Three years ago, Kendra Luck was starting to wonder what else could possibly go wrong with her life. She'd lost her brother, and staff reductions at her newspaper had claimed her job as a photojournalist. Suddenly, she was left with her dog, Gladys, her skills as a photographer -- and her love of both dogs and photography.
She had a Web site (www.dogumentarian.com) and the germ of a business idea to go with it. "You get laid off, your brother dies, your world changes. I said to myself, 'I can't keep waiting to do the things I want in my life.' It was just time to do something."
And so, Kendra Luck became the Dogumentarian. "I was interested in doing happy work," she said. "After working in journalism so long, you get a little depressed."
Working out of her San Francisco Bay Area home, Luck started taking artistic portraits of dogs, avoiding the modern appeal of color or digital in favor of black-and-white film images that work to reveal the true personality of their subjects. From the beginning, Luck's work stood out as something different.
"Part of it is my background," said Luck, acknowledging how different her work looks from the studio shots more common in pet photography. "When I decided to start doing this, I saw there were pet photographers, but no one was doing exactly what I do.
"I shoot in a documentary style," she said. "There are hobbyists, who decide to start charging for their work, and there are studio photographers, who decide to add pets to their business. But I'm a photojournalist, and I apply that documentary style to my work with dogs."
Luck shoots on location, using available light and backgrounds. In addition to her eye for just the right shot, Luck says patience is, for her, more than mere virtue.
"I follow the dog around," she said. "I want the dog to just be a dog, and I don't want the dog to perform. You want them to get to know you. It's like working with people: You need to get them comfortable, get them to relax, get them to show their true colors."
A portrait involves eight to 10 hours of Luck's time, she says, and runs from $200 to $500, but Luck says her clients aren't necessarily affluent. Among her clients, she has single women, gay couples, and more traditional families without children or whose children are grown. "I have some clients with children," she said, "But not many."
She works not only in Northern California, but also in Seattle, Austin, Chicago and Phoenix, and her portraits have also been shown in art galleries.
"My clients are people who not only love their dog, but also love the personality of their dog," she says. "The portraits are driven more by personality than by looks."
SIDEBAR
Choose pet photographer by style, personality
By Morgan Ong
Like professional wedding photographers, photographers specializing in pets have experiences and skills that set them apart when capturing the essence of their subjects. As with selecting a wedding photographer, choosing someone to take an artistic portrait of your pet requires some research to achieve a lifetime of satisfaction.
The primary consideration in selecting a local or regional professional is a photographer's style. Do you want formal portraits, or do you prefer the documentary style that has become so popular? Is it possible to have a mix of the two styles? Will the style you choose satisfy you over the years when the photographs are on your walls, on your desk or in albums?
Also, don't overlook rapport. The best results usually happen when there's an emotional connection at the earliest stage of the session. Make sure both you and your pets are comfortable with the photographer you choose.
Get a start on the selection process by clicking on the Web sites of a few of the scores of professional pet photographers to help you grasp the range of photographic styles available.
(RYAN: Maybe break Web site listings into two columns?)
www.dogumentarian.com
www.mattmendelsohn.com
www.lauraciapponi.com
www.amandajones.com
www.heidiladendorf.com
www.agpphoto.com
www.maryludington.com
www.kerrymansfield.com
www.masonart.net
www.pawcassoart.com
www.wendygrossman.com
www.suemuir.com
PET TIP
Proper tools make trimming cat claws easier
Your cat keeps his claws in shape by removing the worn outer coverings -- called sheaths -- and exposing the new claw below, either by chewing the sheaths off or leaving them in whatever he claws. (If you look closely at your cat's scratching post, you'll probably find old sheaths stuck in the fabric.)
Keeping your cat's claws trimmed is a good practice for two reasons: First, doing so cuts down on destructiveness by removing some -- but not all -- of your cat's desire to dig his claws into objects. Second, it makes things a little more comfortable for us thin-skinned humans to live with cats -- as anyone with a cat that likes to "knead" with claws going in and out while napping on a lap can testify!
