Meet Bullet the Peanut Butter Puppy!

By Isabel Merriman

Bullet is a nine-month-old German Shepherd rescue adopted from Impawsible Mutts Dog Rescue. Bullet has come a long way since he was brought home by Tristin, the President of Impawsible Mutts Dog Rescue. When Bullet was adopted, he had behavior issues and weighed 13 pounds when he should have been 25 pounds. Bullet was not Tristin's first rescue, "I have a large pack of 12 dogs. Everyone is a rescue." Tristin was not actively searching for another dog when she came across Bullet. He was a foster dog Tristin could not let go of.

Bullet is currently training to complete the Barnhunt. The "Barnhunt is a dog sport where dogs use their noses to search a ring for a rat in a tube that is hidden in bails of hay," explained Tristin. Bullet has a long nose because he has a two-inch overbite causing eating and drinking to look silly. He is known for being a silly, goofy, clumsy, and vocal baby. Tristin said, "A puppy I previously fostered was photographed for the book as well, and she (the owner suggested) suggested I reach out and gave me his information!" She said working with Greg was a great experience. "He was extremely patient, and you could really tell his direct care for dogs!"

Finn the Puppy in Studio!

We were on a recent trip to Lakewood Truck Park and saw this handsome little guy! I couldn’t resist inviting him to the studio.

Each time I see a “pit bull” type dog in Lakewood I get a happy feeling inside. From 2008 to 2018, dogs that looked like Finn were banned from the city I call home. Now they are welcome and treated like the individuals they are. It’s been almost 3 years and I still smile when I spot a pittie I haven’t seen before.

Tank's Studio Session!

Tank visited Cleveland with his humans recently for a studio session and he did not disappoint with his facial expressions!

Enjoy some of our favorites from the session.

Meet Rufus the Peanut Butter Puppy!

By Isabel Merriman

Rufus is a rescue from Portage County APL when Rufus was adopted into his forever home with the Crandall family. The Crandall family has two daughters, Maia, age eight, and Paige, age five, and two older dogs than Rufus. He is known for being hyper. He is very active and described as a "bull in a China shop." Maia and Paige said, "Something funny is he got his big head stuck in a baby gate." At times "Rufus thinks he is a human and will lay in beds, head on a pillow and cover himself up with a sheet," says Michelle Crandall.

One of the family's central values is rescuing animals and impacting Maia and Paige despite their age. "My oldest daughter took part in her first puppy mill protest earlier this year," says Michelle. When Maia and Paige were asked why rescuing is important, they said, "Because it's the right thing and nice thing to do. It's better for our world." Rufus is not the Crandall's first rescue, "Every pet we have ever owned has been a rescue. Currently two older dogs and Rufus. We recently lost two rescued cats (ages 20 and 17), and we have lost two other rescued dogs due to age and illness" said Michelle.

Rufus is believed to be part pit bull, which is one of the reasons the family decided to adopt him. The family knows the breed is misunderstood due to a negative association developed by society. The Maia and Paige said, "His big nugget head is why we picked him, and he was cute." The family was picked to have Rufus in the book through Facebook. Maia and Paige came along to the photoshoot and were included in some photos. Michelle says, "Greg's love for animals was so evident during the shoot." The family believes Rufus was a perfect addition to their family.

Peanut Butter Puppies is available for pre-order on Amazon now

Signed/Personalized pre-orders are available on our website.

Meet Fiona Wigglesworth the Peanut Butter Puppy!

By Isabel Merriman

Fiona Wigglesworth is a one-year-old Boston Terrier from the Rescue Inn in North Olmsted, Ohio. She was adopted by Crissy and Neal Stelmaschuk and their two kids, Tyler and Brady. Along with their two other rescues Yogi a six-year-old lab mix from One at a Time K9 Rescue, and Karma, a four-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback mix from Friendship APL.

Crissy and Neal were not actively looking for a third dog, but they always had the mentality, "Three dogs is too many…Unless the third is a Boston," said Crissy. Crissy and Neal love Boston Terriers, and their first rescue was a Boston Terrier, "we've missed her tremendously since she passed. We always wanted another, but they are extremely hard to come by as a rescue. Then a friend messaged me one day to me show me a foster dog she just picked up, and it was Fiona! It was love at first sight, and we knew immediately that we wanted to make her a part of our family," said Crissy. Fiona was the Stelmaschuk's fourth rescue. "There are many, so many wonderful dogs out there sitting in shelters or bouncing around different foster homes; it doesn't make sense to buy from a breeder. While I know there are lots of reputable breeds out there, there are just as many, if not more, that treat their dogs horribly, and I just can't support that," says Crissy.

