PhoDOGraphy By Edith LevyT.O.p Dogs – Breeze
Posted on February 27, 2014
T.O.p Dogs! Photographing Loveable Four-Leggers in and around Toronto.
Meet Breeze, the Wheaton Terrier. Breeze can be found spending her days at Theatrebooks in Toronto. She’s a very well read dog 🙂
Making A Difference by Giving Back
Posted on February 25, 2014
I am so very excited and proud to have been accepted as an Aspiring Member of HeARTs Speak. HeARTs Speak is a member based organization whose mission is to save the lives of animals in need by supporting and enabling artists, animal welfare organizations and communities in making a difference.
“HeARTs Speak unites and supports artists who provide their talents to animal welfare organizations and the communities they serve. Our artist members provide creative services to local organizations, directly impacting their respective missions, through Art.”
It’s always been important to me to give back to my community whenever possible and helping animals who don’t have a voice to speak up for themselves is something that I want and need to do. So many animals in shelters and rescue organizations are looking for nothing more than someone to love and take care of them. A picture is worth a thousand words and by giving of my time to photograph shelter and rescue animals, to give them a chance of adoption, this is something that I more than happy to do. It’s for this reason that I’m extremely proud to be part of an organization like HeARTs Speak, whose sole mission is to save the lives of animals.
T.O.p Dogs – Charlie
Posted on February 19, 2014
T.O.p Dogs! Photographing Loveable Four-Leggers in and around Toronto.
Hi my name is Charlie and yes my ears always stand up like this when I first sit down on snow.
T.O.p Dogs – Baby It’s Cold Outside!
Posted on February 11, 2014
Welcome to another instalment of  T.O.p Dogs. Photographing Loveable Four-Leggers in and around Toronto.
This handsome guy was waiting outside while his human was picking up a Starbucks. He looked very spiffy in his winter coat.
Happy Dogs
Posted on February 5, 2014
Cannington Dog Sled Races
I’ve been wanting to photograph a dog sled race for quite some time now but the last few winters saw a minimal amount of snow and most of not all races were cancelled in my area. This year, as most of know, has been one of the harshest winters that I can remember. Needless to say it was the perfect weather for this event with lots of snow for the dogs to frolic in.
A couple of weekends ago the opportunity arose and I got into the car and drove an hour and half north to Cannington, Ontario to attend the 10th Annual Dog Sled Races.
(Click on any of the images to enlarge and see those cute faces)
Let me first make a confession. I was a bit nervous to attend. I was worried about how the dogs were going to be treated. Was this just a business for the owners? Were the dogs just an end to justify the means… that big prize at the end of the day?
I arrived early so that I could walk around and hopefully see the dogs before the races started. I went straight to the area where the owners had parked their trucks and they were getting the dogs ready, putting harnesses on and mentally preparing for the race ahead.
What I found put a smile on my face. Happy Dogs! Dogs sitting together eagerly awaiting their romp in the snow. Without fail each dog I approached gave me a very sweet greeting and even a few licks on my nose when I bent over to greet them. I tried not to disturb the riders while they were preparing their team but they were all very nice and happy to introduce me to their dogs.
Here’s a little history for you….
“Dog Sledding was a method of winter travel developed by Northern Native peoples and adopted by early European explores and trappers as the most efficient way to haul goods across snow-covered terrain. Usually, teams of 2 to 12 dogs are tied in pairs to a single towline, or gangline. The gangline is attached to a sled and the dogs pull the sled across the snow.If the terrain is deep snow, dogs may be placed in single file to follow the driver who will walk ahead breaking and packing down a narrow trail in snowshoes. Where the snow pack is hard, in the Arctic, Inuit often use the “fan” hitch where each dog is attached to the sled by its own towline.”
– Cannington Dog Sled Race Committee
Oh…one last bit of trivia. Do you know why drivers are called “mushers”? Early French Canadian drivers called out “Marche!” (which means “walk”) to their dogs. This was misinterpreted by English explorers as “mush.” I’ve done my job here today. 🙂
PhoDOGraphy By Edith Levy 