Photographer Dougie Wallace turns his lens on pampered pups in Well Heeled

Date
17 October 2017
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Dougie Wallace/ INSTITUTE: Well Heeled
Courtesy Dewi Lewis

Photographer Dougie Wallace, known for his brazen, characterful series such as Harrodsburg and Stags, Hens and Bunnies, has turned his lens on man’s best friend. Well Heeled focuses on pampered pups and their over indulgent owners, capturing the personalities of the dogs in a similarly candid way to his high flash human portraits.

Dougie travelled around London, Milan, New York and Tokyo to find what he refers to as “extreme pet humanisers” – people who treat their dogs as they would their own offspring. “Growing up in Glasgow, I’d often see stray dogs; and if a dog was being carried or pushed in a pram it would be by a slightly batty old woman,” Dougie says in the introduction to the book. “[But] then I started my Harrodsburg project and stumbled upon the strange world of pet parents.”

Soon he began to focus more on the canine portraits, which see beyond the coiffured fur and accessories and appear to show the dogs’ personalities and moods. There’s a red setter in a leather upholstered car, seeming to strike a nonchalant, snooty pose; a miniature schnauzer in mittens and a breton top; and a startled chihuahua on a marble floor.

“I definitely got the sense that some of the dogs had forgotten they were dogs at all,” he continues. “Dogs don’t know they’re wearing designer clothes or Swarovski crystal collars but they clearly enjoy all the pampering; they’ve never had it so good. But there are others that would rather be running around a park chasing balls or chewing bones.”

Dewi Lewis is releasing a book of the photos in November, which is available to pre-order here.

Above

Dougie Wallace/ INSTITUTE: Well Heeled
Courtesy Dewi Lewis

Above

Dougie Wallace/ INSTITUTE: Well Heeled
Courtesy Dewi Lewis

Above

Dougie Wallace/ INSTITUTE: Well Heeled
Courtesy Dewi Lewis

Above

Dougie Wallace/ INSTITUTE: Well Heeled
Courtesy Dewi Lewis

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Jenny Brewer

Jenny oversees our editorial output across work, news and features. She was previously It’s Nice That's news editor. Get in touch with any big creative stories, tips, pitches, news and opinions, or questions about all things editorial.

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