Fiona had some health issues that almost took her life. "She came from a puppy mill, and they were going to kill her because they thought she was sick and would infect all the other dogs. The rescue convinced them to surrender Fiona to them, and it turned out she just had Demodex! A couple of months of flea prevention medication, and she was perfect," said Crissy. Fiona is known to be a diva and loves to be the center of attention, and if she is not the center of attention, she will make it known. "When we go for walks in the neighborhood, she will stop and stare at people, waiting for them to come and pet her. She is highly offended when they don't," says Crissy. Fiona tends to gravitate towards Yogi and loves to play with him.

Crissy saw a "model call" on Facebook for 'Peanut Butter Puppies,' and she thought Fiona would be perfect for the book. She had never met Greg in person before, and she said they "felt like old pals." Fiona quickly warmed up to Greg and "was a total ham for the entire photoshoot"! Fiona loves meeting every human and animal she encounters. She makes the family laugh daily.

Peanut Butter Puppies is available for pre-order on Amazon now

Signed/Personalized pre-orders are available on our website.

Meet Cali the Peanut Butter Puppy!

Peanut Butter Puppies is available for pre-order on Amazon now

By Isabel Merriman

Cali is a nine-month-old pit bull rescue from Muttley Crue in Cleveland, Ohio. She was rescued by Jill and Adam Anrikanich and their two sons, Mason and Cameron. The Anrikanich family began looking to adopt a puppy for their sons to play with since their fourteen-year-old lab passed. Jill said, "My mom, cousin, and aunt all have rescued, and I felt like it was time to do the right thing." The family heard wonderful things about pit bulls from coworkers, family, and friends.

When the family began searching online for their rescue puppy, they decided to start with Muttley Crue. Adam's former coworker used to volunteer there, and the family wanted to give it a shot. When they came across Cali, they fell in love with her instantly. Jill said, "I loved her eyes and her white stripe down her face." Cali has brought joy to the family from the moment they adopted her, and there is never a dull moment. "She is extremely loving, loves to cuddle, has the zoomies at least twice a day, loves visitors, other dogs, and has the softest fur," said Jill. Cali has a very energetic personality, "When she jumps, she appears to float. She jumps straight up and always lands where she intends. It's amazing!" said Jill.

Cali does not like to sit still, "she loves running at the dog park, playing with our boys (Mason and Cameron), chewing toys/blankets/couch cushions, loves eating ice cubes, and playing on the trampoline." Cali is known to be very vocal, "If she's chewing her toy and drops it, she whines to have you pick it up."

The Anrikanich family heard about Greg through Jill's high school friend, a volunteer at City Dogs Cleveland. He follows Greg on social media. Her friend told her about his photoshoot, Jill decided to post a picture of Cali on Greg's Facebook page. Greg saw Cali's photo and reached out to Jill about photographing Cali for "Peanut Butter Puppies." The family had a blast during the photo shoot. "Greg was amazing! Very easy going, and Cali loved him and his peanut butter! We brought along our youngest son (Cameron), and Greg was great to him, too," said Jill.

The family is thankful to have rescued Cali. She has brought much joy and energy into their life. "She saved us so many times since we had to put our first dog to sleep." Cali shows how wonderful pit bulls can be.

Brody, Tucker, Ozzy and Their Humans!

We had so much fun exploring the flats with Brody, Tucker and Ozzy the puppy! Oh yeah, their humans came along too! Enjoy some of our favorites from the session.

Chip and His Humans!

Enjoy a few favorites from a beautiful Fall day in the Cleveland Metroparks with Chip and his humans!

Topher and His Family

Bailey's Studio Session!

Prince & His Human!

I had so much fun exploring the flats with Prince and his human! I’ve photographed Prince a couple times before and it’s always a blast. He’s got a funny and very caring personality.

Here are some favorites from our session. If you’d like to book a lifestyle or studio photo session in October, time is running out. Visit www.gmurrayphoto.com to contact us.

Krom, Pac & Their Humans at Home

I love at home sessions! They are great opportunities to let pups run around freely and capture the human/canine bond in a comfortable setting.

Thanks for a great evening Krom and Pac!

Joe the Black Lab!

Enjoy some of our favorites with Joe the black lab rescue pup! We had a blast in the studio with him and his human recently:)

Grace's At-Home Session!

Murphy the Boston Terrier's Studio and Outdoor Session

Despite his very serious expression, we had so much fun with Murphy. After studio photos, we drove over to Edgewater Park and explored right before sunset. Enjoy some of our favorites from the session!

Coco the Rescue Dog!

Here are a couple favorites from our session with Coco!

It’s great to be back in the studio after a couple months off! We’re booking now through this Fall. If interested in scheduling, please email hello@gmurrayphoto.com

Maggie the Rescued Hippo!

Copper & Romeo's Studio Session!

Copper the rescue pup and Romeo the rescue cat stopped by recently and we kinda had a lot of fun:)

Prince's Christmas & Birthday Photo Session!

Happy Birthday Prince! This handsome boy is a Christmas Eve baby. He was adopted from City Dogs Cleveland a couple of years ago and now lives the good life with his human Chrissy.