Dog Related Information | biscuit's space | The blog of photographer Katherine Carver

Sep 12

Inside ABANDONED: Beans

It is almost October, which is National Adopt-A-Dog Month!

Today, I am sharing an individual dog’s photographs and story from my forthcoming book, ABANDONED: Chronicling the Journeys of Once-Forsaken Dogs, released on October 1, 2024.

In ABANDONED, each dog’s story is emblematic of the 2.2 million dog adoptions that take place in this country each year—but they are also a reminder that due to our dog overpopulation crisis, 1 million rescues do not result in adoption annually.

Pictured immediately above on the left is Beans’ photograph before adoption; and pictured on the right is Beans’ photograph after adoption. Roughly one year separates the two above photographs.

Before his arrival at a Maryland rescue, Beans, a Boston Terrier, spent an appalling six years at a puppy mill in Missouri. The early years of his life took place in a cage devoid of human kindness. Despite this, the veterinary team at the rescue did not report any health or behavioral issues. “Beans is a very shy and timid little guy that is afraid of people,” they noted.

Happily, Beans was adopted after two months and soon integrated nicely into his new family. “He has come out of his shell quite a bit since adopting him and he is able to frequently interact with people without the awful fear reactions he previously experienced,” they report. “He is progressing nicely and seems to be a much happier little guy in general than he was when he first came to us.”

Beans is just one example from ABANDONED illustrating how dog rescue and adoption not only changes the lives of the dogs, but it simultaneously enriches the lives of the human companions as well. My sincere hope is that ABANDONED helps compel people to consider dog rescue and adoption, helping many dogs in need find permanent, loving homes, especially with our current dog overpopulation crisis in this country.

31 people endorsed ABANDONED including: Dr. Jane Goodall, Sally Mann, Susan Orlean, and John Grogan, to name a few, along with other New York Times bestselling authors, artists, and Presidents of large dog rescue and animal welfare organizations.

And, if you have not pre-ordered your copy of ABANDONED, I hope you will consider ordering ABANDONED today, as pre-orders are vital for authors and to the book’s success! Many thanks for your support!

I am donating a portion of my royalties, earned from the sales of this book, to the SPCA International, helping dogs in need around the globe. You can read more here and here.

Sep 9

ABANDONED: Thank you for your Pre-Orders

Our girls, Alex and Victory, wanted to say “thank you” for pre-ordering ABANDONED: Chronicling the Journeys of Once-Forsaken Dogs, released on October 1, 2024! Many thanks for your support!

And, if you have not pre-ordered your copy of ABANDONED, I hope you will consider ordering ABANDONED today, as pre-orders are vital for authors and to the book’s success! Many thanks for your support!

I am donating a portion of my royalties, earned from the sales of this book, to the SPCA International, helping dogs in need around the globe. You can read more here and here.

Sep 5

ABANDONED Featured on Visura

ABANDONED: Chronicling the Journeys of Once-Forsaken Dogs, released on October 1, 2024, has been featured on Visura. To read more, visit Visura.

And, if you have not pre-ordered your copy of ABANDONED, I hope you will consider ordering ABANDONED today, as pre-orders are vital for authors and to the book’s success! Many thanks for your support!

I am donating a portion of my royalties, earned from the sales of this book, to the SPCA International, helping dogs in need around the globe. You can read more here and here.

Sep 4

Inside ABANDONED: Humphrey

It is almost October, which is National Adopt-A-Dog Month!

Today, I am sharing an individual dog’s photographs and story from my forthcoming book, ABANDONED: Chronicling the Journeys of Once-Forsaken Dogs, released on October 1, 2024.

In ABANDONED, each dog’s story is emblematic of the 2.2 million dog adoptions that take place in this country each year—but they are also a reminder that due to our dog overpopulation crisis, 1 million rescues do not result in adoption annually.

Pictured immediately above on the left is Humphrey’s photograph before adoption; and pictured on the right is Humphrey’s photograph after adoption. Roughly one year separates the two above photographs.

Humphrey and his sister arrived at a Maryland rescue in 2013 riddled with mange, hair loss, and skin irritation issues. Adopted once, he was returned to the rescue for excessive barking—but I found him to be calm and easy to photograph, noting his “beautiful and soulful eyes.”

