Hot Diggity Dog We Have Our Own Radio Show

Hot Diggity Dog we have our own radio show! We’ve teamed up with the Las Vegas Hot Diggity Dachshund Club and Rescue in hosting a radio show. Our show the Hot Diggity Dog radio show aired for the first time November 3rd on Vegas All Net Radio.

The show is about ALL THINGS DOG! Sam co-hosts the show with Stacey the fundraising director for the Las Vegas Hot Diggity Dachshund Club and Rescue. It’s an hour long show and covers pet events, adoption days, medical issues, health and nutrition, contests, giveaways, news, and lots of helpful information.

Currently we have listeners from Australia, England, Canada, Ireland, Spain, and the US and we’d love for you to join us and our listeners Saturday mornings live at 10am PST.

Since we are a live show we love it when listeners call in, tweet and Facebook with us. You can listen to the show and live tweet and post with us on Twitter and Facebook

Can’t listen live? No worries we archive our shows. Just scroll to the bottom of our webpage and find the links there.

Our show benefits the Las Vegas Hot Diggity Dachshund Club and Rescue by it’s commercial sponsorships. Our sponsorships are incredibly inexpensive. The monthly commercial sponsorship is $30/month and includes a 30 second commercial during the show, link on our page, social media links, and on air mentions. You can send us your commercial or we can record it for you at no additional charge. To start your sponsorship email Stacey.

So with that said let us know you’re listening on Saturday mornings….it’ll be fun to connect with you.

Radio News

We are pleased to announce our new collaboration with the Las Vegas Hot Diggity Dachshund Rescue on a radio show all about dogs!

I am co-hosting with Stacey the fundraising director of the Las Vegas Hot Diggity Dachshund Rescue. You can listen anytime and anywhere through this link. LAS VEGAS HOT DIGGITY DOG RADIO SHOW Our show is LIVE every Saturday at 10am in Las Vegas.

We talk about everything related to dogs and other furry friends. We have interesting guests on our show and we chat about health, wellness, exercise, the pet industry, what’s in the news, rescues, pet events, fashion, and more. All of our shows are archived so don’t worry if you miss one.

We look forward to you becoming a listener.

Commercial Sponsorship

$30/month

Includes 30 second commercial during our show

Link on our site

Social media links

You can provide us with your own commercial or send us a script and we’ll record it for you at no additional cost. Simply email lvdoxiediva@gmail.com to start your sponsorship.

Funny Bones Sponsor Highlight

Each year the Funny Bones Foundation holds it’s annual Sammy Shore’s Funny Bones All Star Comedy Jam. This event just keeps growing and we have some amazing and generous people and companies involved in it. One of those companies is K9 Carry All. I met the owner of the company through Twitter and eventually met at Super Zoo in Vegas. Never underestimate the power of Twitter and other social media platforms. So a simple tweet ended with K9 Carry All making a custom leash/collar for the Funny Bones celebrity swag bags.

We love our pets so much and getting a personalized product makes that product just extra special. The process of supplying K9 Carry All with the Funny Bones logo image, quantity, and shipping was so seamless. It was exciting to open up the box and see how wonderful they looked, the quality was beyond my expectation. Another unique aspect of the product was that is was a collar and leash in one with a hook on the end. You could use it to secure your dog, clip it to a belt while you run, or add another leash to it for extra length. Or even wear it around your neck…wink wink.

The closure was a sturdy one and had a great look too. You can buy regular retail from their store or participate in their wholesale programme if you are a company that needs a walking billboard. I see the custom logos as a great way for rescues to raise funds.

If you love a good quality product that has great function and form then you need to visit K9 Carry All. They carry many other products that I’m sure you will love too!

Thank you K9 Carry All for your support for the Funny Bones Foundation in Vegas.

Buddy Pays It Forward

I was so happy to see another dog inspired business pop up on the Vegas scene. Let me tell you about “Buddy Bracelets”. Las Vegas Jewels created the “Buddy Bracelet” with inspiration coming from their golden retriever, Buddy. He was a colourful character who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma and passed away in 2010.

