Dog Years

“My hope was to share with dog lovers the beauty of dogs as they age—the wisdom gained that shows in their eyes, their scars that have accumulated over the years,” says Jones.“I fear that people find the images a little bit sad, but I feel like they are inspiring. They should remind us to enjoy every minute we have with our dogs. It goes by so quickly!”

Her moving photography collection certainly conjures all the feels: the purity of the love we have for our canine best friends and the lamentable brevity of our time together. But most of all, it’s a nudge to live every day to the fullest and hold your dear ones close. These beautiful portraits offer a poignant reminder of how fast it all goes by, and that life really is better with a dog by your side. >> dogyearsproject.com

This article originally appeared in the award-winning Modern Dog magazine. Subscribe today!

Rover: Wagmore Edition—The Gift That Gives Back

Millions of lost or abandoned dogs enter animal shelters every year, and only a few leave, through rescue and adoption. The rest are euthanized or live out a lonely, caged life.

Commercial photographer Andrew Grant began to photograph dogs in 2009 after learning about the state of animal shelters in America. He started photographing homeless and rescued dogs with the goal of raising awareness for the millions of beautiful, lovable and loyal pets waiting to be adopted in shelters.

Over 6 years he has raised nearly $2 million for animal shelters through his photographic project Roverworks.org. He did this with the sale of four limited-edition books of beautiful dog portraits, each called Rover. Each book was bigger than the previous, and the funds were raised through the hundreds of sponsoring dog owners.

An early edition of Rover was made famous by one of Hollywood's biggest animal advocates, Ellen DeGeneres. Andrew has photographed the dogs of many celebrity donors as well, including Heidi Klum, Steven Spielberg and Ewan McGregor.

The previous 4 editions are sold out, and fetch up to $400 on the rare book market — when available. Most, though, are as treasured as their canine subjects. Now, Firefly Books has published a new edition with 360 of Andrew Grant’s most heartwarming and soulful dog portraits yet – it's called Rover: Wagmore Edition.  The book features purebreds of almost every kind, and mixed breeds, too.  Firefly Books pledges a portion of the revenue from sales of Rover: Wagmore Edition to dog rescue as well.

Easy 123 Art

I don't know about you guys, but I can't draw for… well, you know. That's why I'm so happy to have found Easy 123 Art. It gives anyone the platform to create his or her very own masterpiece without the necessity for real artistic talent, and the best part? It incorporates something we all have and love: photos of our pets, yay! -LN