Page 134 - ShowSight - July 2019

Purebred Preferences
BY DAN SAYERS photos courtesy of 101 Salivations: For the Love of Dogs by Rachel Hale PRESERVATION & RESCUE
This is the fourth article in a series that considers America’s preference for purebred dogs through the pages of a single book. This month’s literary source is 101 Salivations: For the Love of Dogs, published in 2003.
In 2003, Bulfinch Press published a collec- tion of photographs by Rachael Hale, an award- winning photographer from New Zealand
whose specialty is animal portraiture. The charming purebred dog images that appear in 101 Salivations: For the Love of Dogs captivated dog-lovers around the world. However, unlike the breed representa- tives featured in most purebred dog books, each subject is presented as an irresistible individual rather than a representative of its breed. In her work, Rachael focuses not so much on breed characteristics as on each dog’s expression, enhanced in some portraits by a few carefully considered props. The result is a genuinely loving tribute to the human-canine bond, with an emphasis on “love.” Each of the images is as precious as any photo tucked away in a wedding album. As Rachael emphasizes, “Most of all, dogs love and cherish us unconditionally, until death do us part.”
PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE PRESERVATIONISTS TOO
Like dog breeders, photographers are pres- ervationists too. Dog photographers capture specific times and places, allowing future gen- erations to appreciate the inheritance of every recognized breed. As 101 Salivations’ front book flap offers, “For thousands of years, the dog has been at the center of our affections. We respect them as faithful workers, admire them as reso- lute hunters.” This introduction offers a link between an ancient partnership and the tender- ness with which we enjoy this relationship today. As the book acknowledges, “We watch in awe as they run carefree in the park, a flurry of legs and fur, and laugh as they collapse blissfully in an exhausted heap. They guard and protect us, lead us when we cannot see, walk alongside us and become our closest pals.”
Rachael Hale’s 101 “closest pals” are repre- sentative of the many dogs she encountered dur- ing the course of her daily life. For example, one disarming Dachshund introduced herself to the photographer during an early morning stroll. “On a brisk walk through the park one morn- ing, I found Darcy, a tiny, trembling angel on my feet,” she shares of her initial meeting with one of her photogenic favorites. “We were friends from the start, but it was a bond born from fear rather than friendship.” Rachael writes that Darcy spotted her as she was walking her Newfound-
lands, Henry and George. “When Darcy clapped eyes on these two hulking beasts ambling towards her, she mustered all the speed she had in her miniature legs and sought refuge,” she relates. “But rather than turn on her heels, she ran straight for us. In a flash, she had scooted between my legs and planted herself on top of my feet, burying her claws into the flesh for further solace. An inch or so taller and a pinch bolder, Darcy could finally eyeball the big dogs, by now bewildered by the little one’s dash to safety atop my toes.” Any doubt of the story’s validity is quickly dashed by the black-and- white image of Darcy perched precariously atop a pair of bare feet.
“It was chance meetings like the one in the park, or on wind- swept beaches and street corners, that helped me fill the pages of this book with the incredibly diverse range of personalities, shapes and sizes one encounters in the dog world,” Rachael shares. In her quest to find 101 camera-ready canines, the photographer reveals that she simply approached dog owners during her daily excursions. “When I asked if I could capture their dogs on film, every one of them replied, ‘Yes, yes, we’d love you to,’” she reports. Judging by the dogs’ expressions in her work, they were willing participants in the project too.
RECOGNIZABLE EXPRESSIONS
What’s remarkable about Rachael Hale’s collection of portraits is the recognizable expression worn on the face of every breed depicted. Each representative seems to beckon the viewer with an unmistak- able “look” that should be familiar to purebred dog enthusiasts. As the book jacket confirms, “Rachael’s secret to capturing a dog’s soul is to focus on his or her eyes—whether they are wide and shining, or heavy-lidded, in the throes of slumber. Within this book we can
128 • ShowSight Magazine, July 2019