This lovely photographer, Dawn Whitmore, sent me her delicious story about her rescue dog Ben. "Ben is an incredible pup despite a rocky history. He was pulled by authorities from a hoarding/puppy mill situation in rural Minnesota. He was the only Standard among a ton of tiny dogs. Sadly, he was very aggressive and sent to German Shepherd rescue for a few weeks to determine whether or not he might be adoptable to someone. I had applied for a rescue poodle weeks before (with Mid Atlantic Poodle Rescue) and received a call that there was a dog available. I was the only acceptable candidate for him because I'd worked as a vet tech several years prior and am familiar with crazy dogs. Needless to say I took him in October 2011 and have done lots of positive training classes with the Washington Animal Rescue League (WARL) here in DC.

Now, he now is a dream dog. He still has a few anxieties and is definitely very attached to me, but he has opened up into a fantastic pooch. He travels everywhere with me - my studio on a daily basis, our local frame shop, friends houses...everywhere. We have a young cat, Joe Jack, and they love each other. "