate them both mentally and physically.
3. To find them homes with families who will give them the love they deserve.

Never abandon their post
A tribute & farewell to Uncle Buster

An incredible story was passed on this evening. A very special uncle in my family passed away this past week. My Uncle Buster and Aunt Dorothy have been a special part of my life. As a child, growing up in Montreal, I would visit their farm. I loved everything about those visits and those trips mean so much more as an adult.

With every visit was a special dog that would greet you at the gates, herd you back to the farm house when you ventured too close to the creek in the back fields and protect Uncle Buster's cows from the darkest of night's noises. There was always a special dog......

During the funeral of uncle Bus, my Aunt Dorothy was sitting on a chair in a cemetery surrounded by fields of cows and farmers crops. Out of no-where a beautiful blonde lab appeared by her side and raised his paw on to her lap. Since Uncle Bus' funeral, this beautiful dog has not left her side. No one knows where this dog came from, none of the neighbours have seen this dog before....he just appeared.

"Noble and True, the dog will fight to mend all that is unjust, a loyal and faithful friend dogs make any sacrifice for the sake of another, they never abandon their post, a genuine listener and confidant, the dog is keeper of all secrets." ~Year of the Dog

Blair Animal Hospital

If you have had the chance to visit Blair Animal Hospital, you will have met some of the most caring and providing staff that you and your pet can have during your animal's visit. If you get a chance take a trip down to the clinic to see the newly displayed photos of the staff and their furry friends on the wall. Throughout the summer we held photo sessions & gathered favorite quotes to highlight the excellent staff of Blair Animal Hospital.

Sue

Greyhounds Reach the Beach
It was another incredible trip to Rehoboth Deleware for Greyhounds Reach the Beach. The weather was a huge improvement, with sunny skies and HOT sandy surf! Thank you for everyone who allowed me to be a part of your special weekend with some fantastic images captured on the beach! For now I had to post a group shot of the Dewey crew! 12 hours of brainstorming & motivational conversations was probably my second favorite part of the trip. A huge thank you to artist Kelly Oliphant Burns of doodledogpaintings, Char Harding of Aroundthehounds.com, Julie Kelly of Chillydogs.ca. [and yes that's me in the back]

Keep posted for some shots from around Rehoboth & shots from the beach.

Sue

Greyhounds Reach the Beach
We are off, the Canuck team of Julie Kelly Chillydogs.ca, Char Harding of Around the hounds.com, Kelli Oliphhant-Burns doodledogpaintings.com and myself are packed and ready to hit the beaches of Deleware USA.

A fantastic weekend of vending and meeting some great inspirational greyhounds. This will be my second year at GRTB and I am excited for our dynamic Canadian team offering incredible design, art and photography.

Once again we are having our special invite only Design & Wine pre-GRTB evening at our cozy cottage in Rehoboth. This is a great night of casual mingling and getting a sneak peek at the offerings of these inspirational vendors.

Joining this fantastic canadian evening is California's Cara Brockhoff of NorthCoast Greyhounds. Her jewells will bedazzle you! We are so honored to have Cara and her incredible fundraising talents join us for the second year in a row.

So with door prizes and exclusive shopping, this proves to be another great way to start off GRTB 2007! See you soon!

Sue

New non-dog blog!
It seems only natural to provide clients with a different venue for the other forms of photography that are covered under my umbrella. Photography is my passion and drives me to create images that impact the on-looker no matter what the subject. The ability to move people with photography is my goal in with every pixel captured. I appreciate those who of you who let me know that you are checking in and enjoy the blog, so for you I have created another way to keep up to date. www.suebirdphotos.blogspot.com

Hope you enjoy!
Cheers
sue

Bow WOW

It has been a fabulous summer and I cannot believe the time has gone by so quickly. Over the summer I have attended some great events and met some wonderful dogs and owners. I really appreciate the time you spent checking out the products at my booth and saying hello!

I love to meet people and chat about their favorite subjects......their dogs. Every dog has a distinct personality & traits that I treasure during photo sessions. As well thank you to all of you who have mentioned your loyalty to reviewing my blog and keeping up with what's going on.

I have crossed paths with some wonderful dogs and thought a small gallery of images would be a great blogger item. So a toast to a wonderful summer of images and capturing the personalities of some great canines from Ottawa, Montreal & Toronto.



And a special toast to those dogs who have taken their path to the rainbow bridge, although they may not be here to fetch that stick, kong or chase the squirell anymore, I am comforted that my images have allowed to keep their spirit alive for you who miss them so dearly.

Thank you once again for allowing me to be a part of the special bond that you and your dogs have. I wish I could add more, but I am in Dial up hell and I can only post so many at one time! One day I'll have high speed! LOL!

sue

The 19th Annual IAMS Wiggle Waggle Walkathon


Look for our booth in the Pet Pavillion on September 9th at the Ottawa Humane Society's Wiggle Waggle Walkathon in the Arboretum. I will be sharing a booth with Carleton Place's talented dog artist Kellie Oliphant Burns of Doodledog paintings.

