rescue

Artwork sale and fundraiser

October 08, 2020

1. the journey

2. calories in, calories out

3. three brothers

4. a winter visitor

5. land of red sand and foxes

6. who are you, pretty bird?

7. ice bomber

8. nature's propeller

9. morning beauty

Thinking of a Christmas gift? Would like to shop local?

I have ready to hang artwork available, 25% of total sales will be donated to Sit With Me Shelter Dog Rescue. With bills for boarding, training and veterinary care for their dogs, they do so much for our community under very stressful circumstances.

Artwork includes framed prints and canvas wraps in different sizes.

AVAILABLE ARTWORK

the journey
Masai Giraffe
Masai Mara, Kenya
Framed print 24” X 36”
$150
*SOLD* calories in, calories out *SOLD*
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Pakenham, ON.
White framed print 13” X 16”
$90
*SOLD* three brothers *SOLD*
Cheetahs
Masai Mara, Kenya
White framed print 13” X 16”
$90
*SOLD* winter visitor *SOLD*
Bar
Barred Owl
Pakenham, ON.
White framed print 18” X 24”
$120
*SOLD* land of red sand & foxes *SOLD*
Red Fox kits
Prince Edward Island
Canvas wrap (2”) 20” X 20”
$100
who are you, pretty bird?
Indigo Bunting
Pakenham, Ontario
Canvas wrap (2”) 20” X 20”
$100
ice bomber
Atlantic Puffin
Elliston, NFLD.
Canvas wrap (2”) 20” X 20”
$100
nature’s propeller
Ruffed Grous
Pakenham, ON.
Canvas wrap (2”) 20” X 20”
$100
Or $240 for 3 (item 6–8)
morning beauty
White-tailed Deer
Pakenham, ON.
Framed canvas wrap (1.25”) 30” X 24”
$300

If you are interested in any of these pieces, please contact me with the name/ number and we can arrange the order.

Thank you for your support!

2019's Amazing Autumn Sessions

September 18, 2019

We may have had a wet, long spring but let’s hope we have the most beautiful fall colours!

For this year’s promotion we have a large 16x20 print in a beautiful 20x24 double mat, five digital files
and the annual donation to Sit With Me Shelter Dog Rescue.
The digital files are large enough for printing up to 8 x 12. No dog limit, no time limit.
I will shoot until I’m confident we have wall-worthy greatness.

We will determine date, time and location when we connect. I have options all over the Ottawa area.

Contact me today to reserve your spot!

Faces of Sit With Me from 2018

January 23, 2019

This collage represents the many faces of unforgettable dogs I have met in 2018. I co-ordinate with foster homes to meet up with them to photograph their dogs. This is to provide beautiful portraits to help get them adopted. There are several faces in this collage of dogs that are no longer with us. They will always be remembered as loving members of their family and are sorely missed.

Thank you to the foster homes and Sit With Me rescue for giving these dogs a new chance at life.

Thank you!

October 30, 2018

Big thanks to those who booked sessions this fall. Great to see some new faces! $300 is being sent to Sit With Me Rescue which they will greatly appreciate!

New faces of 2017

February 06, 2017

Some new friendly faces from Sit With Me Rescue

Photographing dogs for adoption profiles is incredibly rewarding. I get to meet hundreds of dogs, of different shapes, breeds and personalities. When I hear that my photos help make a difference in whether a dog gets noticed or not .. I couldn't be happier. Now, not to be overly dramatic but there are many faces on this website that literally would not be alive today if it weren't for hard working volunteers. Volunteers who put in countless hours, on top of their regular full time jobs and families, in order to network, email, phone, pick up supplies or drive dogs to their new homes.

Fundraising is an INTEGRAL part of rescue. The only funding is from donations and funding is always needed. Although sometimes you will see puppies with Sit With Me, those are few and far between. The majority of the dogs in Sit With Me's care require more extensive medical care, some behaviour training or they simply were found with no owners, no identification and no one came looking for them. So you may be thinking 'more extensive medical care?' or 'behaviour training?' and that sounds like issues. Yes, sometimes there are more serious issues but often these medical issues are simply kennel cough, ear infections or a sprained limb. And behaviour issues? We are talking about 9 month old, energetic dogs who never got any training as a puppy. No effort was put in and now they are not crate trained and they chew things out of boredom. These are issues that Sit With Me takes on to fix. Dogs shouldn't have their life in balance because of neglectful previous owners.

However, in order to help these dogs .. they needs vet treatment, training and other resources. This requires money. Generous people do one time donations, bid on items in auctions, raffles, buy merchandise and many other ways. For all of that

WE THANK YOU

Thank you for noticing, caring and helping our rescue. We thank you and the dogs thank you.