Elizabeth Parker the designer behind Las Vegas Jewels and creates gorgeous one of kind pieces of jewellery and donates 40% of the profits to a canine cancer foundation in hopes that someday, a cure will be found. In Elizabeth’s words “A cure to be found for all of the precious sweethearts out there. I’d love for their journey over the rainbow bridge to be delayed for a while, if at all possible! I’d also love to be able to donate 100%, but I’m not able to just yet. Hopefully one day!”.

40% is a large donation from each of the purchases and Elizabeth is no stranger to charitable work. You see, Buddy was a very special dog in her life. So special that she penned a book about him, “Finally Home”. It’s heart warming story about Buddy who was shuffled from home to home with his crazy antics and eventually settled in his forever home. This is where he got to be himself in true comedic fashion. It’s a story that you will love and also learn from.

Although Buddy has now crossed over the rainbow bridge where I’m sure his antics have continued on, he is still paying it forward for other dogs in need. Donations are made through this book as well as through “Buddy Bracelets”. If you love to read, love jewellery, and would like to donate through your purchases please pay a visit to both Las Vegas Jewels and Elizabeth Parker Books.

It is terribly sad when we lose one of our furry loved ones. Yet, to have them inspire us everyday is a true gift.

Thank you Buddy for paying it forward.

“Buddy Bracelets” on Etsy
Elizabeth Parker books

Unlocking the Secret to the LeashLocket

LeashLocket is unlike any dog leash I’ve ever seen before. The leash that doesn’t look like a leash holds a secret in its locket shape and that is a retractable leash. I know what you’re thinking, retractable leashes are nothing new…yet this leash offers you a unique function. Instead of you carrying the Leash Locket your dog carries it instead. This lightweight locket attaches to your dog’s collar with an innovative magnetic collar attachment and is also secured to the D ring. Now for someone who can build a flat pack piece of IKEA furniture with her eyes closed for some reason it took me having to ask my husband how to attach LeashLocket to the collar. The printed instructions didn’t show the steps clearly enough for me, they only showed the various parts of the LeashLocket. However once over that hurdle I got to see the benefits when we went on our first walk and visit to the dog park. It was certainly convenient to just grab and go without having to look for a leash. The leash fits in your hand and extends up to six feet in length and can withstand a force of 135 lbs. I would recommend purchasing the additional wrist strap in case you drop the leash.

My Thornton got the pleasure of using the LeashLocket which took her a while to get accustomed to. The LeashLocket she was trying out was the small size. She weighs 22lbs and I feel it was just a little too large for her collar. It was better suited to my Galaxy who is closer to 40lbs. I would like to see the company come out with a leash that the smaller breeds can wear as I feel it would be a popular size.

Walking with the LeashLocket was easy and going in and out of the dog park was even easier. My dogs get so excited when we go into the park that getting their leashes unclipped while they squirm and bark is not easy. It’s a simple and effective way to gain control of your dog, be it in a dog park or if you have a dog who is an escape artist. Although my dogs are no longer puppies it did present another use and that was potty training. I bet you can’t even count the amount of times that you clipped and unclipped your puppy to go outside to potty train.

The LeashLocket comes in two different sizes and four different colours. It’s convenient, fits in your hand, offers you many benefits and this innovative and caring company helps abused and neglected pets through every sale.

So why not grab your conventional leash and walk on over to their site and pick up the LeashLocket that you dog gets to carry.

Our British Adventure

We’ve been quiet for a few weeks due to a fabulous trip that we took back to England. It was a family visit with a charity event and lots of fun thrown in for good measure. The only downside to our visit was that we didn’t travel with our dogs Galaxy and Thornton. So we decided to give them their own vacation with Kym’s Kritter Kare. Kym is wonderful and without her we would have never fully enjoyed our trip. With email and photo updates from Kym we felt very connected to them the entire time that we were away.

Once I landed in England I was met by my family and whisked back to Sheffield to get a quick shower and head out to a rehearsal for the Zumbathon event that me and two of my sisters were holding. My sisters and I teach Zumba and the Zumbathon was planned to raise money for Neurocare and Cash for Kids. We had also asked attendees to donate pet supplies to benefit the Sheffield RSPCA. It was lovely to be able to do something for my hometown pet rescue facility.

Our venue was the Sheffield City Hall and simply spectacular. We couldn’t have had a nicer staff to work with and as you can see from the photo below we had an incredible attendance. The two hour event went so quickly and the atmosphere was electrifying. To be able to perform with my sisters was so much fun and I can’t wait to do it again. We raised 1,920 pounds and collected a lot of pet supplies.