Cheers
Sue

Saying Goodbye

For those who have experienced the loss of your furry friends, you know that dealing with the feelings can be very difficult. With this in mind and in memory of a great dog who passed away this summer, I have teamed up with Bark & Fitz in Westboro to create post cards for those who can't find the right words for a friend going through the grieving process. Look for these new post cards at their Richmond Rd. location.

Look for more of these post cards in the store for other events that you just cannot find the perfect card for!

Lick for life WAG
If you missed the Lick for Life @ WAG on Bank Street on July 28th, you missed a great afternoon of peanut butter (even spagetti) and lots of licks! I met some great dogs and had a great time working with each one of them! I created the Lick for life days to help support a company called LIFESTREAM in Kingston ON. They are an animal blood bank that support local veterinarians in saving animals lives. They are in desperate need of a bloodmobile which cost thousands of hundreds of dollars.

Lick for Life @ WAG doggin it cafe

Saturday July 28 from 1-5pm

A unique opportunity to have a photo of your pouch in mid-lick! This day is a great way to come out for the afternoon and find out about Lifestream www.animalbloodbank.ca

They are a Kingston company that is in desperate need of a blood mobile that could travel to locations for animal blood donations. These vehicles cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and blood donations are vital to helping save the lives of dogs in critical need of blood.

Looking forward to meeting you and your dog (or maybe even cat?) To book your appointment visit WAG on Bank St. near Lansdown Park.

See you there,

Sue

URBAN dog photog feature article on PamperedPuppy.com


Just a quick note for URBAN dog photog followers, there is a new article in the July issue on Pampered Puppy, this is great site for all dog lovers. I have high respect for the photographers that Pampered puppy has interviewed in the past and take their interest in featuring my photography as a huge compliment! Thanks to my good friend MIV Fournier of MIV photography for working ihis magic with the lens for my bio photo. Thanks you to my clients who gave some wonderful words about the process of a photo session.

Happy Canada Day folks!
Sue

Sad good-bye to Monty
It was with sadness and shock to hear that Bark & Fitz's mascot Monty the bulldog passed away last Monday. Monty was a fantastic soul that brought smiles to anyone who he strolled up to for a quick scratch on the bum! LOL! I produced some of my favorite photos with Monty, he was so much fun to work with. I am so glad we have these great memories with him.

Sue

Dog days of Summer News

It has been a steady summer with photo sessions in Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal. I have met some wonderful dogs with great names like: Monty, Hoyo, Remus, Tak and Timmie to name a few. Their dog books are turning out wonderful and I am very excited to see them coming in soon.

Check out www.pamperedpuppy.com as of July 1st for an article on URBAN dog photog.

B.A.R.K. is holding a new event for all us that love to support saving and helping dogs. The first annual Pooches Picnic is set for August 26 in the Arboretum. Check out the info here B.A.R.K. I am working with Sharon to get as many vendors as possible at this event, so if you are interested in being a vendor please contact Sharon at smckeil@primus.ca

Their Annual fundraiser in May was a huge success! B.A.R.K.'S 6th Annual "Woofs and Wags" Walkathon was an overwhelming success. We raised $55,000. We had about 700 people walking, great prizes and a lot of fun at the BBQ after the walk. Partnering with the Ottawa Sun brought in many more people through increased advertising and much work from their PR people to heighten awareness of abused abandoned dogs.The Sun provided a trophy for the team collecting the most money which was won by the Katrina Dog Team that raised over $4000. headed by Gloria Baggs. Gloria heads Catahouls rescue in Eastern Ontario and she recruited many of her "Houla" people to help the team. Next year we plan to make her a new signthat says "Kats and Houlas". And just an update that the photos will be sent out this week as they are at the printer as of today! There were over 200 dogs photographed so thank you for your patience in getting your 5x7's!

Calendars
so for all of you who have pre-ordered or inquired, we are getting closer. The designing of each page has taken a lot longer than I had anticipated, but we are so close to final production. As soon as I have them in my hands I will post and contact you immeditely! I am really excited that this calendar will be a great tool for raising funds for the PAWS for Charity group and our efforts in raising funds for breast cancer research.

Lick for Life July 28th
I'll be hosting another Lick for Life event at WAG Doggin it Cafe on Bank Street on July 28th. This is a great way to get a shot of your dog in a pose that you commonly see and laugh at, but may have never captured before! In support of a great company called Lifestream www.animalbloodbank.ca Sign up sheets ill be available soon. Visit Wag to find out more information and see a sample image from previous sessions.

NEW dog forum!
It was about time that I got rolling on an idea I have had for a while, although it is not a printed version, it is a start. I have run into so many dog businesses in the Ottawa area that I wanted to create a place that a dog owner could come to and find these cool and unique businesses!

So check it out, use it often and spread the word! Word of mouth is priceless for these businesses! http://urbandogs.informe.com

Cheers
Sue