IN FOCUS: News from Sutton Studios

Issue No. 24

June 2009

SPOTLIGHT

Diane and Emerson
(click to enlarge)

Dog-person,
people-person

Diane Mulvey loves her dogs and considers them family. They include Emerson, a 10-year-old Newfoundland; Holden, a 17-year-old poodle/Lab mix; Scout, an 18-year-old collie mix; and the baby, Finn, a 2-and-a-half-year-old black Lab.

This pack always travels together. In fact, Diane's dogs have lived with her in three countries on two continents.

Diane went to law school, graduated, got her dream job and did very well. But when her mother died unexpectedly, Diane decided life was short and she actually wanted to become a medical doctor. She packed her canine family up in her Jeep, drove for three days, and started medical school in Mexico.

When she graduated, she took a year off at an Arabian horse farm in the Florida Everglades, where she finally had a chance to take a deep breath and think things over. Her dogs were there, too.

Later, in Chicago, Diane found herself drawn to the field of bioethics. The program includes philosophers, doctors and lawyers who, Diane says, "duke it out" in order to empower patients and help them remain involved, equal participants in their medical decisions and treatment. Diane strives to honor the person inside the disease.

Her experience with patients isn't limited to humans. Diane first learned of Sutton Studios when she took Holden to the vet for chemotherapy. As she sat there thinking about Holden, she was moved by David's work in the waiting area. She says, "David's photography is so sublime and profound at the same time. Seeing his work touched me on an entire spectrum and I wanted that for my dogs. David has a gift. It's as if he captures the essence of the dog and the person inside."

Finding the person inside the dog, finding the person inside the disease. Sounds like Diane and David are in the same line of work.

Our framing partners

REFLECTION & REFRACTION

Lucky
This month's column has been guest-authored by my friend Scott Grandstaff of Happy Camp, California. Scott assures me that his rescue tale is "a completely true unembellished story."

It was a Thanksgiving day.

We were all busy and laughing and feeling the warmth of the day with the usual bustle and preparation excitement.

A small sound began. It could barely be heard. A tiny moaning sound right at the edge of my hearing. It would happen, then stop before anyone could track it down.

But it kept happening.

So everyone began to hunt for it. Listening and then going in the direction they thought they'd heard it from, no one finding anything and wondering if it was just their imagination.

Nobody could figure it out and all had pretty much given up, when I happened to need something from the back porch. From there I heard the sound better.

I began to walk the back yard listening. There it was again.

As I slowly walked along I suddenly noticed a hole in our yard. As I approached the hole I felt the earth giving way beneath me so I quickly stepped back.

I looked very close and then I could see it all.

Someone had placed a wooden board over the top of an old well in years long past, and the wood had rotted through. We never even knew it was there.

So, getting as close as the ground was still stable, I looked down the hole with a flashlight. Beaming back up to me, were two little eyes. One of our 6 week old puppies had fallen down the well.

It was a pretty straight shaft except for one pocket on the right side, a tiny alcove about the size of a basketball around 15 feet down. From there the hole went down into total darkness who knows how far.

There was this little guy, shivering in the tiny alcove, at the brink of eternity.

Everyone was gathered around by now, each with his or her own idea, but no one could really think of a way to get the pup out without endangering someone. There wasn't enough room down the well for an adult, and even if there were it would be suicide to try it. The ground was soft and loose and certain to cave in if anyone even tried it.

Finally in desperation I tied a loop in the end of a rope and tried to "fish" for him. I would drop the loop down and slowly pull but the pup would deftly dance away, being naturally afraid.

I tried it over and over.

Finally he grabbed the knot in his little teeth and I began to lift and walk him up. He'd start to lift from the little alcove, and get scared and let go.

I kept at it.

He must have made up his little mind because finally he grabbed that knot in earnest. Step by painstaking inch, I walked him right up to the surface where he promptly jumped into my arms.

We named him Lucky and had the well filled with stone.

David Sutton
Write to David

COMMUNITY FOCUS

Chicago for Dogs

It's summer and Chicago is a GREAT town for dogs. We needed the inside scoop. . .

We tried to assemble a list of dog parks, dog beaches, dog friendly restaurants and bars, unusual outings and great walks. Whoa! Information overload!

Then we remembered Margaret Littman, a Sutton Studios client. Margaret's book, The Dog Lover's Companion to Chicago gives you 269 pages of tips on when to go, where to go and how to get there. For example, did you know about the forest preserve dog sledding tracks?

Here's an excerpt: "Some of the same things that attracted settlers to the Chicago area in 1850 are the very factors that are appealing to local dog lovers today. First and foremost is that long, Lake Michigan coastline. When the sweltering summer temperatures make humans pant like Poodles, there's nothing better than a run through the city's 20 miles of beaches."

"While the stockyards may not be what they once were dogs, of course, love any place that is famous for big slabs of meat."

Yes, your dog will thank you.

Visit The Dog Lover's Companion to Chicago to read more and order your copy.

New! Business Portraits

We're pleased to announce a new service at the studio: Business Portrait Packages.

Ideal for real estate agents, insurance agents, salespeople and corporate executives who need up-to-date headshots for business cards, brochures or websites, Business Portraits are quick and hassle-free. The turnaround time is just one day! Visit the gallery for pricing, more photos, and all the details.