Living With Dogs is an ongoing portrait project examining the UK’s domestic relationship with dogs. It points the camera at a diverse range of human / canine relationships by looking at people with pet dogs, assistance dogs, sports dogs, rescue dogs and working dogs. Through photographs taken over the last 18 months the project explores how we share our homes, sofas, living rooms and lives with our canine friends. Living With Dogs is about love, family, support, connection, belonging and home.

The theme common throughout is companionship. In the detail of the interiors, in the gaze between dog and owner, in the touch of a hand, the pictures on the walls, in the resting of a head and the leaning on a leg, Living With Dogs presents vignettes of this mutually beneficial relationship in the context, privacy and sanctity of the sitters’ homes.

The plan with Living With Dogs has always been to produce a beautiful, large format, high-quality book of the project. Featuring 50 images printed across 200 pages the book would combine photography with 25 stories exploring the sitters lives, experiences and relationship with their dogs. These stories (gathered from interviews with the sitters) are personal accounts of human and dog companionship from a wide range of UK dog owners. They reveal how important this relationship is. In many cases it’s a partnership that has been life changing for both people and dogs.

I am currently looking at publishing options to turn this from an idea to a tangible coffee table book that celebrates the importance of dog companionship. I recently ran a Kickstarter campaign that received great support and some very generous pledges but wasn’t quite enough to self publish himself. I am now exploring more traditional publishing routes, private and public funding solutions and am always on the lookout for ideas / suggestions on how to get the book into print.

If you are interested in getting involved in any way please do get in touch. You can also subscribe to the Living With Dogs newsletter by signing up to the mailing list on the project website (link in profile) to get updates on the project as it develops and be the first to hear when you can order your copy of the book.