You have two choices in terms of nail trimmers: guillotine or scissors-type. Guillotine trimmers have a little oval guide into which you slip your pet's nail and a blade that extends into that guide after you squeeze the handles together. The scissors-type works like scissors, not surprisingly, with the nail going between two small, crescent-shaped cutting blades. Either kind works perfectly well and is a matter of personal preference. Human fingernail or toenail trimmers will also work, although they're not as easy to handle if your cat's a squirmer.
You also need to pick up something to stop the bleeding should you nick the vein in your pet's nail. Kwik-Stop powder is available in most pet-supply stores or catalogs.
Don't be put off by packaging suggesting that either kind of clipper is for use on dogs -- they work just fine on your cat, too. Some scissors clippers are made just for cats, but you may find these a little too small to use easily.
Q&A
Altering your rabbit makes for a better pet
Q: We have an affectionate and playful miniature lop rabbit who lives in the house and is a full member of the family -- no outside hutch for her! One of my daughter's classmates has a rabbit that her family no longer wants, and my daughter is asking us to adopt him. I've said yes. But the new rabbit is a male, and we certainly don't want the pair of them to do what comes naturally (if you get my drift). Can rabbits be spayed or neutered? -- B.W., via e-mail
A: Yes, rabbits certainly can be altered. And just as with dogs and cats, neutering and spaying eliminates many health and behavior problems. Female rabbits, for example, are at a high risk for uterine cancer, a leading killer of these pets over the age of 2. Spaying also removes the potential for common and potentially lethal reproductive-system infections. Besides extending your pet's lifespan, altering eliminates sex-related behavior problems. Sexually mature rabbits can be territorial or even aggressive, and may spray urine.
Put simply: Spayed and neutered rabbits make better pets. Despite all the benefits, however, anesthesia is a little trickier with rabbits than with dogs and cats. Be sure you're dealing with a veterinarian who is experienced with rabbits, and ask about anesthesia options and precautions. Do your part to help by following your veterinarian's pre- and post-operative directions precisely.
And bless your kind heart in giving an unwanted rabbit a second chance. Too many parents dump pets when the child for whom they were purchased loses interest. The message this sends to children -- living things are disposable -- is perfectly dreadful.
Q: We're having a problem with our cat, who doesn't want to seem to stay put after our move. Our new home is two miles from the old one, and Justin keeps going back to the house where he grew up. The people who live there now keep calling us to pick him up, and we don't know what to do to keep him home. Any suggestions? -- L.W., via e-mail
A: Because cats bond to places as well as to people, some cat lovers find that their free-roaming pets keep showing up at their old home after a move, especially if the new home, like yours, isn't very far from the old one. My best suggestion for you is to convert your cat to an indoor pet, because crossing streets to go "home" considerably ups his risk of getting hit. Remember, indoor cats in general live longer, healthier lives.
If permanent confinement is not possible, bring your cat inside for a couple of weeks. While he's cooped up, dedicate extra time to playing with him, especially interactive games such as with a toy on a string. This play helps to relieve him of some of his stress or excess anxiety and also aids him in forming attachments to his new home and to the idea of you in it.
After a couple of weeks, let him out for short periods into your yard with you, and take him back in when you go inside again. You should be able to get a feel for when he's starting to recognize the new digs as his home, and increase his freedom accordingly. There are no guarantees, but if you've taken your time to let him adjust, he should stay close by.
Make sure the new people at your old home aren't encouraging your cat to stay. Ask them not to feed him or pet him and to use a squirt bottle or a noisemaker to deter him from staying if they see him around.
(Do you have a pet question? Send it to petconnection@gmail.com.)
PET RX
Variety the key to healthy bird diet
No matter what your bird thinks, seeds are not the best diet for pet parrots, a group that includes everything from the tiniest parakeet to the largest macaw.
