Jukki & Kooza

When you photograph pets, all of your clients are special. There is a weird vibe, a kind of joy, that you carry away with you. However, last year I photographed 2 dogs that were particularly special; Jukki and Kooza. I have to say that for them and their owners Astrid and Barry, I have a very special affection. Big lovers of Siberian Huskies, Astrid and Barry were married on a dog sled while their dog Jukki was on the pulling team. Now how cool is that?! They were full of great stories, one of which was about Barry going to the North Pole by dog sled. Very cool! When we went to take outdoor shots, I turned around to see them standing there with matching sledding coats. (I swear I’m going to get me one!)

Last weekend I was reading John Grogan’s (Marley and Me) latest book; Bad Dogs Have More Fun when much to my surprise I came across the story of Barry going to the North Pole. After Barry’s dog Kunitz passed away, he went to the North Pole by dog sled to release the dog’s ashes. An incredible thing to do. Now you can see why I carry such affection for Astrid and Barry. We share a deep-rooted, intrinsic love for dogs.

The funny part was that I was alone in the house (that NEVER happens) and I was all excited and there was no one to tell! I jumped on the computer and emailed Barry to tell him how freaked out I was when I read his story in John Grogan’s new book. Barry emailed me back immediately from his blackberry saying he and Astrid were shopping in downtown Toronto when they got my message and were even more freaked because they didn’t know his story was in the book! They ran right down to the book store and bought up a bunch of copies. Barry knew Grogan wrote his story in a article in 2006, but being the the book was a complete surprise. So funny.

So here are some photos of Jukki and Kooza I took last year. A couple of very special dogs through whom I met some very special people.