A Rescue

People are always surprised to hear I am a rescue. I do clean up well. But these photos taken by Elena of Pawtiqe gave Mum a lump in her throat.

They were so raw and reminded her of where I was before we found each other.

We met Elena through another favourite dog photographer, Andrew of Raven Imagery.

Mum loved her black and white portraitures, especially since I am an almost black dog.

When she inquired about a photoshoot she then realised that Elena had done a campaign for Rescue Dogs in London. We had applied to be part of it, but then we never heard back. Mum thought, that’s just my luck, always overlooked.

May’s comment: That’s what I thought but for some reason our application never got through. But we were meant to meet for other reasons.

We had an informal and impromptu shoot one very windy afternoon, just in the courtyard where we live. Even then the photos of George took my breath away. I loved how raw he looked. His eyes spoke volumes – a little black dog in a big city, and just wondering what the world was all about.

Let us introduce you to Elena from Pawtiqe

I’m Elena, the human behind Pawtiqe. Monochrome-obsessed and interior design lover, I specialise in black and white dog portraiture capturing simple uniqueness, with little extra fine art touch. I started photographing at the age of 15 and after completing my photography studies, I worked for a few years in a Fine Art printing studio, helping photographers, artists and galleries find the perfect printed medium to complement their work and create stunning art pieces.  

Pawtiqe brings together my passion for everything black & white, interior decor and, of course, dogs, under one roof. I am passionate about working with dog parents to create clean, intimate portraits of their companions that can sit effortlessly in their homes and complement their interior decor. A tangible everyday reminder of how unique their bond with their dog is and will be in the years to come.

When Elena came to photograph George, we had a good natter and soon learnt about Elena’s plight in trying to adopt a rescue dog in London.

George, as many of you know, came from the streets of Hungary (Hungary Hearts Dog Rescue).

Through her involvement in researching rescue dogs, had embarked on a project to photograph 60 London rescue dogs in 60 days to create calendars in support of Underdog International – an organisation that we got to know and supported through Harbin Slaughterhouse Survivors.

It turned out to be a fab connection and we hope to be able to work together to do something meaningful.

About 60 London Rescue Dogs in 60 Days Project

When I was a kid, I really wanted a dog. We lived in Italy in a small flat with our three cats, and my mum kept telling me we couldn’t get a dog, that she had one when she was little and they are a big commitment, we didn’t have a garden and I wasn’t responsible enough to care for one.

When we went on holiday in Barcelona, while walking around Park Güell I remember my mum saying “If we had all this space, I would buy you 50 dogs!”, so I stopped asking for a dog and started asking for a new house with a garden instead!

One day, when I was 8 years old, we were stuck in a town due to a snowstorm waiting to see a puppy litter while waiting for the snow to stop. My mum fell in love with one of the puppies which we called Otto, our first dog.

Our parents taught me and my brother how to care for him, took us to training classes, and soon we were allowed to walk him on our own. Otto quickly became part of the family, sleeping with us, and travelling everywhere with us.

When we moved to a larger flat and the second dog came. Then a third. And a fourth.

When I moved to London, I was so used to being surrounded by dogs and cats that I couldn’t wait to share my new life with a four-legged companion again. I was now well aware of the commitment. When I completed my studies and found a stable job and a good flat, I felt ready to welcome a dog into my life, and I started looking at ex-racing greyhounds, as I’ve always been in love with the breed and there were so many looking for their forever homes!

With my experience, stable situation and the help of my partner, I was already looking at buying all the essentials, just waiting for the organisation to tell me when I could take my greyhound home.

It turns out, adoption processes in the UK are not as simple.

After navigating tons of websites, filling in several applications and going through a few home checks, I was considered unsuitable to adopt a dog by five different rescues (not counting the ones I didn’t even attempt contacting due to the requirements listed on their website).

After months of hearing: 

“We don’t rehome in flats.”

“You can’t adopt a greyhound if you live on a main road.”

“Do you have stairs? I’m sorry, greyhounds don’t do stairs.”

“We can’t give you a dog if you have a full-time job.”

“You would be perfect if you were located 500m that way, there’s too much traffic where you live.”

I was so discouraged that I gave up on searching and surrendered to the fact that my lifestyle was simply unsuited to give a dog the happy life they deserve.

A few years later I decided to change my career and founded Pawtiqe Dog Photography, determined to have dogs in my life in one way or another.

I also started volunteering, donating and trying to help dogs in need by walking and sponsoring them. It was only when I started working on a photographic project on rescue dogs living in London, that I came across Underdog International.

Their work really captured my attention and all my unsuccessful adoption applications began to resurface. I wanted to run a fundraising campaign to support Underdog International’s work, and at the same time raise awareness of dog adoption and the challenges many potential adopters face every day in the UK.

I started looking for rescue dogs who had found their forever home in London, and I challenged myself to photograph 60 of them in 60 days. The challenge was open to dogs of all sizes, ages, breeds and training levels and I was overwhelmed by the response I received in such a short period of time!

The aim of the project was to portray the new life of a rescue dog in London, so I asked dog parents to take the images in their homes, in the dog’s favourite place (mostly sofas, never the garden). In the case of dogs uncomfortable with having strangers in the house, we met in their favourite local spot, such as a street or a park, wherever the dog felt comfortable.

For 60 days I travelled around London taking photographs of these wonderful dogs, and I had the chance to talk to their parents about their adoption experiences.

Most of them stated they initially tried to adopt from local organisations, but were rejected several times as they didn’t meet the criteria, (which were very similar to the reasons I was rejected), so ended up looking at options abroad, and eventually found their perfect match.

After the photoshoots, I asked each dog parent to pick their favourite image from a selection of 5-10 shots. We were looking for an image that portrayed the dog’s personality, rather than the most aesthetically pleasing. 

The images were all collected and grouped by five London subregions (Central, North, South, East and West), to create five different calendars whose proceeds will all be donated to Underdog International.

Each “London Rescue Dogs” calendar features one dog per month and can be purchased at www.pawtiqe.com/shop

About Underdog International

The vast majority of the dogs that were entered in the challenge were rescued from abroad, and many of them thanks to Underdog International. Here is what Eve, Head of Adoptions at Underdog International believes:

“Adopting a dog can be for everybody. Often people believe that because they live in a flat, because they have children, or because they have a cat, they won’t be able to adopt a dog. This isn’t a barrier at Underdog International. The myths about all rescue dogs having behavioural issues, not being able to adopt puppies, not being able to adopt pure breeds, none of it is true. I firmly believe that there is a dog out there for everybody, it’s just about finding them.”

After listening to so many successful adoption stories, I realised I shouldn’t have given up on adopting and I am sure I am not the only one.

I strongly believe that knowing our own limits and taking the time to evaluate whether we are prepared to adopt it’s up to our own judgment, but we should always seek advice before making such a big step. 

I was so discouraged by my adoption experience that, when my life circumstances changed, I was convinced I would have never had a dog in London. Consequently, I adjusted my life accordingly and am no longer ready to welcome a dog into my life.

However, thanks to this experience I now know adopting is possible, and I will make all the necessary adjustments to be able to give an ex-racing greyhound the happy life he/she deserves.

There are so many dogs needing a loving home out there, and so many people who deserve to experience the love a rescue dog can give.

I hope that the 60 London Rescue Dogs in 60 Days project can inspire potential dog parents to keep trying until they find the right organisation and dog for them.

Link to purchase the charity calendars www.pawtiqe.com/shop