Have you adopted from Sit With Me Rescue?

January 17, 2017

Over the years I have photographed many dogs for Sit With Me Shelter Dog Rescue. If you have adopted with Sit With Me and would like some photos of your dog, I have them available for purchase.

The digital files are good for printing up to 8X12 inches and there is no watermark. They cost $22 per file and I will donate $2 from each sale back to Sit With Me.

I have put up 5 featured dogs, along with a list below, categorized by year. I only have the names from when they were in rescue. If you recognize your dogs name and would like their photos, you can fill out the form and I will be in touch and put them online for you. If you are pretty certain I did take some photos but you don't see their name list .. get in touch and I will investigate.

My work with Sit With Me is on a volunteer basis. By purchasing files, you not only help Sit With Me but you help me continue to this relationship of which I'm very proud.

Learn More

Fall Mini Sessions - Thank you!

November 03, 2016

Thank you to everyone who booked with me for the fall mini sessions to help Sit With Me. I was able to send them a $600 donation this morning. The dogs and countless volunteers appreciate it!

Lola & Smokey for adoption - Standard Poodles in Need

August 28, 2016

This is Lola and Smokey. They are two LOVELY poodles currently available for adoption through SPIN (Standard Poodles in Need). Although this rescue is based out of the greater Toronto area, one of their co-founders, Paula, found out about me through HeARTs Speaks' Photographer listings.

Name: Smokey
Age (years/months): 11 Years 4 Months
Name: Lola
Age (years/months): 10 Years 8 Months

Smokey and Lola are an amazing pair. Friendly, cuddly, energetic! Smokey is just about the most handsome standard poodle we've ever met! Due to a death in the family they find themselves in search of a place to retire. Since they are a bonded pair, we're looking for that special home, willing to take them both and love them unconditionally.

Smokey and Lola are friendly, happy, house trained. They will chase a squirrel or a rabbit if given the chance! Though they are 11 and 10 years old, they have a lot of life in them and are just looking for the perfect place to retire.

Please contact, via email, Standard Poodles in Need for more information on this bonded pair.

Nyla

June 29, 2016

Met up with Nylah and her humans on Sunday night. Nylah was the winner of Sit With Me's spring auction gift. Funds were raised for the rescue and we scheduled for a session at Pinhey's Point National Historical Site.

Nylah was very well behaved and was a super model to photograph. I'm glad to have been able to give this family some great memories and raise funds for rescue at the same time.

Some smiles for your day

June 28, 2016

Two boys and two girls

Malibu and Boz are two energetic males looking for a new home. Then we have the beautiful Meli & Delilah whom are also looking for a human to love them forever. Please contact Sit With Me for more information and see if you're a good match to any of these cuties.

Summer is here ... new dogs in rescue

June 11, 2016

Moving day is approaching in Quebec. The province is quite restrictive for rentals that allow pets. It seems to be more and more difficult every year. We have our frustrations with the public as well as many dogs get either left behind in the actual apartment (sometimes not being found by the landlord until days later) or genuinely not trying hard enough to find new accommodations that allow pets. I try not to be judgemental, as you never know the whole story but there is definitely a large problem with the accountability and responsibility towards their pets.

Some of the pretty faces below are dogs that just got pulled from our local shelter. Some have been with their foster homes for a short time, and a few for a bit longer. Foster homes are vital to Sit With Me's programme. It allows the dog to 'decompress' after having massive changes in their lives. It allows them to become comfortable, settle and allow for a more accurate behaviour and medical assessment. With this knowledge, there is more success in adoption placement.

The hardest dogs to place are pit bull type dogs. They cannot be adopted in Ontario, due to breed specific legislation, and therefore our main province is exempt. We adopt out to responsible homes in Quebec, but even in that province there are municipal bylaws that restrict the 'type' as well. We partner with Pit Bulls for Life in Edmonton Alberta. When possible, we facilitate transport via airline to the rescue for either adoption or homes they have ready to foster - and being allowed a larger audience to meet and view the adoptables.

You will see many pittie types on this site, that I photograph. I try so hard for them because there are so many whom are wonderful and friendly and have been looked over, not because of anything they have ever done, but because of the publics perception (largely due to 30+ years of ignorant media reporting).

They are ... just ... dogs. They are absolutely strong ... but so are many other breeds, some even stronger. A dangerous dog is dangerous due to exposure in it's life, sometimes genetic but more often by mistreatment. It's not dangerous because of what it looks like.

