These guys were so much fun! And they spoke french! How cool is that? Their owner is french and thus their commands were given in french, and they listened every time.

Leo & Oso are both chocolate colored Cocker Spaniels, and are  both equally as sweet. I truly had a GREAT time photographing them, and their images are just gorgeous! In fact, I think I foresee them on large canvases in the studio very soon! Have a look and see if you agree with me.

It’s February, and that can only mean one thing… My 31st birthday is here! Well, almost here – its the 17th. But thats really great news for you!

In celebration of my birthday, I’m going to give away the mother load of all give- aways!

How does a FREE session, and a FREE print package sound? Not only will the winning entry get their session free (a $150 value), they’ll also receive a FREE 16×20 print, a FREE 11×14 print, and a FREE 8×10!! Can you believe it. A $375 value – FREE!!!  All you have to do is enter!

- Go to The Modern Mutt’s Facebook page, located here, and ‘like’ the page.

- Post a picture of your pet on the wall, with a short comment. Perhaps how silly they are, or how loveable they may be, or what is it about them that makes you laugh.

- Have your friends and family ‘like’ The Modern Mutt’s page, then ‘like’ your photo.  The photo with the most ‘likes’ at the end of the contest…wins! Its that easy!

Photos can be posted until February 28th, and the winner will be announced March 5th. Your friends or family can vote (or ‘like’) photos starting now,  until March 4th.

So what are you waiting for? Go post a photo of your pet! You really have nothing to loose, and great memories to gain from this one!

*Free session must be redeemed by June 30th, 2011. *Free session, and prints only, no cash value. *Shameless use of photo, courtesy of American Greetings.

The Modern Mutt website, and Bark! Blog have been moved to a wonderful new hosting company, and are undergoing a few changes. I’m working as fast as possible to get things back to normal, but you may notice a few things that aren’t working in the mean time. One of the biggest is the pictures in previous blog posts. Unfortunately they did not make it through the transition, so I’ll be adding them one by one back into the blog over the next week or two.

The new hosting company offers a lot more options, and ease of use on both ends of the website. From a clients standpoint, the private proofing galleries are are a lot easier to operate, and are more user friendly than they used to be. You’ll also notice that the site and proofing galleries should load faster, and with less interruption than they used to.

There are so many changes happening with the new year, and this is only one of them. I’ll be announcing a whole new product lineup soon, and you’re going to love the new things that I’ll be offering in 2011! Stay tuned!

It’s that time of year again… time to start planning Holiday portraits and sending out those cards. I’ve put together THREE limited edition packages to choose from, and created a unique set that will surely make your images stand out from the crowd! Only 18 sessions will be offered, so book your appointment EARLY! These wont last long at all!

Since I’ve started volunteering, we try to make it to the shelter once a week, on Saturday mornings. Usually, my routine is to take pictures of dogs who desperately need to be adopted, while my partner helps walk and play with the others. But this past Saturday proved to be totally different from the norm, and I didn’t take as many pictures as I had hoped. However the pictures I did manage to take, speak a thousand words or more.

One of the animal control officers had been chasing these two particular dogs for at least a week or two. They were strays, dirty, matted, and had been on the run for what appeared to be quite a long time. In fact they had been without human contact for so long, that the animal control officer who caught them, had to use a net and a catch pole to safely put them into the transport cages. Once they were back at the shelter, it was noticed that the little gray male was very nippy, and was labeled as a biter.

I came inside for a minute, and noticed two other volunteers trying to work with the little gray male. They were both on the floor, one holding the dog and the other holding a pair of clippers. I asked what they were doing, and they replied that they were trying to remove the mats in his fur. I could see it wasn’t going so well, so rather intrusively, I grabbed the clippers and started grooming. I was told that he was a biter, and that I needed to be careful, but I didn’t see that side of him, and I certainly wasn’t scared of him.

It was the most heart wrenching thing I’ve done so far, but I could tell that with every swipe of the clippers, the little guy relaxed more and more. As I groomed, I noticed that the mats were down to the skin, and in some places were starting to pull away by themselves. The fur was coming off in sheets, and was just about as dirty as I had ever seen. But just as the fur was coming off, so was the little guy’s attitude. It was the most amazing thing to see this dog start of timid, afraid, and apparently nippy, to relaxed, and relieved over the course of his ‘grooming’. It was nearly like he just went limp with relief as the hair was coming off.

After I got him cleaned up, we gave him a good bath and then put him in his kennel to relax a while. Up until this point he’d been in an outside setting, and didn’t know what the comfort of a bed and blanket were. It was very hard to leave him there at the shelter as my day came to a close, but I knew that I had made him feel much better that day. I don’t know if he’s been adopted or not at this point, and I suppose I wont inquire about his status. I’m just going to trust that the other daily volunteers were able to see what a transformation this guy made, and got him placed in a new home.

