Wendi Riggens Photography Blog – Burlington Iowa

This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to set up and photograph Pet-Palooza and the leash cutting at the new Burlington Regional Dog Park.  Everyone that knows me knows that shooting weddings is my passion, but Sunday I had the most amazing time, rolling around in the grass for 4 hours with a few dozen dogs.  I came home covered in slobber and sunburnt, but it was worth it.

I want to give a special thanks to the committee that worked to get a dog park in Burlington. As a dog owner and lover, it was much needed, and after seeing the community come out in full support on Sunday, I know it will do well here!

I’m going to blog this in two parts.  The first, this one, will feature the leash cutting and dog swim.  Part two will feature a few of my favorite pet portraits from the day.

I LOVE the logo for the dog park!

The leash cutting and blessing

My booth! The sporadic wind kept blowing everything over, so we had to forgo my big easles and rest the large prints and canvases against the table legs, risking being “marked”, and duct tape the backs of the other prints to the little easles. More than once, people ran to help us set back up after a gust of wind blew everything off! 🙂

The dog swim – I think this was such a great idea! The dogs LOVED it!

The little dogs and those afraid of water or that didn’t know how to swim hung out in the kiddie pool.

Yes, that included this St. Bernard puppy! I was playing with the dogs in the water (yes, fully clothed in jeans, and with my camera in hand) when this sweetheart came running over to me and leaned her soaking wet body against mine. I couldn’t resist throwing my arms around her in a big hug! She was so funny, she’d get to the “deep” part of the kiddie pool, which is only 1 foot deep, mind you, and then get scared and hurry back to the edge! Here is one of those moments!

The big pool was full of labs and sporty dogs that loved loved loved the water!

Be sure to check out Free Of The Leash for more info on the dog park, and for more images of the event!

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Congrats to Eric Myer and his German Shepard, Monte, for their second place finish in The Hawkeye’s Pet Idol! They received a portrait session, along with a gift certificate to Horse & Hound and a prize from The Hawkeye. I had a great time getting to know Monte and his co-dogs, Ford & Sierra.

I love all animals, but dogs are by far my favorite. My grandparents and parents both had professional, federally recognized kennels throughout my childhood, and I was always surrounded by puppies and dogs. We have two of our own (we lost our Great Dane back in June tragically to a distended stomach), and they are our babies! My years of experience have taught me the best way to interact with different breeds and temperments, and the best way to photograph them, too.

As such, Wendi Riggens Photography is proudly sponsoring the Burlington Dog Park and the Petapalooza and Dog Splash event this coming Sunday. Come out and have your pet’s portrait taken at our booth, enter the various contests, and let your dog splash around in the Burlington Pool! It’s going to be a great time!  We will be donating 25% of the proceeds from our pet portraits to the dog park, and for any session booked in September or October, your session fee will be donated!

Now, onto the dogs!

This is Monte. He has the sweetest disposition, and was so loving and sweet!

This is Ford, Monte’s “little brother”. He was full of barks when I got there, and then was all love and slobber once he warmed up to me. He didn’t want me to leave! He has a knack for moving as soon as the camera came up, but with the use of my long lenses and keen eye, we were able to get several beautiful shots of him. This is one of my favorites. He has the longest tongue I have ever seen!

Aren’t these two just so beautiful? Or handsome, since they are male!

And last but definitely not least, here is Sierra. Eric found her wandering around the road a few months ago, abandoned and terribly skinny. With lots of work and love, she is gaining weight and health and trust. I was only able to get a few shots of her, as she spent most of the session hiding from me, but she is beautiful.

Keep yours eyes peeled for the first and third place winners, coming up in the next few weeks as we get together for their sessions!

Hope to see you at Petapalooza this weekend!.