Happily, he was adopted a second time and re-named “Ricky-Bobby.” “The impact of adopting Ricky-Bobby has been nothing short of happiness and love,” his human companion reports. “No matter how tough of a day I have had, he always greets me at the door with a smile and a playful romp around the house.”

Humphrey, renamed Ricky-Bobby, is just one example from ABANDONED illustrating how dog rescue and adoption not only changes the lives of the dogs, but it simultaneously enriches the lives of the human companions as well. My sincere hope is that ABANDONED helps compel people to consider dog rescue and adoption, helping many dogs in need find permanent, loving homes, especially with our current dog overpopulation crisis in this country.

31 people endorsed ABANDONED including: Dr. Jane Goodall, Sally Mann, Susan Orlean, and John Grogan, to name a few, along with other New York Times bestselling authors, artists, and Presidents of large dog rescue and animal welfare organizations.

And, if you have not pre-ordered your copy of ABANDONED, I hope you will consider ordering ABANDONED today, as pre-orders are vital for authors and to the book’s success! Many thanks for your support!

I am donating a portion of my royalties, earned from the sales of this book, to the SPCA International, helping dogs in need around the globe. You can read more here and here.

Aug 10

ABANDONED: Dr. Jane Goodall

It is surreal that the words of Dr. Jane Goodall, an iconic woman who I have always admired for her wonderful work and her perseverance, adorns the cover of my book, ABANDONED: Chronicling the Journeys of Once-Forsaken Dogs. Dr. Jane Goodall is such a kind, warm person and she has done so much vital and impactful work on behalf of animals and our planet. And, it turns out, dogs are her favorite animal! She is an exemplary model of someone who has persevered and followed her dreams, no matter what others might have thought of them. It is very admirable, and as a result, Dr. Jane Goodall has blazed the trail and changed the world.

“In Abandoned, Carver describes, with words and beautiful photographs, the plight of abandoned dogs and how a caring home can transform a frightened cowering being into a confident and happy companion who will give unconditional love. For me, a life without a dog is a life only half lived. A must read.”—Jane Goodall, Ph.D., DBE; Founder of The Jane Goodall Institute and United Nations Messenger of Peace

Here is one of my favorite quotes from Dr. Jane Goodall, “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” —Jane Goodall, Ph.D., DBE; Founder of The Jane Goodall Institute and United Nations Messenger of Peace

Additionally, I love this advice Dr. Jane Goodall would give her ten-year-old self.

I have learned, through this great journey of creating ABANDONED, a journey that has been over a decade in the making, there is nothing more gratifying than seeing your vision come to fruition, despite navigating problems and disappointments, and the uncertainty of it all. I will never forget the feeling of holding the final proof of ABANDONED in my hands, this summer, after working so hard and for so long to make this dream a reality. I hope our daughter, Alex, can witness this, first hand, as she learns to lean into and follow her big and wild dreams! Most of all, I hope that this body of work helps many dogs in need, as there is a current dog overpopulation crisis in our country, and it is my hope that this body of work raises awareness about the benefits of dog rescue and adoption, for both humans and dogs alike. If it were not for our beloved, Biscuit, the inspiration for ABANDONED, this project and book would not exist.

And, if you have not pre-ordered your copy of ABANDONED, I hope you will consider ordering ABANDONED today, as pre-orders are vital for authors and to the book’s success! Many thanks for your support!

I am donating a portion of my royalties, earned from the sales of this book, to the SPCA International, helping dogs in need around the globe. You can read more here and here.

Jul 9

3 Comments

My Book: ABANDONED is Available for Pre-Order!

I can hardly believe I am typing this blog post after so many years of working on this project! My book, Abandoned: Chronicling the Journeys of Once-Forsaken Dogs, is finally finished, and it is now available for pre-order, and it will be released on October 1, 2024, to kick off ‘Adopt-A-Dog Month!’ This project has been a labor of love, and I hope you will consider pre-ordering Abandoned now, as it is vital to the book’s success. My sincere hope is that Abandoned helps many dogs in need find permanent, loving homes, especially with our current dog overpopulation crisis in this country.

