The
Rover Story
Acclaimed photographer Andrew Grant presents an extraordinary collection of 421 soulful images of 209 dogs in stunning detail to bring attention to pet rescues and shelters. Rover is a fun conversation piece and the perfect gift for animal lovers young and old.
Rover has won the hearts of pet advocates including Ellen DeGeneres who announced on her show that Rover was going to be given to Oprah as her Christmas gift. This museum quality, 12” x 12”, 468 page coffee table hardcover is an unbelievable portrait of man’s best friend in his many colors, shapes and sizes. Andrew truly captures the unique exteriors of 209 dogs as well as their diverse personalities and emotions. Inspired by the growing number of cats and dogs filling our animal shelters every year, acclaimed photographerAndrew Grant created Rover to bring attention to pet rescues and shelters. A portion of Rover proceeds is donated to pet rescues.
The story of Rover is as stray as many of the dogs in it. Andrew was shooting a commercial ad campaign at the Bulthaup kitchen showroom and the owner’s two curious French Bulldogs, Napoleon and Gaston, repeatedly strolled through the busy set. Eventually Andrew decided to include them in the photos. The winning shot was the two dogs as the center piece of the photo, and the creative experience changed Andrew’s life. The joy and fun he had that day coupled with the staggering statistics he learned about homeless dogs and overcrowded shelters resulted in Andrew expanding his oeuvre to include dog photography and, ultimately, Rover. “It was the first time I worked with dogs as a professional and on the drive home I thought about how fun to produce an entire book of dogs someday. Well, “someday” quickly became next week when I learned just how many dogs and cats enter shelters every year and the dramatic effect the recession and housing crisis was having on rescues. There was an immediate sense of urgency as I knew a book like this could bring attention to the crisis.”
Producing Rover was a monumental task. The first challenge was to find a wide variety of dogs. Andrew selected 209 dogs out of approximate 3,000 dogs he met at casting calls throughout California. Once selected, Andrew photographed the dogs in his southern California studio over the course of fourteen months. On average, Andrew spent approximately ninety minutes with each dog to get “the shot”. Some dogs took only minutes, but it could sometimes take hours to get just two solid shots of less cooperative, shy or timid dogs. In the end, Andrew estimates that he spent about 225 hour photographing dogs. That’s the equivalent of eight forty hour work weeks crawling around on the floor with his camera to produce the images in Rover. Once the images were captured, Andrew personally edited the images discarding any shots that weren’t “razor sharp”. Once the images were selected, he meticulously cleaned up and prepared 360 images for the book -- a task that took five months to complete.
One of the portraits featured in Rover is of Bodhi, a 4 year old yellow Labrador retriever, who was rescued by Jill Haley of San Diego. Bodhi had initially been dropped off at an animal control facility in San Bernardino, simply tied to the door with a note on his collar that read, “My name is Buddy. My parent’s house was foreclosed.” He sat at the shelter for 2 weeks. On his last day before euthanasia, Labrador Rescuers Organization pulled him. Haley adopted him the very next day. “Stories like that make it clear to me that my chance encounter with Gaston and Napoleon has put me on a path in which I hope to be able to help many dogs find their way home” states Grant.
Rover has spawned casting calls, fund-raisers and appearances on major national television shows including “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “EXTRA.” “Pets enrich our lives, bring us priceless moments of joy and only ask for a home in return,” says Grant. Rover wonderfully illustrates that there are beautiful, loving dogs available for adoption everywhere as nearly all of the dogs featured in Rover once lived in a shelter. Grant also hopes that Rover will be instrumental in the fight against pet abuse and to convey the message that spaying and neutering is an essential part of reducing shelter populations. “I hope that my efforts to produce Rover will inspire others to support their local shelters and welcome a new friend into their lives.”
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Rover
Charity!
Rover proceeds are being donated to pet shelters,
rescues, and various pet causes. Plus! A copy of Rover was
sent to 158 Children's Hospitals in the United States.
Rover's friends!
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more about Rover's supporting partners, sponsors and friends including Dog
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