The Dog Island Project
Meet the DIP Dogs
As dog nuts and designers, once we heard the legend of Dog Island, we knew this story needed to be shared. While setting up our studio, Otus or Gitzo (and their buddy, Batz) sat in as lighting models.
One thing led to another, and now, we've interviewed and photographed many of the four-legged residents of Guemes. So many great dogs came through for their modeling sessions – though Sophie and Babette seemed a bit bored with the runway treatment.
Although bestie bassets Babette and Sophie may seem a bit lugubrious, their mournful mugs belie remarkably cheerful dispositions. They love making friends with other dogs and people, especially crew members on the ferry who ply them with snacks.
All dogs are food-motivated, but Sophie and Babette are connoisseurs who prefer freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano over other cheeses, in case you’re wondering. They’re also canny scent-hounds whose ability to sniff out blackberries in the wilderness is unmatched.
If you think they look too dignified to participate in contests of brute strength and guile, you would be mistaken. Every evening, they hold a vigorous neck-wrestling tournament, where the victor wins the right to choose her prize from a collection of old bones they inherited from another pair of battling bassets.
Which is Sophie and which is Babette? The good-looking one, of course.
Thanks to his handsome face and exceptional posture, Otus belongs to the breed known as Chick Hound. Women and children love him, and he graciously allows them to express their affection with snacks, back rubs, and effusive words of praise. Family members refer to him as a Norwegian Derp Hund, just to keep him humble.
Unfortunately — given his size — Otus thinks he’s a lap dog and will invite himself to share a comfy chair with anyone as soon as they sit back. A natural-born people pleaser, he is remarkably good at reading the room, so whenever he does commit a faux paw and gets scolded for it, he expresses his deep shame by letting out a plaintive woooOOOWwooooo.
His greatest talents are jumping (he can easily clear 6 feet), charming the socks off strangers, and cleaning out the ears of squealing children. His favorite pastime, aside from eating cheese, is playing catch with a lacrosse ball on a tennis court. And Otus loves to meet and greet everyone he encounters on his walks. If his friend Finn didn’t already hold the job, he'd run for mayor of Holiday Hideaway.
But Otus is more than just a pretty face attached to a charm factory. From the moment the Dog Island Project was born, he’s been a willing model for photographer Michael Hilliard’s many lighting tests. He has now absorbed just enough information to become a self-styled expert about everything, which is another way of saying he’s declared himself a fully qualified art director.
Gitzo is the laziest dog you’ll ever meet. Even tasks that don’t require much energy, like modeling for a photo shoot, put her right to sleep. The one thing that will interrupt her slumber is the sound of the lid coming off the peanut butter jar, which sounds like no other lid coming off any other kind of jar. It will bring her out of the deepest sleep and into the kitchen before she realizes she’s there.
Although remarkably lethargic, she does have a part-time job pre-washing the dinner plates every evening before they go into the dishwasher. Her other part-time job has been assisting Karin with project management and publicity for the Dog Island Project. So far, her contributions have consisted of glancing briefly at social-media posts, nodding approval, and rolling over to resume her snooze.
But she is not completely devoid of ambition. Gitzo’s life goal is to bark at least once at every dog on Guemes Island. She has compiled a list and is slowly working her way through it. So, if she hasn't barked at your dog yet, be patient; she will get to him or her eventually. Right after her nap.
A proud graduate of the wonderful Central Oregon Rehab and Rehome group, Scout is the super-model of rescue dogs. But she’s more than just a pretty face. Her style icon and social role model, obviously, is Amal Alamuddin Clooney.
She is the devoted surrogate parent of a squeaky, scruffy, stuffed toy lamb. Her personal goal is to help empty all the full ice cream containers on the island. It’s a never-ending job, but she is dedicated to the cause. Her ambition is to someday get a job as a snack sampler. Hey, a girl can hope.
Princess Leia is half Pug and half Boston terrier, which makes her officially a Bug. But whatever her heritage, she was born to nap, and she does it with skill and dedication. Her superpower is snoring loudly and at length, which would be annoying if it wasn’t also a very effective burglar deterrent.