Abandoned is a result of a ten-year project following nearly sixty dogs from rescue to adoption, showcasing “before” and “after” photographs, which are accompanied by each dog’s personal story. No other book has captured dogs in this manner. It is a unique project that encompasses more than just photographs—as the dogs’ stories are integral, providing context and augmenting the photographs. In addition to the dogs, I hope that people see that the human companions’ lives are changed in such positive, immeasurable ways.

The idea for Abandoned, literally came to me on a summer day during 2012, roughly a year-and-a-half after we had adopted our first rescue dog named Biscuit, a Shetland Sheepdog, for whom this blog is named after. He forever changed my life in so many ways—he opened my heart in a way like no other; and he brought me back to my love of photography. My curiosity and experience with Biscuit made me aware of the dog overpopulation crisis in our country, and this set me on a path to learn more about what happens to these abandoned dogs. I began documenting the fate of roughly 60 dogs of various breeds, who found themselves in shelters or rescue organizations in the Mid-Atlantic region. I first photographed each dog prior to adoption, and I then photographed these same dogs, again, roughly a year later. Written narratives accompany the dogs’ photographs providing, to the extent possible, how, and why each dog was abandoned. I also explore the significant positive impact these dogs have had on their human companions’ lives, and vice versa. It is my great hope that Abandoned will help raise awareness of this overpopulation crisis and encourage people to adopt a shelter or rescue dog.

It is an understatement that the publication of this body of work required contributions from a large number of people whom I owe such a great debt.

Here is a look inside Abandoned, shown below, and you can learn more about Abandoned and read editorial reviews, here.

I am donating a portion of my royalties, earned from the sales of this book, to the SPCA International, helping dogs in need around the globe. You can read more here and here.

Feb 21

Why You Should Not Skip Your Dog’s Daily Walk

I recently read an article that provided some interesting insights about the importance of walking your dog daily. A 2011 study from Michigan State University found that only two-thirds of its subjects routinely walked their dogs. Consequently, this can significantly negatively impact dogs’ emotional and physical well-being.

Overall, most dogs do not exercise by themselves. And, according to Stephanie Borns-Weil, an Assistant Clinical Professor at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, indicated that a typical yard does not offer enough stimulation to prompt an adequate amount of movement. Walking your dogs provides mental stimulation that comes from companionship, seeing new things and sniffing new things, according to Borns-Weil. Dogs who do not have their needs met can be subject to long-term chronic stress ranging from depression and anxiety, to immune system problems. Studies have found that dogs in shelters also benefit from direct human interaction, which helps to reduce stress.

As a result, you should help your dog get the most out of his/her walk, by letting your dog explore. Sniffing is the way that dogs experience and understand their world. Comparatively speaking, dogs have 300 million olfactory receptors compared to us humans who only have 6 million olfactory receptors. Often times, we want to hurry our dog along, and we miss following their lead to sniff around and explore. Even on the coldest of days, I remind myself that letting our beloved Victory explore and sniff is very important for her. And, Victory loves to sniff around outside during early the mornings and late in the evenings, when there are not many people outside! So, I remind myself that enrichment activities and exercise is important not only for my human child, but also for our fur girl, Victory, as well! Victory always gives us clear signs when she has “cabin fever” during the winter months, signaling to us that she needs to get out and about, and when she does, her morale instantly increases and a smile appears! Her walks and her Hound About rides always seem to do the trick, along with a ride in the car to a fun destination or a ride to get BBQ, during the warmer months! Thus, fully integrating your furry family member into your daily life has wonderful benefits for all!

Feb 23

Who Wrote the ‘Rainbow Bridge?’

My Mom recently shared in interesting article about who actually wrote the ‘Rainbow Bridge.’ I had no idea myself, who had written it for animal parents. The ‘Rainbow Bridge’ has touched so many lives and has brought comfort to so many animal parents who have lost a beloved furry family member. It turns out that he author is Edna Clyne-Rekhy, an 82-year-old Scottish artist and animal lover. Until recently, she had no idea that the poem she wrote over 60 years ago–to honor her dog, Major–had brought comfort to so many others.

