Sometimes, having to reschedule a shoot can be the best thing that can happen, just like this London Whippet shoot.

Meet gorgeous Ezra

It’s not often that I have to reschedule shoots, it’s usually weather related, so its even more rare to have to reschedule twice! Ezra’s humans were super relaxed about it though, wanting to make sure we got the best images from the shoot.

A Perfect Day

We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect November day! Lovely golden light, and the gardens at Chiswick House offered such an amazing array of colours so late in the year! It was also fairly empty, we didn’t see very many people at all! This location is walking distance for Ezra and his humans, so it is a very special place for them.

Ezra is very much attached to his humans, and not really fussed about anyone else, so I felt very privileged that he was happy for me to give him a good neck scratch.

On Lead but that’s okay!

You may not realise it, but most of these images were actually taken with Ezra on lead. As long as the lead is positioned in a certain way, then it’s quite easy to edit out afterwards.  But enough of that, look at his ears, aren’t they just amazing! He so reminded me of my own hound, Scout, when his ears did this.

Here’s what Ezra’s humans had to say about the shoot (I felt super comfortable chatting with them both, so I was quite surprised when I got this!)

“We’ve had the most amazing shoot with Kerry, with truly magical photos of our whippet boy – Ezra to keep. We’ve been following Kerry’s work for years and we knew if we ever have a photo shoot it must be with her, but as we’re both shy and a bit socially awkward – the idea made us nervous. When we finally decided to do it I was anxiously waiting for the big day, but Kerry made everything so easy. We hit it off right away, she was so nice, brilliant with our dog and she made us feel relaxed and safe. She chose beautiful locations and set ups and turned Ezra into a supermodel – she clearly has a way with dogs!

Overall it was a fantastic and uplifting experience and we’re truly grateful for the wonderful pictures we now have on our walls capturing the sweet personality of Ezra.”

I know high vis and florescent is hardly going to win any style awards, however as the days get shorter here in the UK, it means a lot of us need to walk our dog after dark. Here are the top 7 things I use to keep my dogs and myself safe & seen.

High Vis Jumper from The Whippet Company

This jumper is super snuggly for the colder days and super high vis! I have both the yellow and the orange versions and reflective strips are a good size to make sure your hound is spotted easily. Also great if you are walking off lead in a busy park/beach!

From: The Whippet Company
Cost: From £37.50

The Harbour Rain Slicker from Chilly Dogs

Perfect for those damp autumn days – it’s light weight so great for hairy hounds or for cooler days and keeps your dog dry. It has reflective strips round the design for visibility in low light. I bought mine via special request from Doggy Boho, although you can order them direct from Chilly Dogs be prepared to pay $40 shipping. Doggy Boho currently have in a different rain slicker & a similar, fleece lined version of the Harbour, all with reflective strips.

From : Chilly Dogs Canada or Doggy Boho 
Cost: from £62.50

The Surrey High Vis coat from Redhound For Dogs

Lets face it, if you live somewhere like the UK, you don’t have to be walking before sunrise or after sunset for the days to be dark! For those kind of days I have this coat. Because it’s padded, it’s cosy for autumn, but the design means that I can pop a jumper on the dogs for the colder days. Now Redhound cater specifically for sighthounds however I have seen a fair few other breeds who fit them too – usually dogs with deeper chest and smaller waist like dalmatians and vizslas.

From: Redhound for Dogs
Cost: From £41.00

Ruffwear High Visability Track Jacket

If your dog doesn’t really need a coat to keep them warm but you still want them to be visible then this may be your option! Super light weight & waterproof with a thick reflective strip down each side.

From: Purrfectly Yappy 
Cost: £27.00

Clip on lights

You can pop these on harnesses or around collars as an added extra option. These ones are waterproof too (I know this for sure as one went through the washer and still works!). I use these for myself too, popping one on my bumbag (yes, I have one!) when I’m running.  I bought mine in a pack from Amazon but I’m sure you can purchase something similar from other places.

For Humans: Head torch & reflective arm bands

Living where I do means lots of very dark walks! A USB charging head torch is one of the best investments I have had purchased. Obviously it illuminates your walk but also makes sure that cars know you are there too. Paired with some elasticated reflective arm bands, I’m hardly the height of fashion but at least both myself and my hounds will be seen! 

Do you have any added tips for how to stay visible in winter? I’d love to hear them.

