shine pet photos | modern pet photography

Last week, The Dawg Squad rescued a dog that had been horribly neglected by his owner and held as an evidence dog at the South LA Shelter. He’s been so neglected that over 60% of his skinny body was covered in mange! But he’s since been renamed Clooney (because he’ll be strikingly handsome very soon!) and is well on his way to healing and being loved for the first time in his life.

I met Clooney this week and wasn’t sure what to expect. I mean this dog has obviously been kept outdoors and neglected for his entire life. What I found was an exuberant and vivacious dog who was ready to play, play play! Working in rescue, I’ve met so many dogs who have been so abused they’re left vacant shells. Not Clooney. Despite everything he’s been through, he is an AMAZINGLY happy dog. Clooney loves treats, loves playing catch, and loves being loved on.

(Click on small photos to enlarge)

On Sunday April 22nd at 2PM, M Bird Studio (my favorite hair salon!) will be hosting a fun dog event. I’ll be there taking photos for $25 and you’ll receive a free 5×7 digital file of your dog. 100% of proceeds will be donated to The Dawg Squad to heal Clooney and give him the chance at life he deserves. We all hope to see you there for a great cause! And if you can’t make it but would still like to help The Dawg Squad out, you can donate here.

Clooney I love you! Thank you Amy and Emily for your help in capturing these images, and as always, thank you to The Dawg Squad for being such a friend and advocate to dogs in Los Angeles.

Thank you to everyone who came out on Saturday for our “Portraits for Puppies” fundraiser! Thanks to everyone’s generosity, the Dawg Squad has another $875 to help with their medical bills.

I met so many beautiful dogs and their owners on Saturday and I’m just sorry I couldn’t fit you all on the blog.

You are all amazing and thank you so much for the support. I know the puppies thank you too!

I’ll be doing fun dog headshots on Saturday June 19th at the Centinela Pet and Feed in Westchester. 100% of proceeds will be donated to The Dawg Squad to help them treat a litter of very sick puppies that were recently saved from the streets of Compton! The Dawg Squad has racked up almost $10,000 in debt to help treat these little babies and now need our help.

Portraits will be taken on a first come, first serve basis, so just show up with your dogs! My personal goal is to raise at least $1,000 for the puppies so please help us by sharing the flier with friends on your twitter, facebook, and blogs if you can.

Puppies should NOT be in the world as skinny and malnourished as these babies were, but thanks to the wonderful people at Dawg Squad who are well-known for taking in sick dogs and rehabilitating them, these babies will get a second chance at life. Remember Jeffrey? He’s completely healed and well loved now, thanks to this wonderful rescue group!

Thanks in advance to all for your help and support, and hope to see you on Saturday June 19th! And if you’re not in LA but still want to help, you can always make a much appreciated donation.

Click on flier to enlarge. Or download.

PS: If you plan on stopping by, please RSVP so we can start to get a headcount. Thank you!

More adorable adoptables from The Dawg Squad!

Freddie especially breaks my heart - he was adopted from The Dawg Squad eight years ago and was just returned after his family had their second child. But he’s so sweet and handsome, I’m sure he’ll find a great family soon!

Visit The Dawg Squad for more information on these dogs!

I recently connected with The Jason Debus Heigl Foundation, a wonderful organization founded by Nancy and Katherine Heigl in memory of a wonderful son and brother. One of their programs, The Heigl’s Hounds of Hope, focuses on rescuing medium to large dogs from high-kill shelters throughout Southern California.

Here are some of their dogs that are looking for their forever homes. Many were rescued from the Mojave desert from a hoarder who had over 300 animals in terrible condition. Others were pulled from LA shelters right before euthanasia. For more information on these adoptable dogs, visit Heigl’s Hounds of Hope or become a friend on facebook.

I told Survivor a joke as I was taking this shot:

This next dog stole my heart - she has only 3 legs but extra heart!

And these next few doggies are available through The Dawg Squad!

Another 3-legged baby!