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handicap dogs

Meet Rusty, the One-Eyed Dog

By Andrew Hughes, Dogs, handicap dogs, portrait photography
Rusty is a cycloptic Canis familiaris with an indomitable “can-do” spirit. As a puppy, he lost his eye in a freak mowing accident (that will teach him to mow the yard), and recently almost died with a mystery illness. Luckily, he bounced back.

I have a feeling that Rusty did not realize that having just one eye was supposed to slow him down, because he is very active running and swimming on “his farm”.

Oops. Where is the tail? Too bad, I liked the look on his face.

I had traveled to Cartersville, Georgia to take photos for a Boy Scout promo and Rusty lived in the house where I did the photoshoot. In between the human photos, we coaxed Rusty onto the set to see if I could make a portrait of him.

I find that dogs who love treats can be easier to photograph compared to ones who could care less. Rusty likes cheese… enough said. The photos below were taken at an angle that makes it easy to imagine Rusty whole again.

A few minutes before these photos he decided to take a swim in the river even though it was 40 degrees outside.  I think he would have jumped in even if there was ice on the surface. Rusty was not going to let anything stop him from having a fun. Good boy!

Portrait of a Two-Legged Dog

By 2 legged dog, Dogs, handicap dogs, pet portraits, portraits

When my friend, Collin, asked me if I wanted to help him take photos of his mom, Ginger, and her Chiauau, Roo, little did I know that this dog would more resemble several other animals combined. Roo is unique because she was born without fully developed front legs. She has the stance of a kangaroo, the small wings of a chicken and the huge ears of a cave bat.

She has never known what it is like to walk on 4 legs and she considers hopping, sliding and dive bombing from the top of the couch totally natural for a dog. To get around she stands on her back legs and uses her tail to balance… just like a kangaroo.

When it was my turn to take photos, I used every stupid dog trick in the book from fake “barks” to cat “meows” to get her ears to stick straight up or her head cocked to one side. A little bribery with cheese did wonders too. See the full gallery here.

Here is Roo with his mom, Ginger. You will not find a bigger animal lover!

Roo is living proof that a strong spirit will find a way to adapt!