March 2010
SPOTLIGHT
 Otter plays ball (click to enlarge)  Otter & Rosemary (click to enlarge) Otter Know Better Dr. Rosemary LoGiudice heads the Furnetic Veterinary clinic and the Chicago Center of Veterinary Medicine. She practices as a rehabilitation therapist and she's also studying veterinary acupuncture. Rose brought her dog Otter to Sutton Studios for a second visit in February. "Otter (whose full name is "Otter Know Better") is an English Cocker Spaniel. He loves running and playing - he's just a happy, exuberant, loving dog who really enjoys life," says Dr. LoGiudice. "He's my buddy. He and I bird hunt, participate in 'Dock Diving' and we're also working on Agility (though he's more agile than I!)." Rose met Otter through a friend who owns Otter's mom, Cricket. "I hunt pheasant with Cricket's owner. When Cricket had six puppies in 2008 I got to see them right after they were weaned. Cricket's owner brought the puppies to a charity event so Cricket could have the day off!" When the event was over, Rose says she sat on the ground and played with the litter of puppies. "A brown one, the only puppy that was the same color as Cricket, jumped into my lap and laid on his back with his front legs folded on his chest. I commented that he looked like a river otter, and the name stuck!" Rose says she spent the next ten days telling herself she didn't need a dog. Then, she says, "I realized I didn't need a dog, but I did want a dog!" Otter is certainly in good hands with Rose, who's always searching for better ways to serve companion animals. "What I use is Integrative Medicine," she tells us "integrating traditional and complementary therapies. I believe in integrating the benefits of both traditional veterinary medicine and of complementary therapies such as acupuncture and other TCVM (Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine) therapies." Rose also advocates for what she calls "pre-habilitation" - keeping dogs fit to prevent injury and illness. "Much of my early veterinary practice career dealt with horses and equine sports medicine. Keeping athletic horses in good condition and performing well was important. As I became more involved with dogs and their athletic activities, I found the same passion and skills were helpful when working with dogs. I also enjoy helping them return to good activities after injuries or surgery, or overcoming effects of some conditions such as arthritis. "Otter is a very busy guy. He LOVES retrieving and playing! Watch his eyes! He rarely misses seeing the action! He is tremendously athletic. David wanted some action shots of Otter - it's hard to get Otter to stop once you get him started. So be careful what you wish for! "This was the second time Otter and I have been at Sutton Studios. David made us feel very relaxed and at ease. He was very adept at capturing Otter's essence on film and making me feel comfortable. I look pretty good on film, too, all at the same time! We had fun."  Otter (click to enlarge)
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REFLECTION & REFRACTION
I recently had the pleasure of meeting and working with a Labradoodle named Yankee, whose owner Cindy Gross brought him in for a portrait sitting. As is so often the case with the dogs I meet, pictures tell only a small part of their story.
Yankee Shares His Gifts As an eight-week-old puppy, Yankee was sent to prison. More specifically, Yankee joined a training program at a prison in Ohio where inmates train dogs for people with disabilities. The inmates take responsibility for all of the dogs' physical and emotional needs - from overseeing their social development, their feeding and grooming to providing their obedience training. They also train the dogs in advanced service skills, and keep them until the dogs become certified service dogs. The dogs sleep right in the inmates' cells. Yankee spent over a year in the prison program training to be a service dog. He readily passed the State of Ohio service dog requirements and soon took his first assignment in the home of a deaf person. On his very first day of work though, Yankee did something he shouldn't have done. He chased a squirrel. As a result, one day after his placement in his first job, Yankee again found himself behind bars - this time in an animal shelter. No second chances for service dogs - their work is too important! Cindy found Yankee's photo on petfinder.com. She fell in love and drove all the way to Cincinnati to meet him. "When Yankee first came to Chicago to live with my husband and me, he could turn on light switches, toss the laundry in the washer - and he was a sweetheart." Cindy knew in her heart that she and Yankee were being called to do something more in their lives.  Click to enlarge. On any given day you can now find Yankee working in one of several Chicago area hospitals. He works with sick children and he helps with rehabilitation work for adults. He visits schools, as well as residential facilities for the profoundly autistic, the disabled and the abused. In addition, Yankee works as a member of the Rainbow Therapy Dogs Crisis Response Team. These extensively-trained, certified teams partner with mental health and emergency response teams to provide rescue, recovery and animal-assisted emotional support for crisis and disaster victims. The Rainbow team aids rescue workers, too - the first responders and volunteers - and offers comfort and support to these heroes as well as to victims during a crisis situation. Yankee is also on the team of Advocate Hospice, where he visits terminally ill patients and makes them smile. "I cannot tell you the beauty of watching Yankee work," says Cindy. "To see him lying in bed with a child who's receiving chemotherapy; to watch a stroke victim grasping a fork for the first time to give Yankee a carrot; to witness a teenager telling Yankee a secret about his/her abuse or a hospice patient stroking his fur. Yankee loves his work." Not bad for a service dog washout. Otherwise, Cindy tells us, Yankee is a normal, active three-year-old dog who likes his belly rubs and cookies. "But when I put on his red Dog Therapy Vest, he just knows it is time for him to settle down, time for him to go to work." Cindy and Yankee received a gift certificate to have their portraits done at Sutton Studios. Yankee alternately posed and frolicked.  Click to enlarge. Thank you, Yankee, for all you doodle do. David Sutton
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COMMUNITY FOCUS
Sutton Studios' clients make a difference in the lives of women in transition David and Wendy. (Click to enlarge.) For more information about Mary Lou's Place please call 847-864-8445 or visit the YWCA online. Guest Bloggers Billy Rafferty and Jill Cahr  We love Billy and Jill's new book so much we'll be giving an autographed copy of it to everyone who comes in for a portrait sitting this March. To make sure we give away as many copies of Happy Dog as possible, we're extending our special February sitting fee: if you come in for a portrait sitting in March we'll reduce your sitting fee from $395 to just $150. Billy and Jill will also pay a weekly visit to our blog, Pith and Vinegar, as our first guest bloggers, where they'll share excerpts and expertise. HSUS Spay Day Photo Contest There's still time to vote in the Humane Society's Spay Day 2010 Photo Contest, which David will be judging along with three other prominent photographers. Though the entry period for the contest has closed, the contest isn't over yet! You, and your friends and family, still have until Thursday, March 4, at 10pm ET to vote for your favorite pets! | ||
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Copyright © 2010 Sutton Studios. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2010 Sutton Studios. All rights reserved.