Photographer Shows Off The Joys Of Rescued Dogs

Elke Vogelsang is a German photographer whose muse became her dogs when she rescued her first, Noddles.

“In my family, all dogs were rescue dogs,” Vogelsang explains. “So to me, it was always clear that I would get my dog from a shelter. As my husband had no connection to dogs, I was looking for a very friendly dog. That’s when I found Noodles on the internet. She was born in Spain and got rescued from a kill shelter somewhere in the south of Spain. Kind people brought her to Germany so that she could find a home. She loved every human being and every dog. She was funny, cute, friendly, and energetic. My husband fell in love as well.”

Two years later, they got Scout, who had been found with her littermates and dead mom. And, like many of us, three years after that they took on a foster dog, Loli. He was six month and had been turned into the shelter because of his youthful temperament, says Vogelsang. He has a sore eye that developed a tumor and has to be removed.

“We decided to foster him to have his eye removed and until he recovered from the surgery,” she says. “Only a few days after he joined our household we knew that we couldn’t let him go and decided to keep him. All three are a great team.”

Vogelsang started taking more pictures because of Noodles: “I always loved to take pictures, but when our first dog, Noodles, joined our family, I felt the need to improve my photographic skills in order to do her beauty and quirky character justice. Now all three of them are my favorite models.

But they are more than that – they are heroes too.

“My husband fell seriously ill a few years ago at Christmas. He had a brain hemorrhage. The dogs (in those days it was only Noodles and Scout) were the ones who found him in time, so he could be saved. They heard that something was wrong and alarmed me, running to the bathroom door so we found my husband lying in the bathtub unconscious.”

Thanks to her dogs, her husband made a full recovery.

“Our three rescue dogs are my joy and recreation,” she adds. “They are my daily holidays and inspiration. Can’t put into words how much they mean to me. My husband is similarly in love with them. We spoil them rotten, but so far they didn’t attempt to gain world power.”

As we all know, it can be a struggle to make a living as a photographer. Vogelsang has a book coming out in September in London that will feature more than 100 pictures and tells their stories. So be sure to follow her Facebook and website for more information as the release draws near. How wouldn’t want these pups gracing their coffee table?