I had been in touch with the Sheffield RSPCA prior to the event and was really excited to be able to meet Steve and the staff, deliver the supplies, and tour the facility. Impressed doesn’t even come close to how I feel about the facility and what they do for the animals that come in. The dogs have a two part kennel with the front of the kennel allowing them to get fresh air and look outside and then the rear of the kennel is inside the building. The floors are heated and they have their beds and toys for comfort. We saw some of the dogs and there was one in particular who caught our eye and that was Piglet. She had come in with mange and red raw skin. Oh she was cute and I was half expecting my husband to want to take her back to Vegas with us. She looked so healthy. The tour was interesting and it was nice for me and my family to be there together. The facility boasts kennels for the dogs, a maternity ward for the cats, an agility course, event space, shop, and an operating room.

The Sheffield RSPCA is clean, bright, and welcoming. If ever feel it would upset you to go and look at the animals needing homes please put that concern aside. Once you see this great place and the care these animals get you will be so happy that the Sheffield RSPCA exists. I have to say it was one of the highlights of my trip. It left me wanting to get back to England to do more for them.

Every time I go home I love to see as much history as possible. We visited so many places and one thing I did notice no matter what city we were in was that the Jack Russell and Springer Spaniel were popular breed amongst others.

Every time we saw a dog we were reminded how much we missed our own dogs and I have to say we had my sister’s dogs as a comfort. Below is Princess Madonna she slept with us every night. This trip was so memorable I cannot wait to get back.

You can donate to the Sheffield RSPCA here Sheffield RSPCA
To attend one of my sisters’ Zumba classes In Sheffield go to Dance Star UK

I’m going to close this post with a few photos of our trip….enjoy!

Coffee Cups and Rock ‘n’ Roll Pups Green Carpet Photos

All the dogs that attend our events get a chance to step onto the green carpet and shine and we were so honoured to have Simply Dog Photography take the green carpet photos for our Coffee Cups and Rock ‘n’ Roll Pups event.

I am very happy to announce that as part of the continued effort to raise funds for rescue dogs Simply Dog Photography is offering your dog’s green carpet digital photo for the special price of $20 and is donating 100% of that back to the Las Vegas Hot Diggity Dachshund Club and Rescue! This special price also includes a digital Facebook version with the Simply Dog watermark on it. To make your purchase contact Claudine at Simply Dog Photography.

To view the images click the image above.

Finally Home~Book Giveaway

Finally Home

Lessons On Life From A Free Spirited Dog

Book Giveaway

What lessons have you learned from your dog?

This is simple contest with deep meaning and to enter you need to grab your leash and walk on over to Author Elizabeth Parker’s Fanpage and answer the question.

What lessons have you learned from your dog?

www.facebook.com/goldenbooks

Elizabeth will select a winner and that winner will receive her book FINALLY HOME

Contest closes March 15th @ Midnight

About Elizabeth Parker

Elizabeth is an avid dog lover, and volunteers for a few dog rescue organizations, as well as donates a portion of the proceeds from all of her books to two that she strongly believe in.  One is a website that focuses on bringing awareness of cancer in canines and the other is a foundation that helps people with life-threatening illnesses find good homes for their pets.  She also donates to other rescue groups throughout the year. This year her books were featured in the Funny Bones All Star Comedy Jam, Las Vegas and celebrities such as Pauly Shore, Gilbert Godfrey, and Bobby Slayton received her books.

www.elizabethparkerbooks.com

www.twitter.com/golden_books

www.facebook.com/goldenbooks

 

 

 

 

You + Dog + Photography = Helping Elijah

As many of you know I have incredible friends in the dog world and I wanted to tell you of one such friend. Claudine is the owner of Unleashed Las Vegas Pet Photography and boy does she have a love for Papillions, so much so that she is heavily involved in the rescue of these adorable dogs with the ever so pretty butterfly ears.  She is a talent beyond when it comes to pet photography and this month she is bringing a charitable element to her mini sessions for a handsome boy who is in need of surgery. The handsome boy in question is Elijah, he needs surgery for a broken leg. It has yet to be determined whether he will keep his leg but he will still need surgery no matter what the veterinarian decides is best for him.