When she’s not sleeping or snoring, Leia loves kayaking, hiking, and exploring the beach. When she’s bored, she likes to chase flying insects. Sometimes she chases dust motes that she thinks are insects, but nobody’s perfect. Not even Leia.
Although she’s a complete sweetheart, Leia has one of those faces that might make you think she’s ticked off about something. Or that she’s thinking you need to step up your game. Or get off her lawn. And maybe she is, but she’s not the type to say anything about it. She is more empathetic than judgmental. In another life she was probably a registered nurse or a therapist, dispensing lots of tea and sympathy. And maybe, just occasionally, an eloquent eyeroll.
Also known as Rick Lips and Wrenny Penny (never let humans choose your nicknames), these two are distinct but also inseparable. Like yin and yang, like two sides of a coin, like carrots and cheese, which happen to be their two favorite snacks.
Cricket is originally from Texas, and Wren is Turkish, but they speak the same language. Wren can mimic the scream of an eagle and imitate an anteater; Cricket can jump very high, wink, and hold up one ear at a time, but probably not all at the same time. He likes to chase tennis balls in the park while Wren naps in the sun.
If they could come back as people, Cricket would be a male swimsuit model. Wren would be that wacky neighbor who grants wishes by wiggling her nose. And they would choose their own nicknames.
Bred as a hunting dog, Piper instinctively points at any sticks or tennis balls he sees, just in case some human might be interested in knowing that they’re there. He has a large vocabulary, he can read facial expressions, and he thumps his tail whenever he hears anyone mention his name. If he senses that he will not be invited along on an outing, he barks and hops up and down to see if he can change your mind. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Piper is a lover, not a fighter; he doesn’t have a competitive bone in his body. If another dog grabs a stick first, he is very gracious about letting them have it. There's always another stick somewhere. His favorite pastime is getting chauffeured around in his Mini Cooper convertible with the top down while wearing his racing goggles. Yeah, he’s as cool as he looks.
Meet the DIP Dogs
As dog nuts and designers, once we heard the legend of Dog Island, we knew this story needed to be shared. While setting up our studio, Otus or Gitzo (and their buddy, Batz) sat in as lighting models.
One thing led to another, and now, we've interviewed and photographed many of the four-legged residents of Guemes. So many great dogs came through for their modeling sessions – though Sophie and Babette seemed a bit bored with the runway treatment.
Although bestie bassets Babette and Sophie may seem a bit lugubrious, their mournful mugs belie remarkably cheerful dispositions. They love making friends with other dogs and people, especially crew members on the ferry who ply them with snacks.
All dogs are food-motivated, but Sophie and Babette are connoisseurs who prefer freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano over other cheeses, in case you’re wondering. They’re also canny scent-hounds whose ability to sniff out blackberries in the wilderness is unmatched.
If you think they look too dignified to participate in contests of brute strength and guile, you would be mistaken. Every evening, they hold a vigorous neck-wrestling tournament, where the victor wins the right to choose her prize from a collection of old bones they inherited from another pair of battling bassets.
Which is Sophie and which is Babette? The good-looking one, of course.
Thanks to his handsome face and exceptional posture, Otus belongs to the breed known as Chick Hound. Women and children love him, and he graciously allows them to express their affection with snacks, back rubs, and effusive words of praise. Family members refer to him as a Norwegian Derp Hund, just to keep him humble.
Unfortunately — given his size — Otus thinks he’s a lap dog and will invite himself to share a comfy chair with anyone as soon as they sit back. A natural-born people pleaser, he is remarkably good at reading the room, so whenever he does commit a faux paw and gets scolded for it, he expresses his deep shame by letting out a plaintive woooOOOWwooooo.
His greatest talents are jumping (he can easily clear 6 feet), charming the socks off strangers, and cleaning out the ears of squealing children. His favorite pastime, aside from eating cheese, is playing catch with a lacrosse ball on a tennis court. And Otus loves to meet and greet everyone he encounters on his walks. If his friend Finn didn’t already hold the job, he'd run for mayor of Holiday Hideaway.
