A dog can change your life

I watch dog videos almost every day, but today I was moved by this one. A dog definitely can change your life. Leader Dog for the Blind is an organization that "empowers people who are blind, visually impaired or Deaf-Blind with skills for a lifetime or independent travel, opening doors that may seem to have closed with the loss of sight."

They have different programs and one of them is the Prison Puppy Program. This beautiful video shows how prisoners can give meaning to their lives by helping others. They train the dogs for one year and then, as hard as it is, they let their friend go to help someone who needs a guide dog.

Enjoy the video and visit the Leader Dog for the Blind website. You can help by volunteering or donating.

A short break...

If you are reading this post is because you like to visit our Woof Love blog... thank you, we love visitors! And because we want you to come back again and again, we need to put the blog on hold for a couple of weeks. Winnie (my dog) and I are working in some new projects. One of them is the new Woof Love official website! and some other design projects for clients. We want to post only inspiring and fun stuff for you and right now, we need to take a break. We will be back soon! In the mean time, keep reading our Facebook page. We will be posting on Facebook as usual!

Pet Sitting 16 Paws

Last week I went to a friend's home to watch her dogs. Pet sitting is really fun and keeps you in a happy mood. Dogs are like kids and they make you feel young and energized!

My friend Norma has 4 dogs. When I met her she had only Cinnamon and Reina but some weeks ago she rescued Leo and Sandy. They were alone on the street. Leo was in bad shape and Sandy was just a puppy with no one around to take care of her.

Now she has 4 happy dogs that get along really well. These some of the photos I shoot while pet sitting the little angels.

Sandy the puppy.

Cinnamon.

Leo.

and this beautiful Chihuahua is Reina.

I love this family!

Flower Power for Pit Bulls

Every time I go to the park or the beach I see some beautiful Pit Bull dogs. They are sweet and deserving of love like any other dog. Many organizations and people fight to change the perception that they are dangerous by nature.

This is the case of French photographer Sophie Gamand who created a series of photographs named "Flower Power, Pit Bulls of the Revolution" to show the dogs in a different light.

"This project started as an excuse for me to discover more about pit bulls. Like many people, I admittedly had prejudices against them. But as an active volunteer with many rescue groups, I often came in contact with pit bulls and was slowly warming up to their sweet nature. I decided to confront my apprehensions and explore their soft side in a visual way."

Sophie portrayed them like hippies from a fairy-tale character, feminine and dreamy. To do that, she approached some rescue groups that happily collaborated with the project.

To read more about this and enjoy the rest of the beautiful photographs, go to her website.

International Assistance Dog Week

This week we celebrate dogs who are more than companions, dogs who help people with disabilities and support them at a physical and emotional level.

International Assistance Dog Week was started after the efforts of Marcie Davis, a wonderful woman who wrote the book Working Like Dogs: The Service Dog Guide book, a great resource with practical advise and guide about service dogs. She is also a host of the internet radio program Working like Dogs.

Dogs have an extraordinaire intelligence and ability to help, but not all breeds are recommended to be trained for service. Between the most common service dogs we have Golden Retriever and Labrador, "A good service dog is not protective, is people orientated, not overly active, confident but not dominant or submissive. Service dogs should not require complex grooming as this could be a problem for their owner"

To read more of which breeds make a good service dog and to find assistance, go to the Assistance Dog International website and find your regional chapter.

There is so much to learn about. Some of the assistance dog types are: Guide dogs for the blind and visually impaired Hearing dogs for the deaf and hard of hearing Service dogs for people with other disabilities like Brace/Mobility Support Dogs (BMSD), Wheelchair Assistance Dogs, Autism Assistance Dogs, Diabetic Alert Dogs (DADs), Severe Allergy Alert Dogs (AADs), Seizure Response Dogs, Medical Alert Dogs (MADs) and Psychiatric Service Dog (PSDs) just to mention the most common types.

This week, some groups are organizing events to educate people and raise awareness about why these dogs are so important and cherished. If you want to organize an event, follow this link and download the materials you need (including banners) http://youtu.be/FkyeESrDywc

Celebrate Assistance dogs by spreading the word. Do you or a family member or friend have the blessing of enjoying the company of a service dog? Tell us about it in the comments section below! We would love to hear about your experience.

Note: The images in this post are from the International Assistance Dog Week website.

Designing for a Good Cause: ITSOA

Some time ago, I was approached by Kristi, a dog lover and founder of ITSOA (International Team to Save Olympic Animals) She started a Facebook page - initially named "Save Sochi Dogs"- for a good cause, to spread the word about adopting stray dogs from Sochi. She now has about 8,400 followers from around the world. The mission of ITSOA is to "inspire the International Olympic Committee and the future host cities & countries of the Olympic Games to ensure that no animals are harmed or exploited in the name of the Olympics."

I am excited to participate with this cause. I designed the logo for ITSOA as a simple icon that incorporates the Olympic rings colors and represents the paw of a dog (or other animals as well) With the help of volunteers we can make a difference and make sure animals will not be harmed in the next Olympic event.

If you are interested to volunteer, visit the Facebook page for a list of open positions or contact ITSOA at ITSOAjobs@gmail.com

It feels so good to contribute to a good cause!