As part of Claudine’s mini sessions on Feb 26th, $25 of your fee will be donated to Elijah’s surgery.  Claudine is taking reservations for her mini sessions and once you visit her site I know you will be eager to book your own session.  For those of you who wish to make a direct donation to Elijah please use this Chipin Link
http://claudine.chipin.com/eli

As you well know sharing information is what helps us reach a bigger audience and if you can take a moment to share Elijah’s story with your family and friends he would greatly appreciate it and I’m sure his butterfly ears would flutter.

Claudine is a proud member of Hearts Speak an organization where artists work together to promote deeper understanding for the voiceless.

How wonderful it is that Elijah has a friend in Claudine.

And It’s A Wrap!

2010 has been a huge year for Vegas Rock Dog where we have experienced massive business growth, produced and participated in many fundraising events, had the media spot light beamed on us, and expanded our social media circle.

We want to thank the many friends, customers, business associates, media outlets, venues, and social media experts who have helped us this year.

If it wasn’t for these fine establishments we would have never had a home for our events this year.

Palms Hotel, Las Vegas for allowing Funny Bones to have a home to raise over $16,000 for pet rescue through Sammy Shore’s All Star Comedy Jam.

Pete’s Duelling Pianos, Las Vegas allowing us to host a Tweet Up with The Culinary K9 to raise funds for the Las Vegas Hot Diggity Dachshund Club and Rescue.

Espresso Culture and Cuisine, Las Vegas for not only being the host venue for Vegas Rock Dog’s Yappy Hour but also making their coffee shop the premier pet friendly place in Vegas. They boast a pet bathroom, poop bags, water for your dogs, and treats and it doesn’t get anymore pet friendly than that.

The Queen Vic Pub, Las Vegas, for hosting the very first British HI-Tini event and selecting the Las Vegas Hot Diggity Dachshund Club and Rescue as the recipient of the funds raised through their raffle.

The Blue Martini for being the gracious host venue for the Open Bar 4 Charity where funds raised for four charities including the Las Vegas Hot Diggity Dachshund Club and Rescue.

http://static.animoto.com/swf/w.swf?w=swf/vp1&e=1293825627&f=Hi0piYJGC9YK7wPzQ5BlAw&d=37&m=b&r=w&i=m&options=

Sponsors

Events come together due to many people having a passion for dogs and what would we do if we didn’t have our sponsors? In a year where many businesses were trying to keep afloat there were so many that still showed support for our events.

The Culinary K9

Carls Jr of Las Vegas

Star Studios

Green Doggie Bags

Petographique

Unleashed Las Vegas

Lynne of Lacquered Up Nails

Dawn of Lacquered Up Nails

Patty and Juan of Patty’s Closet and Voluptuous Boutique

Inspired by Claire Jane

Paw Spaw

Lulu’s Doggie Spa and Boutique

Diane of Diane’s Luxury Pet Boarding

The Queen Vic Pub

Fido Friendly Magazine

Suzanne Burke Consulting

CC Couture

Green Living Services

Sponsored Tweets

Afton at Healthy Tails

Barbara and Angel of Ultimate Alarms

Cindy at Cielo Salon and Spa

Matt at Biotality

Slidin Thrus

The Blue Man Group

Sandy Hackett’s Rat Pack Show

Town Center Animal Hospital

American Pet Products

Azmira Holistic Animal Care

Blvds Magazine

Alaska’s Treats

Retro Bakery

The Doggie District

The Dog Wash

Lollie Shopping

George Wallace

Nannies and Housekeepers USA

Nutro Products

We would like to thank Kim Schaefer of Blvds Magazine, Laura Coronado of Lollie Shopping for writing a brilliant feature article, and Jennifer Bartol Florendo of Vegas Woman Magazine for featuring us in their holiday gift guide.

Thank you also to the following people and companies for interviews, blog posts, sharing our info and posting our events on their event calendars.

Anipal Info

Dog Accessories

Fido Friendly Magazine

The Las Vegas Pet Examiner

Peter Arceo

Jerry Fink of

Vegas News http://www.vegasnews.com

The Photo Diva

Fox 5 Vegas

KTNV Channel 13

KLAS Channel 8

KSNV Channel 3

Robin Leach

Carole McCabe -Joy

Pettalez

Heidi Harris 720am KDWN

World News

A big thank you goes to every single one of our family members, our friends, our customers, our followers, and fans for supporting our business and supporting and encouraging the difference we have tried to make in the world of dog rescue.

