Woof Factor 2014

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Oldies Club is celebrating older dogs! We are holding a fundraising photo competition for the sixth year running especially for dogs age 7 and over. The winning dog will represent the Oldies Club for the following year. The only rule for this competition is that dogs entering need to be veterans, they do not necessarily need to be rescue dogs to enter.

We have divided the UK up into 7 regions (North East, North West, South East, South West, Midlands, Scotland and Wales. The winner of each region will go forward to the Grand Final.

The competition will run for the month of March, closing at 9pm on Monday 31st March 2014.

PLEASE don’t leave it till the last minute and risk missing out!!

How to Enter

Entry cost is £2 per entry (one photograph per entry). You may have as many entries as you wish. Payment can be made by Paypal or cheque.

Our address for Paypal is paypal@oldies.org.uk Please can you state when sending the money that it is for WOOF FACTOR, who you are and which photos the payment relates to.

If anyone wishes to pay by cheque please can it be made out to Oldies Club and sent to : 49A Kinross Close, Cinnamon Brow, Warrington, Cheshire, WA2 0UT (Please do NOT send photographs to this address). Please can you make sure you send a note with your payment so we know who you are and which photos the payment are relates to.

NB. You must own the copyright of the pictures you are posting as any photos entered may be used for future promotional material by Oldies Club. No studio shots such as those taken at Pets at Home events.

Oldies Club Committee members are unable to take part in this competition. This rule does not apply to helpers or other associates.

Photos should ideally be a headshot or show the dog clearly.

**Please resize your photos to 640 x 480 pixels before emailing them.**

Photos will need to be sent to events@oldies.org.uk. Please state name and age of the dog and also which region you are in. Please do not send us hard copy photos through the post.

Only those photos which have their entry fee paid by the deadline will be sent to the judges.

Rosettes will be awarded to the 1st – 3rd place winners in each region. Regional winners will also win goody bags.

Rosettes have kindly donated by Marlin Rosettes.

Overall Winner & Reserve will receive a giftcard kindly donated by Dogrobes

Overall Winner will receive a  signed copy of  Off the Leash – The Secret Lives of Dogs kindly donated by Rupert Fawcett, a case of Natural Lifestage Senior Chicken kindly donated by Forthglade and  a small size commission sculpture of their dog ( approx 20cm high, worth £280) kindly donated by judge Joanne Cooke

Example of Joanne’s work:-

If you have any questions please contact a member of Oldies Club at events@oldies.org.uk

Presenting the Judges

Marc Abraham

Oldies Club Patron Marc Abraham is a TV vet giving the nation pet advice, promoting responsible pet ownership, rescue pet adoption, and animal welfare. Marc also founded the PupAid campaign to end the cruel industry of puppy farming, and promote rescue pet adoption, and was awarded the prestigious CEVA Special Recognition Award for Animal Welfare. Marc also has his own iPhone app for dog-owners called Canine Care and has written two books Vet on Call, and for animal-loving children Pets in Need. For more information about Marc follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/marcthevet, Facebook www.facebook.com/MarcTheVet, or visit his website www.marcthevet.com

Joanne Cooke
Joanne Cooke is a professional sculptor based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire where she shares a workshop with husband and wildlife sculptor David Cooke. Her work is inspired by a life-long love of dogs and she aims to capture the character of each dog she sculpts through facial expression and stance. All pieces are one-off sculptures hand-built from stoneware crank clay. As well as producing work to show in galleries around the UK, Joanne also creates commissioned sculptures of clients own dogs. Until last summer Joanne had been the proud adoptive Mum of an elderly retired Greyhound called Rory whom she was devastated to say goodbye to due to his deteriorating health. Her family is planning to offer another homeless hound a comfy bed in the near future.
Joanne’s work can be seen on her website

Lori Fusaro
Lori Fusaro has worked as a photographer since 1996. Her boutique studio, Fusaro Photography, is based in Los Angeles, CA, where she is well known for her lifestyle portraiture of pets. She was honoured as the top portrait photographer in the L.A. area for four consecutive years and her work has been featured on NBC Nightly News, The Today Show Pets and in the book ‘So You Want To Be A Pet Photographer’.  Many of her photographs have received critical acclaim and graced the pages and covers of calendars, publications and been showcased in art shows.  She has worked successfully with several animal organizations including: • BAD RAP • Idaho Humane Society • Karma Rescue • Born Again Pit Bull Rescue • The Unexpected Pit Bull • Wings Of Rescue • Angel City Pit Bulls • k9 connection • Guide Dogs For The Blind • Molly’s Mutt’s and Meows • Pin Ups For Pups • Los Angeles Animal Services • Rock and Rescue • S.T.A.R.T.
Lori’s website http://www.fusarophotography.com/ and her Old Dog Project Silver Hearts
Georgina Gibbons
Georgina Gibbons is a professional pet portrait and wildlife artist, working in pastels. She was last year’s winner of the prestigious BBC Wildlife Artist of the Year award. Working in a realistic style, she seeks to capture the unique personality of each animal she draws, as well as an accurate physical likeness. She cares deeply about the welfare of all wildlife creatures and domestic animals, supporting as many charities as she can both financially and by contributing artwork for auction. “I wish I could do so much more to help animals and I’m sad that I’m unable to adopt a dog at present. My 5 1/2 year old GSD won’t allow it! But these older dogs are so deserving of loving homes and I’m pleased to help raise their profile.” The photo shows her with her previous adopted shepherd Ziggy.
Georgina’s artwork can be seen on her website
Theo Stewart

As a Dog Behaviour Advisor and Trainer, Theo has likened herself to a Supernanny for families with dogs. She has visited about twelve hundred households over the past eight years and helped several thousand dogs. She has been involved in formal dog training for many years, more recently concentrating on behaviour work and positive-only methods. Theo is a founder member and Chair of INTODogs (The Association for Intuitive Natural Training for Owners and Dogs). In 2013 she was very proud to have been included as an approved Victoria Stilwell Positively Dog Trainer (VSPDT). She has got to the position she is in now through extensive hands-on practical experience, and her relevant qualifications include many seminar certificates, the ISCP Diploma and a teacher’s Certification of Education.

Theo has currently five dogs of her own, two Labradors, a Lurcher, a German Shepherd and a Cocker Spaniel.

www.dogidog.co.uk Facebook: TheDogLady


Dolly Suffling

Dolly Suffling is the proprietor of Kitsch Collars and started making collars in 2003 for her own rescue hounds.  Frustrated by the lack of beautiful collars and coats for sighthounds she decided to produce some.  The medieval trims and bright coats started to attract attention when out walking, so she realised that other hound people also would like to have their canine friends in similar attire.  In 2004 www.kitschcollars.com was born.

It has given her great pleasure to give back in the way of donations, a little helping hand to those charities that try so hard to comfort and home those hounds that have been less fortunate in their lives, but will hopefully find that loving home. Her collars are also available to purchase from many of the charities she supports such as Greyhound Rescue West of England, Hounds First Sighthound Rescue, Dublin Society for the Prevention Cruelty to Animals, HUG Ireland, Give a Greyhound a Home, Greyhound Awareness League, Hall Green RGT, Merseyside RGT, Croftview RGT, and many more.

Dolly fell in love with sighthounds when she re-homed a large lurcher called Cal who had been overlooked in a rescue for two years and was an absolute gentleman.

She currently lives in Dorset with her partner and young family, and her lurchers 16yr old Spanner and 14yr old Leno, both from The Mayhew Animal Home in London. They now also share their home with a failed foster pup from Hounds First, a disabled whippet called Scampi who is the youngster of the family at 7 months.

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