Walk down the street, go to a park or head a Whidbey Island beach and it seems as though everyone today has a dog in tow. After all, what’s not to love about the furry, playful creatures that come in all shapes, sizes, colors and dispositions to match their owners’ personalities?
Playing on this, some pretty darling doggies have gathered for the benefit of the South Whidbey Senior Center.
Out this week is the calendar “Darling Doggies,” which includes 21 South Whidbey residents and their four-legged friends. The calendar was photographed by Mary Gehl and designed by Rebecca Collins.
The project is a fund-raising project for the Senior Center, which will receive 50 percent of the profits from calendar sales.
“Operational expenses of the Senior Center, things like lights and heat can always use financial assistance,” said Senior Center Director Margaret Scehovic.
Starting the calendar year off with the month of January are Clinton resident Marilyn Dowell and her 6-year-old Airedale terrier, Kelly. Dowell’s furry “good pal and good company” looks like she’s ready to run after a bunny in the grassy field where the photo shoot took place.
“Dogs definitely make you get up and go, especially when you have a terrier like Kelly who loves to play,” Dowell said.
It was an appreciation for the Senior Center and a daughter who moved away recently that made Greenbank resident Brenda Wilkins want to pose for the calendar.
“My daughter recently moved to Boston, so I simply thought it’d be a lot of fun if I made it in, and I sent her the calendar without pointing out I was in it,” she said.
It will be an extra special present considering her daughter gave her Tex, a miniature Australian Shepard, three years ago as a Christmas present.
There’s no question, Senior Center members John and Marlene Angeles are extremely proud of their dog, Gatsby, a royal standard poodle that Gehl photographed on the shores of Mutiny Bay.
“He’s just such a beautiful dog. He’s extremely important to our lives and we love him so much,” John Angeles said.
And the Angeles’ couldn’t pass up an opportunity to support the center that they so often attend. From computer classes, bus trips off island and social gatherings, the Senior Center has become a regular and important part of the couple’s life.
“Everyone knows about the center and how everyone there does a tremendous job, and projects like this calendar are important to get the backing these programs need,” Marlene Angeles said.
And it’s the companionship of animals, Wilkins said, that makes seniors and their pets such a right topic to benefit the center.
“A lot of seniors are on their own and having pets as companions are of great help,” Wilkins said. “They have a calming effect, they’re always happy to see you, and they watch out for you.”
From terriers, to poodles, bulldogs, basset hounds, collies and labradors, the images in “Darling Doggies” radiate the love for man’s best friend.
Priceless for the month of June is Carol Lloyd and her four Boston terriers. The pint-sized black and white pups have droopy jowls but still, in their own trying to look tough way, they seem to beam at the experience. The array of pooch head cocks makes the picture an instant smile starter.
“Mary’s enthusiasm for capturing the visual impact of the relationship between seniors and their beloved pets is so contagious,” Scehovic said. “We are just pleased to be a part of the calendar project. It is powerful in its imagery and delightful too.”
