nose art studios
Confession time. I turn down social invitations from friends so I can hang out with my dogs at home . . . in sweatpants, of course. We hang out on the couch and watch TV and on nice days, you can find us outside enjoying the weather on our small acreage. In the summer, we haul out the kiddy pools! Last year we upgraded to a small livestock tank.
My dogs are my world. Ask anyone who knows me and they'll tell you it's true. I am that dog owner who is constantly having to back-up and delete photos off my phone. (But he's soooooo cute when he's sleeping!) My dogs (past and present) are the reasons I started photography and have always been in inspirations. My love of rescuing and giving a paw up to those who find themselves homeless has led me to donate my services to animal control facilities, shelters, and rescues around Iowa. Helping animals find their homes through the power of photography continues to motivate me to improve my craft and save lives.
In business, one must find a name and a logo. As a creative, one would think this would come easy. One would be wrong. I wanted it to be perfect. I wanted it to honor my heart dog and to acknowledge all those pets that steal our hearts every single day. As you can imagine, it required a few glasses of wine. My brainstorming sessions also included asking my dogs what they thought, but that didn't go far. They don't work for free and it's hard to have a conversation with your dog when their mouths are full of treats. I finally started sorting through some photos for inspiration and found a meme I made of our handsome boy Bear that ended up going a bit viral in the online dog groups. And . . . Nose Art Studios was born. The Nose Art Studios logo silhouettes three of our dogs (We lost Pippa, far right, in 2015. She was my heart dog.) who inspired me to take my photography further and taught me patience. Because some days are Roll On Our Back Days and not Pose For Mom Days.
Over the years I have captured everything from the most terrified shelter dogs to the boldest, happy-go-lucky pups out there. Our household is also experienced in fear aggressive and reactive dogs and I have worked extensively with German Shepherd Dog rescues in doing behavior evaluations for placement of dogs into foster care. In short, while I haven't seen it all, my experiences have given me the ability to safely and knowledgeably work with you and your pet to create lasting memories.
I can't wait to get to know you and your pets! And . . . if you want to see 100 photos of my dogs sleeping and being cute, just let me know! :) (Scroll down to meet our crew.)
Unfortunately, I was unable to locate the original image I took of him looking out the window. I have posted a similar one, taken a year or so later, as a comparison.
THE NOSE ART CREW
Ruger is our flop-eared sweet little boy. He was a foster fail of ours through German Shepherd Dog Rescue of Iowa. DNA tests show him to be 1/2 German Shepherd Dog, 1/4 Australian Cattle Dog, 1/8 Labrador Retriever, and 1/8 Boxer. We call him our purebred German Cattle Boxador.
Here, Ruger tries to model a new collar of his from Designs By Wildside. Unfortunately, his neck rolls make it probable he will ever be a professional collar model.
This beautiful fawn-colored beastie is Gypsy. She adopted us through Saving Shepherds of MN. Her life before rescue wasn't so great. In fact, it downright sucked and she has the emotional scars to prove it. The people she permits in her space are my husband and me. But with us, she is the sweetest, goofiest girl who wants nothing more than a belly rub and to be close to the family activities.
Nessie. Ooooohhh Hot Mess Ness. This girl wears her heart on her sleeve and is always all or nothing. She came to us from Cedar Bend Humane Society in Waterloo, Iowa as a foster and she never left. Nessie was not her name when we got her at 9 months, but she didn't actually know her name. She's grown so much since we got her (we still have some learning to do) and we love her to bits, but there's a reason her nickname is Hot Mess. (And yes, my dog has her own Instagram account. Go give her some love!)
We said good-bye to Bear in 2021. HIs ashes still sit on our fireplace mantle so he can continue to keep be involved in our daily life.