New faces in rescue

April 17, 2016 in Dog Rescue

Had a visit to a local shelter last weekend and got to photograph some sweet dogs. Within a week, the Husky and the Beagle are with now with Sit With Me Rescue (The Shepherd-mix is already with Sit With Me), the Boxer-mix is with Valley Animal Rescue, the brindle Terrier-mix is with the Montreal SPCA and the Chihuahua is with BARK Rescue. Thank you to all the rescues for helping out and taking these dogs.

Please consider adoption.

Looking for a forever home

March 24, 2016

We have some new faces at Sit With Me. I sent a message out to current fosters the other week to see if they could swing by my place with their dog for some updated profile shots. Foster homes are vital to most rescues, without them .. they would not be able to save the dogs that they do. Fosters help shape the behaviour of the dog, give them a loving and safe environment and prepare them for their new life, a better one.

Thank you to all the fosters who help make Sit With Me a rescue worth volunteering for.

Helping out in 2015

December 31, 2015

The majority of my photography work is towards helping dogs get noticed and adopted, quicker. I am incredibly proud of working with Sit With Me and helping them out in any way I can. Volunteering for an animal rescue can be emotionally draining. There are incredibly happy times and there are times that just literally deflates you. I know of photographers who suffer from post-traumatic stress from the experiences they have witnessed and photographed. I, fortunately, have not had that experience. I find the hard times are great motivators for helping out even more.

When I get told my Sit With Me coordinators that my photos have helped get an otherwise overlooked dog get adopted .. mission accomplished. It's always the best news of the day and that's my purpose.

Here are some of the faces of 2015. Some are photos taken at various shelters when we have gone to do behaviour assessments. Those dogs might have gone to other rescues in the end but I have included them in this collage because it is Sit With Me who sends their volunteers to do the assessments, write up the notes, send out to other rescues with photos and often coordinate the transportation.

When I look at the faces of these dogs, I am thankful they have volunteers with Sit With Me and other rescues/individuals who look out for them every day.

and then there were 37

September 15, 2015

In the past 2 months, Sit With Me has unexpectedly taken in 5 litters of puppies. This is incredibly taxing on so many people so please continue to read and perhaps you can help?

The first litter came in July. They are now known as the Minion Litter. There are 5 in total, 3 males and 2 females. They no longer have a mother, she died during a trip with the previous owners and the pups were only days old. They were brought to a shelter who couldn't take care of the puppies for weeks, around the clock, so they reached out to Sit With Me. The pups are now 7 weeks old and are split into two foster homes whom live close to each other for play dates. These puppies had to be fed with formula, burped and cleaned every 2 hours. A lot of work!

The second litter comes in early August and is the Pokemon litter. These pups as well, have no mother. She didn't die but she did maul one of the pups when they were only a couple of days old. The mauling was severe and the owner felt the pups weren't safe. They were surrendered to a shelter whom, like the other shelter, had no resources to hand raise the puppies. There are 5 in this litter, including the mauled puppy. She sadly has had to lose both her eyes but is in good hands and has incredible will to live and fight off the infections she's endured. Currently the injured pup and a littermate are being fostered by a vet tech. The other 3 are together with a foster home.

The third litter is Marion's puppies. Marion was a pregnant Boxer whom was picked up as a stray. She gave birth in the shelter and needed to be moved fast. Sit With Me found a foster spot within their volunteers so they made the several hour journey to pick her up with the puppies. Marion had 6 puppies and even though she was pretty scared when she first arrived, she has settled in and is being a good mother to her pups.

The fourth litter are 10 puppies that were left in a cardboard box, in an alleyway. Completely abandoned they were discovered, picked up and brought to the local shelter. These puppies were 2 days old. Blind, deaf and completely helpless. A massive call for fosters was made internally. After 3 days in a home with a SWM member (with round the clock feedings, and cleaning of 10 hungry and stinky bums, 4 foster homes were found and the pups were split into groups. They are currently being taken care of by dedicated foster mums who probably have lacked a bit of sleep this week.

The fifth litter is Emma's litter. Emma was left at a shelter by her previous owner .. very pregnant. Sit With Me organized a foster home (unsure of how many puppies she had) for her and last week she gave birth to 13 puppies. Yes, 13. Sadly 2 didn't make it .. despite the efforts of two SWM members. However there are 11 beautiful puppies with incredible colouring and markings. Like all the other litters, they are mixed breeds and unknown at this time. Emma is being a fantastic mum, like Marion, and has her own space at her foster home where she can sneak away for a puppy break.

So .. lots of puppies. There are 37. Currently Sit With Me has reached out to many pet stores across Ottawa to provide drop off locations for donations.

