Puppies aside, I think Spike was the smallest dog I photographed recently for Ruff Start Rescue.  He is just a darling and is featured today as the 8th of the 12 Dogs of Christmas.  He is probably a Yorkshire Terrier – Poodle mix and was turned over to rescue because he wasn’t getting the attention he deserves in his previous home.  He’s a cutie – please help him find a forever home for the holidays!

If you are interested in making Spike a member of your family, please contact Ruff Start Rescue!  His picture is also featured today on the Karin Newstrom Photography Facebook page!

Previously featured dogs:

First Dog of Christmas: Leila the Puggle

Second Dogs of Christmas: Bella and Herbie, the Pitties

Third Dogs of Christmas: Chip, Champ, and Kato – Lab mixes

Fourth Dog of Christmas: Lottie the Shepherd Mix

Fifth Dog of Christmas: Dart the Lab/Shar Pei

Sixth Dog of Christmas: Roux the Border Collie/Shepherd Mix

Seventh Dog of Christmas: Tuffy the Lab/Rottweiler 

For today’s pup for the 12 Dogs of Christmas, we are featuring Tuffy the Lab – Rottweiler mix.  He has the most beautiful eyes!  Tuffy was rescued from an impound the day before he was scheduled to be euthanized – a Ruff Start Rescue volunteer saw hope in his eyes and just wasn’t able to leave him behind.  He’s made huge progress since he was rescued from the impound!  He currently needs a foster home and of course, a family to adopt him!

You’ve probably heard of “Black Dog Syndrome” before and here’s a perfect example of one reason why it exists.  When they were trying to get Tuffy out of impound the rescue only had one image of him – the one below.  It’s hard to see there’s a dog in there, much less a beautiful, sweet pup with amazing eyes!  Black dogs are so hard to photograph in a dark shelter environment, especially if you aren’t using manual settings on a camera.  Couple tips for black dogs – shoot without flash outdoors or by a window if possible and bump up the exposure (you might need to check your camera manual to figure out how to do that) – that way you’ll be able to see the detail of the dog and not just a shadow.  I LOVE photographing black dogs – it is so rewarding to really capture their personality and beauty that is so frequently overlooked by potential adopters.

Ah, much better, Tuffy!

If you are interested in fostering or adopting Tuffy, please contact Ruff Start Rescue!  His picture is also featured today on the Karin Newstrom Photography Facebook page!

Previously featured dogs:

First Dog of Christmas: Leila the Puggle

Second Dogs of Christmas: Bella and Herbie, the Pitties

Third Dogs of Christmas: Chip, Champ, and Kato – Lab mixes

Fourth Dog of Christmas: Lottie the Shepherd Mix

Fifth Dog of Christmas: Dart the Lab/Shar Pei

Sixth Dog of Christmas: Roux the Border Collie/Shepherd Mix

Welcome to the weekend edition of the 12 Dogs of Christmas – featuring dogs currently looking for their forever homes with Ruff Start Rescue.  Today we have Roux – she captured my heart the moment she stepped in front of my camera!  She is calm, poised, and has a gentle spirit – and listened SO well to her foster mom.  She was one of the easiest pups of the day to photograph and I know she is just the dog so many people must be looking for.

You can read more about Roux here.  Her picture is posted on the Karin Newstrom Photography Facebook page for easy sharing – please spread the word with people who may be looking to add another member to their family for the holidays!

Here’s the running total thus far:

First Dog of Christmas: Leila the Puggle

Second Dogs of Christmas: Bella and Herbie, the Pitties

Third Dogs of Christmas: Chip, Champ, and Kato – Lab mixes

Fourth Dog of Christmas: Lottie the Shepherd Mix

Fifth Dog of Christmas: Dart the Lab/Shar Pei

As always, thank you for taking the time to check out these sweet dogs in need of homes!  See you tomorrow. 🙂

Dart is a very cool dog with the most expressive eyes and forehead!  He is the fifth dog of the 12 Dogs of Christmas and looking for a forever home with Ruff Start Rescue.  Oh, and he has a blog!  Check it out here.

Thank you so much again to everyone for your enthusiasm and love for these dogs – I know all the effort we are putting into sharing will make a world of difference for them!

This is his Shar Pei side showing – the perfectly-timed use of a squeaker caused his ears to go up and wrinkles to form:

And showing off his Lab good looks!  He’s a very sharp looking, sweet pup.

In case you missed it:

First Dog of Christmas: Leila the Puggle

Second Dogs of Christmas: Bella and Herbie, the Pitties

Third Dogs of Christmas: Chip, Champ, and Kato – Lab mixes

Fourth Dog of Christmas: Lottie the Shepherd Mix

Thanks again – see everyone tomorrow!