Thanks go to Leilani, Barbara, Sloane, Jordan, Stacey, and Kathy at the Las Vegas Hot Diggity Dachshund Club & Rescue for allowing us to adopt them as our favourite rescue. They’re “Saving the World One Wiener at A Time”.

A special thank you goes out to two young ladies who we admire and can only imagine the difference they will make in the world. Sloane and Jordan you absolutely rock!

Our final thanks go to Leilani the President and Barbara the Director of Rescue. Words really cannot express fully how much they mean to us. Their dedication and passion is immeasurable, how they do what they do each day for these dogs is beyond explanation. Every dog that comes into their rescue is a lucky dog….because they get to go to their forever homes.

We wish for everyone in our lives a fun New Year’s Eve and a rocking 2011 and lots of kisses and belly rubs for all the Vegas Rock Dogs we know!

The Vegas Rock Dog Family

Sam, Jim, Galaxy, and Thornton.

Land of the Wieners

Last weekend hundreds of wiener dogs descended on Vegas for the 7th Annual Hallo-Wiener. The Las Vegas Hot Diggity Dachshund Club and Rescue hosts this annual fundraiser to bring monies in to support the rescue of this funny little breed. As you may have seen on the national news Las Vegas is ground zero for home foreclosures and in turn the rescue community has seen a massive rise in abandoned, surrendered, and neglected dogs. So it’s with this in mind that rescue fundraisers take on a more serious note than ever before. It’s a simply equation, the more monies raised the more dogs will be helped.

Our company Vegas Rock Dog “adopted” this rescue as one of our main causes. For the past three years we have participated as a vendor and I have been a judge also of their legendary costume, belly rub, and kissing contests. This past year we’ve been heavily involved in signing up vendors, securing raffle and silent auction prizes, and getting the word out to the community. Clearly all the work of the rescue staff, club members, friends, and volunteers paid off on this day as the attendance was spectacular.

The weather as always is perfect in the month of October and that’s why Vegas become saturated with pet related events. I believe that Hallo-Wiener is the most fun with many elements to it. As I mentioned earlier I’ve been a judge for the contests and each year the judging gets more and more difficult as the costumes get more and more creative. The belly rub contest is always cute to watch and judging which dog is the most in heaven from the belly rub and attention is a hard one to judge. Similar to the belly rub the kissing contest can get pretty wild as those little sausage dogs lick away at their owners faces. I wonder if they know if they’re competing for a prize?

One element of the day is wiener racing. It has to be the one thing that these little dogs absolutely love to participate in. Now don’t think for one minute that those little legs can’t run because not only to they run but they become airborne as they see a familiar face cheering them on at the finish line. You’ll see many techniques at the wiener races adopted by the owners to get their dog to run down the lane to that finish line, there’s a lot of screaming, squealing, toys squeaking, and treats being waved.

The Hallo-Wiener event has it all, races, contests, auction, raffle, food, and vendors and I suggest you put it on your calendar for next year….you wiener dog will thank you for it.

Woof woof!

 

Something To Bark About

We’ve been wrapped up in many dog related events recently and wanted to take a moment to share with you what we’ve been up to.

Or most memorable event has been our launch of Yappy Hour. We have friends who own Espresso Culture and Cuisine in Las Vegas. Most people who know us will tell you that Espresso is our home away from home for great coffee, hip music, relaxing decor, and a great place to hop on your computer and do some work. I’d talked to Ryan the owner if he was interested in making his large shaded patio pet friendly. Now as dog lovers pet friendly doesn’t mean your dog can sit on the patio, it means having access to a pet bathroom, poop bags, water bowls, and dog biscuits. So from this simple conversation a launch event was planned.

