disabled dogs

my hunger for my puppy-soulmate continues to grow, even more after seeing these amazing photos of amazing dogs by photographer carli davidson. the concept and execution are out of this world.  see the photos here!!

While pet photographer Carli Davidson may be known for her awesome Shake series where she uses high speed photography to capture dogs in motion, she's recently turned her attention to another project that deserves some much needed attention. Pets with Disabilities was an idea that started two years ago while Davidson was walking alongside the Canon Beach in Oregon.

As she tells us, "There was this totally beautiful German shepherd in a wheelchair playing fetch with its owner. It was so happy, a dog doing what dogs do, totally undeterred by its disability. I felt inspired by the whole scenario. The owner made this choice out of love, to do a little extra work every day to make sure his friend was happy and comfortable.

"I thought a lot about this pair in the following weeks, and decided I wanted to create a project showcasing differently abled pets, telling their stories in order to show the world that they are happy, thriving companions. They are not sad, they are not in pain, and the owners and animals continue to be of great value to one another."

All of the dogs pictured here are from Portland, Oregon. Davidson started this project by asking people on Facebook to submit their handicapped dogs as models and word of mouth has spread the idea so far that she now has people approaching her on a regular basis, asking her if their dogs could be added to the series. Davidson is currently working on a book.

What does this photographer want others to get out of this series? "I really hope that what people take away from these stories is information to make decisions for their own pets, an appreciation for the resilience of all animals, and ultimately a sense of normalcy from the photos and stories," she says. "Technology continues to advance at a rapid rate, and our relationship and compassion towards animals continues to evolve. I think this book is simply following a natural path towards a greater acceptance of these pets."