I didn't have a dog growing up, but as most kids do, I absolutely loved spending time with them. Fast forward to my 20's and I spent a bit of time in Sri Lanka where I had my first experience of having my own dogs. Pugsley was my first dog. He was a Great Dane and the gentlest of pups. Bully-Bunting was a black Lab. An absolutely bonkers dog but again a gentle soul that wouldn't hurt a fly. Then came my first street dog rescue, Cookie. She was a streetwise, 'everything on her terms' kinda pooch. I picked her up from the streets when she was teeny- tiny so it always amazed me that she had instincts as if she had spent years on the street fending for herself. She had the patience of a saint when it came to waiting for that squirrel to make a mis-step & drop out of the tree & she was great at alerting me if a snake managed to find its way into the garden. She instinctively knew how to keep herself & my Lab Bully (who had no clue) safe. You didn’t mess with Cookie...she would have your fingers off if you tried to part her from a poor bird or lizard she had managed to catch. My second rescue was Puppya who I found one evening
stood on a banana tree leaf (he was that small) crying his eyes out. All my pups were full of character in their own unique
ways & I wish I had more (& better!) photos of them, but I don’t...a mistake I am not making with Zip. Those were the dogs
that shaped my interest in working with dogs. So returning home I spent some years first volunteering at, then working at
the Dogs Trust. And photography...Well, I’ve always enjoyed taking photos, but it took me a while to put the two
(pets & photography) together...but here I am!