Last year, Apolloni Vineyards and Kim Hoshal Photography got together to hold a fundraiser to benefit the Oregon Humane Society. The fundraiser we decided on was a dog photo contest where dogs could be entered for just $5 and then they could get people to vote for them. We had lots of local sponsors who generously donated prizes for our mini weekly contests that helped drive votes. The monies from entry fees and voting fees were all donated to the Oregon Humane Society to help them continue their great works. Last year we raised $6,500!
Once the contest was over, I got to do my thing and photograph all of the winners. It was so much fun getting to meet all of the dogs and their humans. All the dogs rocked their photo sessions and we created an awesome calendar.
If you missed buying a calendar or you are thinking about entering this year. Here is a peek at some of the photos from our sessions.
Meet our cover model, Maribel
Maribel was the winner of our 2022 Wine Dogs Calendar Contest earning her the title of cover model. Maribel is a six-and-a-half-year-old Tibetan Mastiff.
Maribel and her family chose to do their session at Apolloni Vineyards.
She brought her mom and dad as well as brother, Maynard. We had a great time photographing around the vineyard and even ran into the owner, Alfredo busy at work for the harvest.
Maribel is a very independent girl, but loves people and treats so getting her attention for her photos was pretty easy. Her brother, Maynard however, was not so easily taken in by my offer of treats and attention. We got some great family photos and of course, our cover shot.
Meet Mr. January, Angus
Angus is an 8-year-old English Bulldog. He is such a happy guy with
the most charming smile. He loves treats so that was his motivation
to keep modeling for the camera.
Angus was the first shoot of the calendar series. He chose to have his photos
done at Apolloni Vineyard. He worked the light in multiple locations and got the shot.
Meet Miss February, Millie
Millie is a three-and-a-half-year-old Pembroke Welsh Corgi.
Millie chose to have her photo session at Apolloni Vineyards. As a corgi mom, of course, I was excited to have a corgi in the top 13.
Millie loves people, new places, and treats. Her hobbies are playing frisbee and chasing squirrels.
Since she is a treat-loving corgi, that gave me the perfect attention-getter. Millie hammed it up for the camera and even came prepared with Valentine picnic props to do some themed photos.
Meet Mr. March, Otter
Otter is a 2-year-old Staffy mix who is exuberant and up for anything.
Otter chose to photos done at Apolloni Vineyards. Needing a little time to check out the new location, we spent a little time walking around and having treats. When it
came time for photos, Otter turned on the charm.
Meet Mr. April, Archibald
Archibald is a 3-year-old Dachshund. Archibald is a cutie pie. He started off
a little timid in the new environment with new people, but once he knew I had
treats in my pocket he warmed right up. He brought his favorite toy, “Doggie”
to the set to give him
some confidence. He gave me those soulful eyes and melted heart. Plus, we bonded over the fact that celery is yucky.
Archibald felt like the Hoyt Arboretum was the best place for his photos. His caramel-colored coat popped against the fall backdrop.
Meet Mr. May, Basil
Basil (said like the proper English gentleman and not the herb) is a 9-year-old Miniature Poodle/Chihuahua/
Bichon Frise mix. Which explains his outstanding mohawk. Basil is a little shy, but he is a sweetheart.
He was working all his angles for the camera and his payment of choice is soft treats.
Basil chose to have his session at the Hoyt Arboretum. The park was still a little green so his beautiful fur stood out. We even got some with his handsome fall bandana.
Meet Miss June, Twiggy
Twiggy is a three-and-a-half-year-old Pit mix who loves treats and attention. Twiggy had her photo session at a nearby park as she still gets a little overstimulated. She is the sweetest girl and is working on her training with her dad after a challenging start to her life. When it came time for photos, Twiggy became the regal girl that looks like she could rule the world.
Meet Mr. July, Disco
Disco is a 3-year-old Pit Bull. He loves squeaky toys, treats and lots of attention from people. Disco has a big smile and loves to show it. It didn’t take much work to get him to show his pearly whites.
Disco wanted to do his photo session at the Hoyt Arboretum. It was the perfect place for him to run a little and show off his moves.
Meet Miss August, Harley
Harley is a 12-year-old King Cavalier Spaniel Poodle mix. Harley was a little
shy around me, but that didn’t stop her from enjoying the photo session.
She loves treats like Cheerios and Chex which earned me a couple of points
with her. Harley brought some of her toys to the phots session to cheer her on.
Harley chose Hoyt Arboretum for her photo session. She loved exploring all of the new smells, but I think what she really liked was the group of people that were watching her photo session and loving it.
Meet the two Miss Septembers, Olive and Annie
Olive and Annie chose to do their photo session at the Apolloni Vineyards. They arrived bursting with energy first thing in the morning, so we had a little playtime before the session began.
Olive is a 4-year-old Golden Doodle and Annie is a 6-month-old Golden Doodle.
They are both super treat motivated and like high-pitched noises, so I got to make
a kind of crazy sounds to get their attention. Olive being a little older was willing to sit for a little longer than Annie, but both did a great job of posing for the camera.
Meet Mr. October, Zuko
He took second place in our 2022 Wine Dogs Calendar Contest. He is a
one and a half-year-old Pitsky.
Zuko chose to do his session at Apolloni Vineyards. The first thing I noticed about him are his shocking blue eyes. He takes a little while to get used to his surrounding so we walked a little in the vineyard first and then when it came time for the photos, he was a rock star. He loves treats and funny sounds which are two of the things I do best, so we worked together perfectly.
Meet Mr. November, Walter Mondale
Walter is a year and a half-year-old English Bulldog. He is super cool and goes with the flow. Even at his young age, he can do quite a few tricks but gets distracted when other dogs are around because he loves to make new friends.
Walter chose to have his photo session at the Hoyt Arboretum. We got to take a stroll through the fall leaves to find the best background to compliment his handsome good looks. Thankfully, he loves treats and funny sounds, so I got lots of cute head tilts from him.
Meet Miss December, Rosie
Rosie is a 3-year-old Pomsky. She is a little shy and demur, but once you earn her trust she will let you pet her soft fur coat which is amazing. However, take her off-leash and she can run like a fox.
Rosie chose to have her photos done at the Hoyt Arboretum. The fall colors were the perfect backdrop for this beauty. She loves treats so that was my attention-getter for this photo session. When the camera came out, she looked at me with those ice-blue eyes and
did her thing.
So you can see, we had a lot of fun and everyone got the supermodel treatment. There were lots of treats, fussing, and kisses.
The fundraiser was so successful last year that we decided to do it again. We started this year's contest on March 20th and we have already beaten last year's four-week total.
There are still two and a half weeks left in the contest. The prizes are bigger and better than ever so don't miss out on the fun. You can enter your dog at https://www.gogophotocontest.com/winedogs/enter
Before we go, I want to thank all of our sponsors from last year, many who returned this year.
Can't wait to see who the winners are this year. Hopefully, it is one of your dogs.