Ralph, a snow-loving, hundred-and-eighty-pound Saint Bernard from Georgia, who was competing at Westminster for the first time.  All Images © Landon Nordeman for the New Yorker.

Landon Nordeman, shooting for the New Yorker, spent some one-on-one time with fabulous prized canines, gathered at the Pennsylvania Hotel for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in February 2013. The goal of this two-day project was to photograph the personality of the dogs. Technically it was challenging because once you take a dog off a leash, no matter how trained they are, they can be very unpredictable. Nordeman said, “My assistants used dog toys and treats to try and get the dogs to sit still and look at the camera, which was easier said than done.” See Ralph pull a little ‘tude on this behind-the-scenes video.

Today, April 11th, is National Pet Day, founded by Colleen Paige, and is sponsored by the Animal Miracle Foundation & Network. Give your pet a little extra love today.

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“Saratoga, California.” May 28, 2012  All Images © Theron Humphrey

Maddie—the coonhound star of the popular “Maddie on Things” Tumblr—and her photographer owner Theron Humphrey want to meet ya’ll! The pair is traveling the US to promote a new book based on the Tumblr, and are working on a new project documenting stories of rescued animals and their owners in all 50 US states. The Maddie Book Tour kicks off in Austin, Texas on March 8th making stops across the United States. Check out the map to see when they’re coming to your town to make new friends, sign books and continue shooting the Why We Rescue project. The site will be updated every week with new work. Humphrey’s book “Maddie on Things: A Super Serious Project About Dogs and Physics” is published by Chronicle Books. For more, check out the video. (more…)

All photos © Carol Beuchat.

Carol Beuchat started photographing dogs in 1999 while in South Africa as an Honorary Professor at the Univ. of Cape Town. Since returning to the States in 2003 Beuchat has been dedicated to dog photography full time. She explains, “Dogs are such interesting animals, perhaps more than we generally realize if we only see them as pets.  At the dog park, the leash is off,  the dogs are free to interact with each other (if the owners will let them), and what you can observe is real canine behavior.  I started photographing at the dog park while there with my own dogs, and I was astonished at the amazing facial expressions, the athletic maneuvers, and all the teeth on display while they played each other. As fierce as the dogs might look in photos, they are very careful not to hurt one another, and they even seem to calibrate the roughness of play to the size and age of the playmate.  I’ve come to really appreciate how differently dogs play with each other than they do with people, and also that providing dogs with the opportunity just to be with other dogs really enriches their lives.”

Beuchat recently self published DOGSPLAY: The Joy of Being a Dog, which is available in hardcover from Blurb or as an eBook on her website.

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© Carli Davidson

A portrait of Mane, a Dogue de Bordeaux. The disproportionately large head of this breed makes it an ideal candidate for Carli Davidson‘s series “Shake,” an exploration of the unique shapes and textures created when dogs shake their heads. More images from Davidson’s series can be seen in the PDN Faces 2011 online gallery.

© David Allan Brandt

A Chihuahua and a Great Dane size each other up in this tense standoff. David Allan Brandt‘s canine portrait was included in the winners gallery of the 2009 PDN Best Friends contest. The 2010 Contest is currently open for entries until October 15. A People’s Choice winner will also be selected.