The evening was better than we had expected with more than 100% of the RSVP attending! We had drinks specials for the evening, Yappy-Tizers for the dogs, a raffle to benefit the Las Vegas Hot Diggity Dachshund Club and Rescue where we raised $300, and doggy goody bags for all the celebredogs that attended. My favourite part of the evening was our “green carpet” kindly donated to us by Green Living Services. We personally are customers of GLS and can vouch for their superior artificial grass products. Yappy-Tizers were provided by The Culinary K9 and those pups loved them. Our pet photographer for the evening was Unleashed Las Vegas. Without Claudine we would not have these wonderful memories of our event.

Below is a video of our event.

Due to a great interest in socializing with your dog Espresso have now added a regular Yappy Hour to their weekly happenings. Yappy Hour is every Saturday 6-9pm and if you’re on the patio with your dog you can ask for their drinks and food specials. As I said earlier your dog is definitely accommodated when you visit Espresso.

Any events that we produce are always a success due to our sponsors and this event was no exception. We wanted to list the wonderful and generous pet loving sponsors that made Yappy Hour so much fun.

Paw Spa www.thepawspaandpetsalon.com

Diane’s Dog Resort
http://enlightable.com/DianesDogResort/about_me.htm

Las Vegas MINX
http://lasvegasminx.com/

Dawn of Cielo Salon and Spa
http://www.cielosalonandspa.com

Inspired by Claire Jane www.inspiredbyclairejane.com

The Culinary K9 www.shop.theculinaryk9.com/

Unleashed Las Vegas
http://www.unleashedlasvegas.com/

Fido Friendly www.fidofriendly.com

Green Living Services
http://greenlivingservices.com

Biotality  www.biotality.com/

Patty’s Closet www.wix.com/voluptuousboutique/pattyscloset2

Voluptuous www.wix.com/voluptuousboutique/pattyscloset2

Blvds Magazine www.blvdslv.com

Lulu’s Doggie Spa and Salon www.yelp.com/biz/lulus-doggy-salon-and-spa-henderson

Healthy Tails www.healthytails.com/

Alaska’s Treats www.alaskasbakery.com

The Queen Vic British Pub
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Las-Vegas-NV/Queen-Victoria-Pub-Las-Vegas/112468542133110?ref=ts

Dogs Get To Party Too! At Our “Yappy Hour” Event

Why do all the humans get to enjoy happy hour? Well we’re about to change that with Vegas Rock Dog’s “Yappy Hour” event. Come and fur it up on the pet friendly patio of the hippest coffee shop in town. This is a dog friendly event so bring your dog to the patio and we’ll serve them a “Yappy-Tizer” There are drinks specials for the evening and please note that this extraordinary coffee shop also serves food, wine, and beer.

You do not have to have a dog to attend our event….just a love for dogs!

Event Details

Yappy-Tizers for your dog by The Culinary K9
www.theculinaryk9.com

Raffle to benefit the Las Vegas Hot Diggity Dachshund Club & Rescue
www.lvhddcr.com

Drinks specials by Espresso Culture and Cuisine
www.espressoculturelv.com

“Green Carpet” Photos by Unleashed Las Vegas
www.unleashedlasvegas.com

Goodie Bags

Goodie Bags for the first 40 dogs to arrive.

Dog owners
All well behaved and socialized dogs are welcome.

Sponsors
If you want to donate to our raffle please contact us to coordinate.

“Yappy Hour” event website www.vegasrockdoglounge.com click on Locations for the Espresso “Yappy Hour” page.

Non Facebook Friend Invite Link

http://schmap.it/xyz49q

See you there!

Sam, Jim, Galaxy, and Thornton

Hallo-Weiner 2010

The Las Vegas Hot Diggity Dachshund Club & Rescue main fundraiser Hallo-Wiener 2010 will soon be upon us and we’re already starting to spread the word. The event will be held Saturday October 9th, 11am-3pm and located at the Kellogg-Zaher Sports Complex and Dog Park in the Summerlin area.

I love this event as the weather in Vegas is so fabulous at that time of year. Last year there were 600 attendees at  Hallo-Wiener with the famous Hallo-Wiener costume contest and wiener races being the main attractions.

This year I’m working on getting as many vendors as possible to attend this super fun time…I once again will be a vendor. Each year we aim to raise more funds than the previous year and we do that through event sponsorship, vendors, raffles, and admission to the event.  All ways in which you can participate are very reasonable. Please take a look at last year’s video courtesy of 100.5 Jack FM who were last years sponsor and we are delighted to say they are sponsoring our event again this year.