Love Your Pet in Kemptville
Barrkhaven in Barrhaven
Global Pet Foods Kanata (Eagleson Road)
Global Pet Foods Hintonburg
Chew-That in Riverside South
Chew 'n Do in Manotick
Pet Valu in Elm Vale Acres
Pet Valu in Orleans on Innes Rd.
Healthy Pets HQ 420 Bank St. - Downtown.
Cricket & Company - 21 Murray St. -Downtown
Carleton Place Veterinary Hospital 120 Coleman St in Carleton Place

Here is a list of items they are currently looking for. If you have something that might be appropriate to donate, you can bring to any of the places above and just say it's for the "Sit With Me litters'

puppy pads
cans of puppy food (ie.Wellness puppy or any mousse like puppy food)
high quality puppy or all stages kibble (the pet stores listed above can help suggest great brands).
crates (24" long or greater)
baby wipes
grocery store gift cards (natural homemade baby formula is pricey)
paper towels
laundry detergent
gentle cleaning supplies
safe chew toys for puppies.
new small soft polar fleece blankets

Financial donations over $20 receive charitable tax receipts (paypal or email transfer to sitwithmerescue@gmail

Available dogs for adoption - Sit With Me

May 23, 2015

A new (mostly) crew of pooches are part of the Sit With Me family. Please consider sharing with people and help get these guys a new home.

Friendly faces of 2014

December 31, 2014

Volunteering with a dog rescue group, like Sit With Me, is rewarding in many ways. You constantly learn about dog behaviour, you learn to work with local shelters, you sometimes foster, you sometimes laugh and you sometimes cry. It can be very emotional but incredibly rewarding. I wanted to sign off this year with a collage of many of the dogs that I photographed. Some indoor studio type shots, some outdoors and others are intake photos. Intake photos are so hard because you have little time, small assessment room, no flash (so you're cranking your ISO) and sometimes an opportunity to shoot just outside the building which is never very pretty and always in full noon sun. These photos matter though. They matter because sometimes, without a decent photo, dogs get passed up.

To me, this is what matters. Helping the dogs that have done nothing wrong but often had irresponsible owners. Much of the public doesn't realize that not having your pet spayed or neutered, having it roam, unwanted litters, or throwing up $400 puppies on Kijiji contributes to the reason why many dogs and many cats don't make it out of municipal shelters ALIVE.

Please look at the faces you see. They were all helped in one way or another and everyone of them were given a chance.

Please consider adopting for your next pet. There are amazing mixes out there or if you want a specific breed, there are breed rescues as well, just look around or ask me. I would be more than happy to point you in direction.

Shelter pets or rescue pets aren't broken. Some may have some challenges but many have just had unfortunate timing and circumstances.

All the best in the new year

Our family

October 17, 2014

I had the absolute pleasure of photographing another local pet photographer last weekend. Lynda is the owner of LGraveline Photography and she contacted me because, as a photographer, it's hard to get photos of yourself when YOU are the one who is always shooting.

I met up with Lynda in the west end of Kanata, near Dunrobin, with her boyfriend Nick and her three dogs; Bentley the Australian Cattle Dog, Oz the Australian Shepherd and Doc the American Pit Bull Terrier. Doc is their current foster dog with Sit With Me rescue and unfortunately he has cancer and had a limited but unknown amount of time left. I was so happy to be able to give this family some wonderful photographic memories.

Krishna & Emmy

August 31, 2014

Krishna contacted me regarding booking
a session for her dog Emmy. Emmy
was a rescue with Sit With Me and a compassionate adoption. A photo session was on Krishna's bucket list for her and I was more than happen to assist. Emmy has been diagnosed with cancer and her lifespan has been shortened.

We met up at their home and went to their local park and seeing the bond these two have with each other was nothing short of beautiful.

Emmy has integrated into their loving family and it was an absolutely pleasure meeting them. Thank you Krishna for caring and opening your heart and home.

Rescatame

July 23, 2014

I was able to connect with an animal rescue group while on holidays in Punta Cana this past spring. Their name is Rescatame and through generous donations and great working relationships with the public and vets - they are able to vaccinate, spay & neuter, feed and facilitate adoptions both local and overseas. Sylvia and Viviana were kind enough to bring me out to show me what a typical morning can consist of. This particular morning involved helping some community dogs with food and treating a new arrival with a dewormer. Often the locals vets can manage with treatments but sometimes they need to travel to Santo Domingo for more complicated procedures.

There are many stories of dogs showing up at businesses. Some are lucky and taken care of, some are chased away ... some are poisoned. It's a tough life for any roaming dog. Rescatame see the local problem and work to try to improve their lives. Education, spay & neutering, vaccinations and encourage adoptions. Please check out their Facebook page for more up to date news.