On the cover of Volume Three, a black puppy hooks one paw over a ledge and looks off to the left, as if someone just said the word "walk".
Inside are over 250 dogs, all sorts of breeds and crosses, each photographed by Living Image Photography and each beside a few lines from the family who lives with them. The photograph shows you the dog. The family's words tell you who that dog is at home, in the voice of the people who know them best.
That is the idea Shoot the Dog started with in 2013: celebrate the joyful lives of dogs and the place they hold in our families, and help the ones still waiting for a family of their own. Every family photographed paid a $100 participation fee, and all of it went directly to an animal rescue group. A share of the profit from the books goes to the rescues too. Across the books, more than $100,000 has gone to Australian animal shelters, to care for sick, injured and displaced pets.
It is a big book to hold: a square hardcover, 320 mm a side, full colour from cover to cover, with an orange spine. It is the kind of book that lives on the coffee table and gets picked up by every visitor who has ever loved a dog.
If you know someone whose dog is part of the family, Volume Three is a gift they will keep.