It’s easy to see why our event is so popular.

To participate and share our info please take a look at the following links:

Hallo-Wiener Site

Sponsorship

Vendor Apps

Event Flyer

Volunteer

Follow Las Vegas Hot Diggity Dachshund Club & Rescue

Hallo-Weiner 2009 , posted with vodpod

Shine On Shine Pet Photos

I was fortunate to meet and work with Grace Chon of Shine Pet Photos a couple of weeks ago. I got to meet Grace who was voted LA’s Top Pet Photographer through a friend who is a celebrity in the dog world herself and that is Laura Nativo. If you were a fan of CBS’ Greatest American Dog, you will definitely remember the handsome Preston Casanova the furry man in Laura’s life. It was Laura’s email about a Vegas casting for one of Grace’s projects that put me, my husband, and my dogs in front of her camera.

Grace’s project is currently under wraps and I shall update when the time is appropriate, however I wanted to share with you the experience of working with Grace. You know the old saying “Don’t work with children or animals”?, well in this instance Grace needs to keep working with animals as her work is not simply getting a dog to look at a camera, it is art, and it is art that is changing the lives of dogs and their owners.

My rescue dog Thornton was lucky to be cast for Grace’s shoot and what was exciting was the fact that we could choose a location that was personal to me and my dog.  My husband and my furry family are big fans of coffee shops that allow dogs on their patios. My absolute  favourite is Espresso Culture and Cuisine. Being British I miss the aesthetic of European coffee shops and Espresso satisfies that need for me with great design, superior service, and most of all exquisite coffees.

It was an 8am call which for any fashionista is a tall order to fill. I’d brought a few collar selections for Thornton as she is quite the fashionista herself and with Grace’s expertise the pink collar was to be the one. Our request to shoot inside was granted which thrilled us since their decor is fabulous and we were well into triple digit temps in Vegas.

I knew it would be a test for both of my dogs as Thornton was going to be in the shoot with Jim and myself and my Galaxy would be observing. Vanessa, Grace’s colleague on the project had the task of keeping Miss Galaxy comfortable and relaxed while we did our shoot. I have to tell you it didn’t feel like a shoot at all. We stepped away from giving commands and the “leash” was handed over to Grace who had a super sweet way of getting Miss Thornton to move the way she needed. Grace had my girl focused yet relaxed and Thornton was happy to please her. Similarly Vanessa was doing the same for Galaxy who warmed up to her in an instant. You would have thought that with the early morning coffee drinker traffic, hissing and popping coffee machines, music, and a stranger directing your dog; that a hope for the best approach would be adopted. Despite these many distractions it was easy to see how Grace has earned her reputation. Her aura and communication skills are off the chart….she had us all sucked into her world including the staff and regulars who were super buzzed about that a shoot as unusual as this was happening in their neighbourhood coffee shop…and coffee probably played a part in the buzz too.

I have to say I was proud of both of my dogs as it had to be challenging for them and I was relieved that we didn’t have any embarassing moments that would ban me from my home away from home…ha ha. We got to look in the camera at some of the shots and we were amazed. Grace’s photography is of a level that is real, real life settings, real life emotions, and the capture of the very real personalities and souls . The goal isn’t to get all parties in the shoot to look at the camera at once and snap away; it’s to capture a moment in time that will leave a lasting impression and showcase the unique personality of your pet that you would recognize in an instant. Contrived is in no way a part of Grace’s work. We were honoured to have had this experience with her…personally it was the highlight of my year.

Grace’s work goes beyond the camera as she also zooms in on pet rescue and flashes a light on an ever growing problem. She takes her weekends to take head shots of rescue dogs in various rescues known as her “Extreme Dog Makeovers“. These photographs are powerful in getting the dogs adopted….her Extreme Dog Makeovers are responsible for many adoptions and fairy tale endings for both dog and owner.

If there was a way to describe GRACE  it  would be:

Gifted + Rare + Artistic + Compassionate + Engaging!

Please pay a visit to Grace’s site and see the full scope of her company Shine Pet Photos and her blog is certainly worth subscribing to if you are in love with dogs, rescue or photography.

http://www.shinepetphotos.com

http://www.facebook.com/shinepetphotos

http://www.twitter.com/shinepetphotos