Clyne-Rekhy’s authorship likely would have been lost to history were it not for the tenacious work of Paul Koudounaris, an art historian, author, and cate owner in Tucson, Arizona. Koudounaris has spent the last decade working on a book about pet cemeteries and fequently encountered references to the “Rainbow Bridge” in his research, and he was curious who actually wrote it.

The poem’s popularity, he discovered, was launched in February 1994, when a reader from Grand Rapids, Michigan, sent a copy of “Rainbow Bridge” that they received from their local humane society to the advice column Dear Abby, which was published and noted that if anyone reading can verify the authorship, to come forward.

However, nobody came forward, and after that, “Rainbow Bridge” seemed to be everywhere. Starting in 1995, Koudounaris found records of 15 separate claims filed under the title “Rainbow Bridge” with the U.S. Copyright Office. He compiled a list of around 25 names he found to have any connection with the poem, and he was left with one: Edna Clyne-Rekhy.

He has found Clyne-Rekhy’s name after seeing reference in an online chat group to an Edna “Clyde” from Scotland who allegedly wrote the poem when her dog died.

When Koudounaris finally reached out to Clyne-Rekhy in January, he found out that Clyne-Rekhy’s story began in 1959. She was 19 years old and grieving the loss of her Labrador Retriever, Major. “He died in my arms, actually,” she recalled in a call with National Geographic.

According to Clyne-Rekhy, she cried and cried after Major died. Clyne-Rekhy’s mother suggested she write down her feelings. This is when the “Rainbow Bridge” was born.

The text went like this:

According to Clyne-Rekhy, she said, “It just came through my head, it was like I was talking to my dog–I was talking to Major. I just felt all of this and had to write it down.”

Clyne-Rekhy still has the original hand-written draft of the poem. When she showed it to Koudounaris, he immediately knew it was real.

Koudounaris suspects that it must have been passed person to person until it lost its connection to its original author–and eventually took on a life of its own. Clyne-Rekhy spent years in India and later moved to an olive farm in Spain–a path that may help to explain why she was not aware of the poem’s growing popularity in the U.S., Britain, and beyond.

“‘Rainbow Bridge’ provides the missing piece for people who have had to live with this anxiety that their animal is not good enough to deserve an afterlife,” Koudournairs says. “It gives us a reason to hope.”

Clyne-Rekhy says she plans to be reunited with Major and her subsequent pets, whose ashes she has kept.

“We’re going to be scattered in the North Sea,” she says.

*Image Credit: Painting by Stella Violano.

Jan 27

Alaskan ‘Puppy Bus’

Have you heard about the Alaskan ‘Puppy Bus’ that went viral on Tik Tok, recently? If you have not, it is absolutely adorable. It mirrors having one’s human child get onto a school bus! The dogs literally walk onto the bus and get in their seats by themselves and then they get buckled in! You can view the heartwarming video here!

Mo Thompson and her husband, Lee, run the bus and they take the dogs on off leash on walking and training trips via their business, Mo Mountain Mutts! After picking up the pups from around their small town of Skagway, Alaska, their minibus makes it way to trail walks, hikes, and swims.

You can read more here.

Photo Credit: Mo Thompson

Oct 12

Victory: Blessing of the Animals

It is Victory’s birthday today, and she is eleven years old! It is difficult to believe that we have had our precious Victory for nine years! October 12 is the day we adopted her from the Michigan Sheltie Rescue. This past weekend, we had a wonderful fall birthday celebration with a custom cake with a fall themed three-dimensional rendering of Victory on top of the cake, balloons, and decorations for our fur girl, Victory! (When I get a chance to edit these photos, I will share, more, soon!)

Importantly, we recently attended the Blessing of the Animals at Alex’s school. We have never attended such an event, so it was really fun to witness Victory receive a blessing. Doug also gave a reading, shown immediately below. And, we were given a certificate to take home with Victory’s blessing. Victory did well, and I am certain she knew that this event was all about her!

Reading: But ask the animals, and they will teach you; the birds of the air, and they will tell you; ask the planets of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of God has done this? In God’s hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being.

Here is a video our Victory getting ready for her blessing.

Here is a video our Victory receiving her blessing.

The Blessing of each animal: Victory, we give thanks for your life and companionship. May you be blessed in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that you and your family may find joy in your life together. Amen.”

Shown below are a few photos from the Blessing of the Animals.