I heard this song the other day and I realize it’s supposed to be about people, but it really spoke to me about rescuing.

I created a video using this beautiful song by Christina Perri to spread the word about rescues and adoption. Take a look here, and please share. There are so many amazing dogs who are still looking for their family.

I will be launching a new website very soon which will be a personal project by me to spread the word about rescues. Please check out be-loved.ca soon.

All images in this video were taken by me, and each of them is a rescued dog. It’s not an easy journey, but it is worth every step.

This video features: our own dog, Wellie, as well as Penny, Charly, Barley, Willow, Newman, Millie, Jazz, Bailey, Tina, Scruffy, Percy, Aura, Blaze, Eclipse, Sahara, Kobalt, Nakia, Skye, Layla, Dolly and Lexi.

My family has been to Walt Disney World 18 times. We’re somewhat fanatical about our love of The Mouse. Yet, we have never brought our 3 year old, mini-golden doodle, Scamp, along for the fun. Given recent changes at the kennel situation at WDW, a trip to visit Mickey may be Scamp’s future.

On September 1 and 2, 2010, Disney closed the existing kennels at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and the Fort Wilderness resort and campgrounds, and opened the new Best Friends Pet Centre.

The new pet centre is a luxury pet care facility, so your pet can be pampered while you’re vacationing. There is 17,000 square feet of air-conditioned indoor space, plus covered outdoor runs, as well as an exclusive dog park. (And there are also “kitty city” spots.) Want water play or bedtime stories for your pet? Mickey got it all set. He even has live webcams so you can check in on your pet to see what they are doing!

The new location is on 2510 Bonnet Creek Parkway, close to the Port Orleans resorts. You can call 877-4-WDW-PETS or make reservations online.

So, give me a call to plan an awesome vacation for the humans in your family at Disney, and I’ll get you set up with Best Friends Pet Care to ensure your animals have their own fantastic getaway.

Article written by Sheila Gallant-Halloran, Travel Advisor
Website: vision2000.ca/sheilagh
Email: sheila.gh@vision2000.ca
Blog: sheila0gh.wordpress.com/
Phome: 613-837-0699
Twitter: @sheila_gh

(Ottawa Dog of the Week for October 25th/10)

“This is Rory, she turned 3 years old on August 28th. She is a Bernese Mountain dog, and is the sweetest little girl. She loves attention, especially from men, but will sit on anyone’s feet if they will give her a good rub. She has a few hobbies which include Carting, learning tricks (we are working on “play dead”) and doing obedience just for fun. She loves to chase Squirrels, birds and ducks. She likes to wade in the Rideau river but will not swim. She is a fantastic girl and I am so lucky to share my life with her.” – Rory’s mom, Shoshi.

Continue reading →

Ladies and gentlemen, pups and pooches, there’s a new magazine in town! Founded in March 2010, Animality Pet Magazine is a pretty on-line Ottawa based publication dedicated to the proper care and compassionate treatment of our beloved pet friends. Liz had the pleasure of photographing the uber-cute ‘Back to School Issue’ cover this September and discovered a devoted team of volunteers really trying to make a difference in pets’ lives.

Covering a wide range of interesting topics, including health, safety, nutrition, behaviour, training, products and so much more, the colourful monthly mag strives to educate people about the wonderful world of ‘pet-hood.’ Animality Pet Magazine publishes all original writing and all original photography, presenting its subject matter creatively and artistically. With new features, insights, and exciting contests every month (check out the ‘Best Dressed Halloween Pooch’ contest on their Facebook page), as well as a blog on the way, this mag, although still young, is certainly something to bark about.

Check it out at animalitypetmagazine.ca and show some love!

As some of you may know, not only do I run the Ottawa Dog Blog, but I am also a photographer. I thought it would be fun to sit down and answer my own questions on here, so you can get a better feel for my work.

Name: Liz Bradley
Studio Name: elizabeth&jane photography
Location: Ottawa
Website: elizabethandjane.ca
Camera(s): Nikon D300 with a whole lot of quick prime lenses

How would you classify or explain your style of dog photography?
I say my style is fun and fresh. To me that means that I try to capture your dog being themselves and showing their true personality. I run and play with the dogs I photograph and I hope that this atmosphere comes through in the photos. I also love capturing the dog and owner bond. I know how important my dogs are to me and I want to make sure that every dog owner has at least one great photo of their furry family member.

How did you get into doing dog-related photography?
I am kind of obsessed with dogs…hence this blog! I have loved dogs since as long as I can remember and I have also had a deep passion for photography. After we got Paddington I started fusing the two loves together and it was heaven. Photographing dogs is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done and I love it. I love that each session is so different – each dog is so different and brings an entire new adventure to the table.

When did you first realize you are a photographer?
Growing up I was always the one who “took photos”. I’d be the one that always had the camera and I’d be snapping away. I’ve always been a photographer, but now I get to do it as a job and I can tell you I feel so lucky that I can.

Could you tell us some more about your work?
Sure thing! After I started the Ottawa Dog Blog, I knew that I wanted to participate in local charity events. I thought about ways I could contribute and decided that offering my photography services would be a great way to not only help out the community, but to test the waters to see if I could handle the business of photographing dogs. I loved every minute of it and still do local Ottawa photography charity events now! (Next up is Bad Dog Mug Shots @ Westfest for BARK Rescue!)

Which one item of equipment would you say is the most important to you?
Ooooh this one is a toughy. Let’s get all deep here and I’ll say it’s my passion. I know that’s not really tangible, but it’s really important. I really love what I do and I hope that comes across in my photos!
Continue reading →

Canadians spend millions of dollars on food, toys and entertainment for their pets each year, surprisingly we have a blind spot when it comes to pet safety in the car. To ensure the safety of both you and your pets in the car it is essential to make sure your animals are restrained properly. This means using a chest harness in conjunction with the car seat belt.

There are several reasons why we must use proper restraint systems for our animals.

Seatbelts save lives: We know this is true for humans. The force of a collision, even at speeds as low as 30km an hour can fatally injure any unsecured pet that hits the dashboard or windshield.

Driver distraction: It is dangerous to have your pet unrestrained in the car. They can cause a distraction by jumping onto your lap or even interfering with the pedals.

Unsecured pets become projectiles in an accident: At speeds of approximately 60km/hour an unrestrained pet can become a projectile flying through your car with the force of 20 times its weight. Obviously this is not good for your pet, but it is also extremely unsafe for all the human occupants of the car.

Continue reading →