My Vision

I hope you don’t need me.  I really do.  I know that sounds strange, but I hope that as a rescue or shelter, your animals are all placed quickly to great homes and you really don’t need my services.  Eventually, I hope that all animals have loving homes and society has no need for our services at all.  I hope.

Unfortunately, you and I both know that this isn’t likely to happen in the near future.  There are far more animals than good homes, as evidenced by the almost 400 rescue and shelter organizations listed on Petfinder for the state of Minnesota alone.    All of these organizations are grounded in the hard work that you and your volunteers do every day – but still animals die due to lack of time, lack of funds, lack of resources and lack of space.   I want to do something to change that.

I’ve always wished that animals could talk.  Once I started photography, I found that they communicate through their eyes, if we just take the time to pay attention.  I can translate the nonverbal language they give us into images you can use to advance your goals.  These images facilitate the match between pets and their prospective families, hopefully making our jobs in rescue easier.  So how did I come to this realization?

In 2002, when my akita was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, I began volunteering with a local no-kill rescue as a distraction.  Again, I was hooked, and I continue volunteering to this day, including fostering since 2008.  The picture on this page includes one of my foster dogs, and gives you some idea where the name DogMama originated.  I started taking pictures for the rescue’s web site in 2006, off and on, but have been doing so exclusively since 2011, photographing well over 2,500 dogs in the process.   Seeing the difference a strong picture makes in a dog’s posting made me consider offering my services to other rescues and shelters in the area, and DogMama Images was born.

No animal should be neglected, sick, hungry, unloved or unwanted, regardless of its situation.  Every living thing deserves respect and dignity.  In dealing with others, our words match our actions and we lead by example.  We have a responsibility to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.   Until they all have loving homes and our services are no longer needed – and beyond – these are the values I live by.

I love what I do.  I love working with the animals and bringing out the best in them for the camera.  I love watching their individual personalities reflected in the images that appear.  I love the satisfaction I find in knowing that I provided the best possible face for them to find their forever homes.  I hope you don’t need me.  If you do, please contact me.  I’d love to work with you.

This is truly my passion and I invite you to join me.  Together we can save lives.