An all-seed diet contributes both directly (through malnutrition) and indirectly (by weakening the bird, making it easier for infectious diseases to take hold) to a serious reduction in the possible lifespan of any pet bird -- by half or more in many situations, in fact.
What should you be feeding him instead? No one food is currently all your pet bird needs to thrive, not even the wide array of commercially prepared food pellets that should make up the largest portion of a typical pet bird's healthy diet. Variety is the name of the game when it comes to feeding your pet bird. This means in addition to offering high-quality pelleted food, you should be offering a wide array of healthy "people food" -- fresh vegetables, fruits, pasta, bread, scrambled eggs. Whatever has good nutrition for you is also good for your parrot.
If your bird is a "seed junkie," talk to an avian veterinarian about a strategy for converting your pet to a base diet of pellets supplemented by a variety of healthy foods.
As for seeds, they're still OK to give your bird as an occasional treat, or for an incentive used in training.
(Pet Rx is provided by the Veterinary Information Network (VIN.com), an online service for veterinary professionals. More information can be found at www.veterinarypartner.com.)
ON THE WEB
California ferrets still illegal -- and popular
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made it clear recently in vetoing the state's latest ferret amnesty plan that he didn't have anything against the pets, which are legal in every other state except Hawaii.
"I love ferrets. I co-starred with a ferret in 'Kindergarten Cop,'" said the movie-star governor. "However, this bill is too bureaucratic, and it legalizes ferrets prior to conducting an environmental impact report."
The governor's action ensures another round of silliness by the California Legislature when yet another bill is introduced trying to reconcile the law with the fact that tens of thousands of ferrets already live in the state, so many that pet-stores openly sell ferret supplies.
In the meantime, ferret lovers in California and elsewhere will find good information on caring for these lively pets on the Ferret Central Web site (www.ferretcentral.org). The page isn't pretty, but it certainly is functional, with links to dozens of pages on every imaginable ferret-related topic. -- G.S.
BY THE NUMBERS
Love me, love my dog -- or get lost!
Have dogs replaced diamonds as a girl's best friend? It's certainly open to debate, with some supporting evidence for canine companionship revealed in a Harris Poll conducted over the summer for the makers of Milk-Bone dog treats.
Among the results:
-- Thirty-two percent of current dog owners agree that their dog is their best friend, with women (34 percent) more likely than men (29 percent) to think so.
-- Women are twice as likely as men to talk to their dogs on the phone or leave a message on their home answering machine while they're away.
-- While 38 percent of dog owners overall refer to themselves as "mommy" or "daddy" to their canine companion, there are differences by both region and gender. In the Northeast, 48 percent of dog lovers refer to themselves as parents, and women are more likely than men to do so, by 44 percent to 30 percent.
-- If you're a dog, you're better off with a single woman than a single man. Women are more likely than men to pass on marrying someone who doesn't like the dog, by 40 percent to 34 percent.
THE SCOOP
Head-butting cat's message: You're mine!
When your cat rubs his head against your leg, he's doing it because he loves you, right? Sort of. Your cat is definitely showing his affection for you, but he's also marking you as his property by putting his scent on you.
Your cat has sebaceous glands at the base of his hair follicles that produce sebum, a substance that serves two purposes: coating the fur for protection and depositing scent on objects in the cat's environment.
These glands are most numerous around your cat's mouth and on the chin, lips, upper eyelids, on the top of the tail base, and near his anus and genitals. If a cat rubs with his head (a behavior known as bunting), or any of these scent-loaded parts of his body, he's depositing both sebum and his own distinct scent on everything he touches.
Our pitiful noses can't detect these deposits, but other cats surely can.
Gina Spadafori is the award-winning author of "Dogs for Dummies," "Cats for Dummies" and "Birds for Dummies." She is also affiliated with the Veterinary Information Network Inc., an international online service for veterinary professionals. Write to her in care of this newspaper, or send e-mail to petconnection@gmail.com. You can also read her frequently updated Web log or view her column archives at www.spadafori.com.
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