Kerry

Professional Dog Photography
Surrey | Sussex | Hampshire
kerry@furandfables.com

For a couple of years I have been desperate to do a solo trip to the Lake District where there are wide expanses of fells and mountains, and just walk, take photographs for myself, spend some quality time with one or two of the dogs, and generally get some headspace. Then last year for my 40th birthday, a group of close friends pitched in to basically buy me the trip that I so wanted.

And so, in mid January, I set off with two of my most reliable hounds, Scout & Bertie, and we made the five hour trip to our remote cottage near Matterdale End in Ullswater. We were about 15 minutes from Pooley Bridge and Keswick, the location was perfect!

I chose to visit in January for the simple fact that I usually get bookings from February to December and with hindsight I honestly couldn’t think of a more perfect time to go. Yes there were the occasional downpours, but on those crisp clear days, we walked for miles without getting too hot or dehydrated and we often had fells and mountains to ourselves for the entire walk.

Dog Friendly Lake District

I was overawed with how dog friendly everywhere was, from cafe’s to restaurants, even a grocery store!

Here are a few dog friendly places I visited:

Granny Dowbekins Cafe in Pooley Bridge

Lovely homemade food (I had a fab quiche) and they do doggy bags with leftover sausages and other tasty titbits! | www.grannydowbekins.co.uk

Chestnut House Store in Pooley Bridge

I went in for a pint of milk and came out with lots of gin! They have a dizzying array of gins, and have the knowledge to help you find your perfect one. The owners also have pointy nosed hounds so it must be a good place right? | www.chestnuthouseonline.co.uk

Lingholm Kitchen

If you visit Catbells Mountain, going here is a must, it’s less than 5 minutes away! Lovely cafe and gift shop, great food and super dog friendly. | www.thelingholmestate.co.uk

Podgy Paws in Keswick

Brilliant pet shop where I was able to stock up on raw food, and a huge selection of natural dog treats and chews, some I hadn’t seen before! | www.podgypaws.co.uk

Where we walked

I’m a keen walker, and living in the South Downs means that I’m no stranger to hilly walks, obviously the Lake walks a tad more than hills though!

Catbells: one of the smaller mountains in the Lake District – there are some fairly steep sections and also a bit scrambling over boulders to be done. Scout was confident with all of this, Bertie however, not so much! He managed some of the climbing with treat bribes, I wish I had put them in their ruffwear six point harnesses though as the handle would have made it much easier to help him along. It’s well worth the try, the scenery is incredible once you get up there.

Pooley Bridge: One of the days we walked round a section of the lake at Pooley Bridge, a nice flat walk with stunning views of the surrounding mountains. After that we drove in the direction of Howtown down a narrow winding road and parked in one of the many lay-bys and just chose a route!

Kirkstone Pass: Stunning long winding road on the way to Windermere – encountered a few sheep here.

Seatoller to Dale Head

There’s a car park at Seatoller and you can either take the footpath or the small winding road up to Dale Head (or park closer – there are a lot of layby’s in the Lakes. This route took me about 3 and a half hours.

Things to take:

• A USB rechargable head torch – much better than having to worry about batteries running out.
• View Ranger app for directions. I’m not great at reading maps, this app still tracked my progress even when I had no phone signal so I was able to figure out if I was going in the right direction.

• Harnesses with handles to get the dogs over styles and boulders, I swear by Ruffwear
• Good walking boots – my Berghaus were great for fell walking, I could have probably done with something with a bit more grip for some of the more vertical climbs.

• A dog travel bed – I took my PAW dogs travel bed which doubles up as a bag, I kept it in the car, great for going from walks to cafes.

Interactive toys for the hounds – The K9 connectables were brilliant for settling the dogs in a cafe and as an actual toy to play with.

• A bobble hat! Seriously, it’s like a uniform in the Lakes! I got a gorgeous one from Herdy in Keswick (a Lake District brand).

• A packable, waterproof raincoat, the weather can close in very quickly! Don’t skimp on this one, showerproof coats just wont cut it.
• Lots of layers for the dogs, not only is it cold, there can be a very brisk wind. I took Redhound fleeces and quilted & wax jackets which also kept them dry as well as a Hurtta onesie (from Devil Dood Designs) for Bertie as he seems to get filthy even when Scout stays immaculately clean!

Where I stayed

Swallowdale cottage in Dockray. A converted barn with everything you could possibly need. The best thing is, you literally go out of the door and onto beautiful walking routes; I was able to walk to Aira Force waterfall in under an hour. Oh, and there’s a great pub half a mile away at the bottom of the village. Below is the view from the bedroom window.

Swallowdale Cottage via Sykes Cottages