Butch McCartney has been photographing dogs since 2004. He grew up helping his Dad sell his dog cartoon work at dog shows and his mom encouraged him to trying pup portraits. The rest, as they say, is history!
But why dogs in shoes?
“The idea for putting dogs into shoes came of course from my wife, Kelsy,” Butch told iHeartDogs.com “We’re always photographing our dog, Parker, and while having dinner at her parents’ house, she thought it would be super cute for Parker to try on my shoes. Of course she took a picture, and that’s when the light bulb exploded in our heads!”
From there, they started asking people if they could put shoes on their dogs during their sessions, and the owners really got into it.
“Right away people were completely on board when we asked them if we could put their dogs into shoes for a few pictures during their session with us,” Butch explains. “Matching dogs with the shoes is actually pretty simple – male dogs into men’s shoes and female dogs into lady’s shoes! Of course we talked about the dog’s personality with the owners to decide if rugged or fancy fit them best. Whenever possible we like the owners to bring in their own shoes. It adds an additional personal connection to the image.”
The McCartneys are currently working on a book of their work spanning over 10 years of images. To follow their latest pictures and book news, check them out on Facebook and Instagram, as well as their website.
(The following images are reprinted with the express permission of The McCartney’s Dog Photography)
