2012 LENSCRATCH Pets and Favorite Animals Exhibition

2012 LENSCRATCH Pets and Favorite Animals Exhibition by Aline SmithsonNovember 22, 2012

Thanksgiving, for those living in the United States, is a day to come together with family and friends and give thanks for all that we have in our lives. We sit down at a groaning table of traditional foods and see faces that sometimes are only an annual event. What we are celebrating today, are the faces that might just be under the table, waiting for possibility and a little affection: our pets. They are as much our family members as those who are connected by blood or circumstance, and in many cases, they are the family that we choose.

Some of you may remember my farewell post to the love of my life, Riley. It’s been a year since her passing and the loss is as profound as that of those loved ones in my life. So in memory of her, give your furry or feathered loved ones an extra pat, a piece of turkey, and a little extra attention today. I thank you for sharing in this wonderful celebration of those who live amongst us. Again a huge thank you to Grant Gill and Sarah Stankey for their help with this post.

Aline Smithson, Riley, modeling, Los Angeles, CA

Randy Karg, Shiner, Clarinda, IA

Robin Tryloff, Ben and George, Oakbrook, Illinois

Kylie Torrence, Dusty, Atlanta GA

Charidy Bunsa, Cody, Largo, FL

Shawna Gibbs, Sehan with Inchworm, Claremont, NH

In honor of all the little insects that, despite our most innocent and gentle intentions, gave their lives to curious minds this summer.

Gina Kelly, Mister entertained, Simon bored, Minneapolis, MN

Laurie McCormick, Raisin-RIP, Brentwood, CA

Phyllis Schwartz, Chow’s Last Portrait, Vancouver, BC

Morganna Magee, Tyler and Percy, Melbourne, Australia

This is Tyler and his cat Percy. Tyler is 10 years old and completely blind after he had both of his eyes removed when he developed cancer in both of them when he was aged 3. He calls Percy his best friend, and Percy is gentle and patient with him, only getting agitated if he is locked out of Tyler’s room and can’t sleep in his bed with him.

Larry Torno, Maggie, St. Louis, MO

Maggie was a constant companion for 17 years, often following me into my office in the morning and taking her place until closing time, when she sat at the door, waiting to be fed.

Isabella La Rocca, Lulu, Berkely, CA

This image is one of a series I call Dog Park. The dog in the picture is my 12 year old constant companion, Lulu. I got her as a puppy from a shelter and we adore each other.

Cleo Schoeplein, Fig and Riley, Los Angeles, CA

Michelle Rogers Pritzl, Berlin Kitty, Tustin, CA

Mike Whiteley, Hailey, Mission: Wolf, Colorado

Hailey is a Grey Wolf living at Mission: Wolf in Southern Colorado, a wolf sanctuary with about two dozen wolves mostly from captive breed wolves that cannot be released back into the wild. I have been there a few times to volunteer and help care for the wolves and I am always amazed in how their wildness transcends their breeding and cages.

Susan Boecher, Mara and Cat, Minneapolis, MN

Angela Marklew, Freyja, Venice, CA

In the summer of 2010 I found a puppy on the street in Watts. She was emaciated and near death. It was a long road but she made it through – the full story of her ordeal is here:

http://fstopinertia.com/photography/freyja/

K.B. Dixon, Frick & Frack, Bandon, OR

This is a pair of guard dogs at an art gallery in Bandon ,Oregon.

Holly Connellan, Guard Dogs, Sydney, Australia

Caroline McLean, Monkey and Windsors, Boulder, Colorado

Monkey and Windsor in Boulder, Colorado on hike! Monkey is my daughter’s dog and Windsor is my son’s dog. They are sister and brother, little and big, one likes to cuddle and the other plays ball. They get along only because and not by choice. Food is often a bone of contention. I love my dogs because they teach me about tolerance, patience and life. Dog hair is a fact of life, stubborn behavior drives me crazy and they live and die. I thank all my pets in recent years: Brandy, Moose, Pickle, Molly, Belle, Gunther and Tucky. Happy Thanksgiving blessings!

Mary Anne Mitchell, Playtime, Atlanta, GA

Linda Alterwitz, Ruby, Las Vegas, Nevada

Rana Nicole Young, Marli, Portland, OR

Donna Rosser, Sadie on the Sofa, Fayetteville, GA

Sadie is a rescue from a local kill shelter. The shelter workers believed she was a good dog — so she was kept there for about a month before we found her. We call her the ‘monkey dog’ for the way she vocalizes to us and say that she has the personality of a 5 year old. Sadie likes to hunt for rabbits in the backyard — but she is also a couch potato. She is one of the best dogs I have ever had and I don’t think I have ever taken a bad photo of her.

Fabiano Busdraghi, where should we go?, Bernardo O’Higgins Base, Antarctica

Christine Anderson, Hurricane Sandy, North New Jersey

During the hurricane and following Nor’ Easter. My dog Reggie was not fearful of the storm and became the way I portrait how I experienced the storm and days after. I started to call her STORMTRACKER REGGIE when I started to to use pictures of Reggie to give online updates on the storm until I lost power…

Julie Rae Powers, Zaira, Ripley, WV

Kristy Carpenter, Gus and Judy, Bronson, MI

Gus follows my mother around like a lovestruck teenager. Knowing he’s there, always watching over her, helps me sleep better at night.

Vicki Hunt, Cami, Birmingham, Alabama

Jeremy Nix, Mister Bojangles, Denver, CO

We lost Mister Bo this year, this was my favorite picture of him that I took.

Bob Johnson, Frenzy, Ballona Wetlands, Marina del Rey, CA

Lost Sasha and Homer, my dogs, to old age, so I decided to adopt the wildlife in the Ballona wetlands as my playmates and photo subjects. Homer and Sasha were camera shy, but the Ballona residents are exceptionally cooperative.

Kevin McCollister, Luna Walks Into The Light, Los Angeles, CA

Heidi Lender, Untitled, from the series Once Upon, Garzon, Uruguay

The Bubba….best friend, muse, my Cindy Crawford, road-tripping partner, bunny-hunter, bear-fighter and all around best little guy in the world.

Morgan Hagar, Roxy’s Springtime Snooze, Denver, CO

Sheri Lynn Behr, 19 Year Old Crockett Keeping Warm After Hurricane Sandy, Edgewater, NJ

Robbie Kaye, Nico & Luna on the Trail

Adriana Reyes Newell, Carmelita-Lightning Dog, Nambe, NM

Carmelita was a husky-boxer mix puppy adopted from the shelter when she was 2 months old. At age 7 she was diagnosed with bone cancer and underwent surgery to remove her left arm. She also endured chemotherapy for 4 months after which she came back to her playful and energetic self. In July 2012 her cancer spread to her lungs and skin. She lost the fight on September 11th 2012. We miss her terribly and her absence feels more like a pestering presence that wont let go. The only consolation is that she is no longer in pain.

Susan Weingartner, The Roar, Los Angeles, CA

Michael was adopted from a shelter when he was just 6 weeks old. He’s one of the funniest cats I’ve ever met, always needing to enroll everyone in his games, especially “fetch” , “chase the kitties”, and “da bird”.