Benji
Benji is such a good looking dog isn’t he?
Look at those eyes…it’s as if black eyeliner has been perfectly drawn around those gorgeous pools of amber.
……but this beautiful happy face hides a sad start to young Benji’s life which started in Ireland, where he was actually on the list to be destroyed the day before he was rescued from Dublin!
Thankfully he was transferred to the UK and it was from Heathlands Animal Sanctuary in Royston, Hertfordshire that he found his forever home with Ben, Claire and their lovely family, aged just 11 months.
No-one knows for sure what mix of breeds Benji consists of…but for sure there is a lot of “hound” in him…he loves nothing more than a really good old sniff, his prey drive is huge and he has the undeniable vocals of a Beagle.
When he came into the studio for his photo session, Benji was very fixated on his Dad and maintaining eye contact with me was short lived.
This is very common with dogs who have been training and develop a close bond with their owners.
Benji has enjoyed fun training classes at IC Dog Training in Flitwick, Bedfordshire. Although he was housetrained, he was originally hopeless at walking on a lead or around traffic.
Ben undertook a big commitment to do a huge amount of training to acclimatise Benji to traffic, and although much better, he is still anxious around anything noisy like motorbikes or lorries.
Having great focus on their humans is a great thing, but it makes my job a little bit harder, trying to engage them with the camera….not impossible though!
It’s always fun finding out what motivates each dog ….it’s different with all of them. Some like squeaks, some like high pitched sounds….most like food!
Benji loves a plastic bottle…and here he is with one of his favourite toys!
With patience and gentle perseverance, I finally found what was needed to get Benji’s full attention….and that adorable headtilt…..a squeaky squirrel with a fluffy tail – impossible to ignore!
“NOW you have my full attention!”
Benji enjoys a fantastic life at his forever home now, he loves playing with any sort of toy – be it a plastic bottle or a knotted rope toy.
He loves his daily walks and lying in the sunshine, warming up the black “spot” on his back – which fittingly is in the shape of a heart!
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading Benji’s heartwarming story, and seeing photos from his photo session – I’m sure you will agree that if anyone deserves to be centre stage for the day..it’s Benji!
If you would like to book a pet photo experience for you and your best friend, please get in touch with me at:
info@katrinawilsonphotography.co.uk