In the first picture below, you can see how much hair and mats came off of him, and this was only halfway through. In the second picture below, you can see what he looked like in the middle of his grooming – can you imagine what he looked like a the beginning? And in the third picture, he’s in his kennel enjoying his bed, but was still a little concerned with his new surroundings.

UPDATE!!! I received word this afternoon that Benji’s been accepted into a local rescue group!! He leaves the shelter tomorrow!

You may remember Buddy, well this is his sister Nikki. Her owners were so pleased with Buddy’s photos, that they just had to bring Nikki in – and I’d say it was totally worth it. Buddy and Nikki are so cute together, and what a little princess Nikki is. We did break out a few cheesy props, but this girl deserves it! What a cutie!

Dr. Epstein of The Animal Hospital on Teasley Lane in Denton, took part in the Extreme Mutt Makeover challenge this past weekend. Chelsea, a ‘mutt’ who was rescued from a local animal shelter, and saved from certain death, was given a new chance at a great life! Dr. Epstein took her in, and for a number of weeks, cared for and nurtured Chelsea back to health. She also taught Chelsea basic manners and obedience commands. In fact, Dr. Epstein did such a good job with Chelsea, that the duo took 5th place at the challenge held in Fort Worth! I had the opportunity to volunteer my services to Dr. Epstein and Chelsea, and let me tell you HOW MUCH fun it was! Chelsea was such a GREAT dog, and did a wonderful job as a little doggie model! Here are a few of my favorites from her session!

My friend Summer, over at On The Ball K9 Training, came in last week to talk shop a little, and she brought along her Belgian Malinois, Modi! I had a bit of ‘trigger itch’ that I needed to scratch by shooting something, so I took 5 minutes out of our conversation and set up the background and lights. Modi was a PERFECT model, let me tell you! If only my own dogs were as nicely trained as she is!

I’m so happy I can finally release these on the blog! Buddy came in for a session a few weeks ago, and let me tell you, he is the cutest dog EVER! Unfortunately Buddy was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of K9 cancer, and at 12 years old, Buddy isn’t a candidate for the harsh treatment that will significantly reduce his quality of life. His owners have lovingly decided to allow Buddy to live out his days as the happy-go-lucky boy that he is. Its a hard thing to swallow, but Buddy has had a GREAT life, and continues to do so despite the cancer. I had SO MUCH FUN with Buddy! In fact, some of these will be VERY LARGE gallery wraps for the studio! I dare you to look at the pics below and not finish this post with a smile on your face! Bet you can’t do it!

LIMITED MINI SESSIONS NOW AVAILABLE!!!

On August 20th, and 21st 2010, The Modern Mutt will be hosting mini-sessions to help raise funds for the Denton Animal Shelter Foundation. Only 18 sessions will be offered during this two day event, so book yours NOW!!!

How it works:

• Call (337) 772-8013 or email chris@themodernmutt.com and book your session. First come, first serve only so book NOW to ensure you get the time slot you want.
• All session fees are HALF OFF!!! The special price for this event is only $75, a 50% savings off normal session prices.
• Bring your dog on the day and time of your shoot! Shoots are scheduled one per hour, and last 30 to 45 minutes. You can choose your color of backgrounds, and add any props you wish to bring with you. Up to TWO dogs can be included in one session, but only one 8×10 is included with your session fee. Additional 8×10′s can be purchased on the day of your shoot for any additional pets. Take a look at my portfolio on the main site at themodernmutt.com

Thats it! Simple as can be right? But this isn’t just any normal mini-photo session. We’ve jam packed this session with value! With your paid $75 session fee, you’ll get:

• A FREE 8×10 of your pet, printed on high quality metallic paper with a fine art linen texture
• A coupon good for $50 off your next regular session with The Modern Mutt.
• A private online gallery of your pets session, where you can purchase additional prints for 20% off regular prices!
• A coupon good for 50% off your first bath at Beau’s Bath House in Denton
• A coupon for discounts from On The Ball K9 Training!

Add it all up folks, this is MAJOR savings! And your chance to get GREAT photos of your beloved pet, while helping out other animals in need!!

So how does this benefit the Denton Animal Shelter Foundation, its simple –  $25 of your session fee will be donated directly to the DASF! There’s no math, no tricks, just simple donations. $25 will be taken from your session fee and donated directly to the DASF with love! The DASF is an EXTRAORDINARY 501 (c)3 fedral tax exempt public chartitable foundation, that supplements the annual operating budget of the shelter by providing private funding for adoption/rescue programs, and other special projects. For more on the DASF, go to their website at http://dentonanimalshelterfoundation.com/.

What are you waiting for?

BOOK NOW before your session time is gone!!!