But Otus is more than just a pretty face attached to a charm factory. From the moment the Dog Island Project was born, he’s been a willing model for photographer Michael Hilliard’s many lighting tests. He has now absorbed just enough information to become a self-styled expert about everything, which is another way of saying he’s declared himself a fully qualified art director.
Gitzo is the laziest dog you’ll ever meet. Even tasks that don’t require much energy, like modeling for a photo shoot, put her right to sleep. The one thing that will interrupt her slumber is the sound of the lid coming off the peanut butter jar, which sounds like no other lid coming off any other kind of jar. It will bring her out of the deepest sleep and into the kitchen before she realizes she’s there.
Although remarkably lethargic, she does have a part-time job pre-washing the dinner plates every evening before they go into the dishwasher. Her other part-time job has been assisting Karin with project management and publicity for the Dog Island Project. So far, her contributions have consisted of glancing briefly at social-media posts, nodding approval, and rolling over to resume her snooze.
But she is not completely devoid of ambition. Gitzo’s life goal is to bark at least once at every dog on Guemes Island. She has compiled a list and is slowly working her way through it. So, if she hasn't barked at your dog yet, be patient; she will get to him or her eventually. Right after her nap.
A proud graduate of the wonderful Central Oregon Rehab and Rehome group, Scout is the super-model of rescue dogs. But she’s more than just a pretty face. Her style icon and social role model, obviously, is Amal Alamuddin Clooney.
She is the devoted surrogate parent of a squeaky, scruffy, stuffed toy lamb. Her personal goal is to help empty all the full ice cream containers on the island. It’s a never-ending job, but she is dedicated to the cause. Her ambition is to someday get a job as a snack sampler. Hey, a girl can hope.
Princess Leia is half Pug and half Boston terrier, which makes her officially a Bug. But whatever her heritage, she was born to nap, and she does it with skill and dedication. Her superpower is snoring loudly and at length, which would be annoying if it wasn’t also a very effective burglar deterrent.
When she’s not sleeping or snoring, Leia loves kayaking, hiking, and exploring the beach. When she’s bored, she likes to chase flying insects. Sometimes she chases dust motes that she thinks are insects, but nobody’s perfect. Not even Leia.
Although she’s a complete sweetheart, Leia has one of those faces that might make you think she’s ticked off about something. Or that she’s thinking you need to step up your game. Or get off her lawn. And maybe she is, but she’s not the type to say anything about it. She is more empathetic than judgmental. In another life she was probably a registered nurse or a therapist, dispensing lots of tea and sympathy. And maybe, just occasionally, an eloquent eyeroll.
Also known as Rick Lips and Wrenny Penny (never let humans choose your nicknames), these two are distinct but also inseparable. Like yin and yang, like two sides of a coin, like carrots and cheese, which happen to be their two favorite snacks.
Cricket is originally from Texas, and Wren is Turkish, but they speak the same language. Wren can mimic the scream of an eagle and imitate an anteater; Cricket can jump very high, wink, and hold up one ear at a time, but probably not all at the same time. He likes to chase tennis balls in the park while Wren naps in the sun.
If they could come back as people, Cricket would be a male swimsuit model. Wren would be that wacky neighbor who grants wishes by wiggling her nose. And they would choose their own nicknames.
Bred as a hunting dog, Piper instinctively points at any sticks or tennis balls he sees, just in case some human might be interested in knowing that they’re there. He has a large vocabulary, he can read facial expressions, and he thumps his tail whenever he hears anyone mention his name. If he senses that he will not be invited along on an outing, he barks and hops up and down to see if he can change your mind. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Piper is a lover, not a fighter; he doesn’t have a competitive bone in his body. If another dog grabs a stick first, he is very gracious about letting them have it. There's always another stick somewhere. His favorite pastime is getting chauffeured around in his Mini Cooper convertible with the top down while wearing his racing goggles. Yeah, he’s as cool as he looks.