Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 19, 2015)
4C THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 PARTING SHOT A weekly snapshot from The Daily Astorian and Chinook Observer photographers Seaside High School seniors wait in the lobby before their graduation ceremony June 8 at the Seaside Convention Center. JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian ODDITY Pet photo series aims to counter ‘black dog’ theory Photos by Fred Levy via AP Aki, a springer spaniel, left, and Denver, a black Labrador retriever are pictured. Beauty not always coat deep By COLLIN BINKLEY Associated Press MAYNARD, Mass. — It was a summer day at the dog park when Fred Levy, a pro- fessional pet photographer, overheard a conversation that he couldn’t shake off. A woman was talking about “Black Dog Syn- drome,” a theory that black dogs are less likely to be ad- opted than those with light- er coats, perhaps because of superstition or a notion that black dogs are aggressive. Experts debate whether it’s a myth or reality, but it struck Levy. “A dog shouldn’t be overlooked just because of its coat,” Levy said. “That’s a minor element when it comes to the dog.” That dog park visit was almost two years ago, but it inspired Levy to take on a project that’s still gain- ing international attention. He calls it the Black Dogs Project, a photo series that features black dogs against FREE PUBLISHED THE FIRST FRIDAY OF EACH MONTH January 2015 black backdrops, aiming to capture their beauty and counter negative stereo- types. The photos struck a chord online and quickly went vi- ral last year. Commenters raved about the striking details Levy brought out in each portrait: the soulful eyes, that one floppy ear, a Poodle’s ears blossoming with fur. The microblog- ging website Tumblr count- ed Levy’s blog among its “most-viral” of 2014. Hitting a nerve Levy, 45, did it all in the basement studio of his May- nard home, where he lives with his wife, two young boys and a black-and-white rat terrier named Toby. “I knew that, for this project, it would hit a nerve with two different groups,” Levy said. “Pet-lovers would love it, and photogra- phers would like it if I did a good job.” After adjusting to the sudden onslaught of atten- ess in the Chronicling the Joy of Busin n Columbia-Pacific Regio AP Photo/Steven Senne Fred Levy poses with his dog, a 12-year-old rat terrier named Toby, for a photograph at his home in Maynard, Mass. Levy, a pet photographer, first heard about “Black Dog Syndrome” in a 2013 conversation at a dog park. tion, Levy decided to pub- lish the work in a book. It’s slated to be published this September, titled “Black Dogs Project: Extraordinary Black Dogs and Why We Can’t Forget Them.” Part striverbusinessjournal crbizjournal.com • facebook.com/coa Volume 10 • Issue 1 stry spo allenges Inside: Indu copes with ch Shellfish farm an conditions oce nging s optimistic despite cha tlight: Taylor remain of the proceeds will go to a rescue group for Labradors in San Diego. In the book and on his blog, Levy includes stories about each dog to count- er myths about black dogs. Among those he highlights is Denver, a 2-year-old black Labrador that’s also a therapy dog. Denver works at an elementary school and spent time in a Boston fire- house after the marathon bombing. Amanda Lukowski, Den- ver’s owner, said the photos were “breathtaking.” “It captured his whole personality,” said Lukows- ki, of Northbridge. “Denver is a gentle giant. He’s 90 pounds. He’s a big boy but he is the most kind, caring, compassionate dog ever.” Early on, the black dogs that Levy photographed came from owners he re- cruited through his Face- book page. Recently he also started working with abandoned dogs referred to him by shelters. After train- ing his camera on them, he shares their photos online in search of a permanent home. But his message to view- ers isn’t necessarily to adopt black dogs. Mostly, he wants people to think beyond appearance when they’re adopting pets. PacifIc in the pot biz page 10 NEWS Seaside Muffler and Off-Road 21 revs up its reputation page The Sadie out of South Bend, Wash. page 24 “I want people to make informed decisions on the best dog that will fit into their lifestyle,” he said. “The fur shouldn’t be the deciding factor.” There’s no firm science to support the existence of Black Dog Syndrome, and some studies have dismissed it as a myth. Maryann Re- gan, director of shelter oper- ations at the Animal Rescue League of Boston, said she doesn’t see widespread bias against black dogs. Still, she supports Levy’s work. “Anything that helps to break down any barrier to benefit an animal is wonder- ful,” she said. Among the victories that Levy ties to is project is the story of Annabelle, an 8-year-old black Labrador mix that was abandoned for more than a year, enduring a brutal winter outside. Af- ter hearing the story, Levy snapped three portraits of Annabelle and posted him on his blog last month. Two days later, a family adopted her. Available at a newsstand near you NEWS County makes a splash BOAT OF THE MONTH ‘Fur shouldn’t be the deciding factor’ crbizjou rn a l.com