Photos of Hairless Dogs

Sophie Garmand’s Photos os Hairless Dogs

Sophie Garmand is a French photographer who lives and work in New York City. For several years now, she has been taking pictures exclusively of dogs. She has done one series of photos on Pit Bulls; in her latest series, Garmand says she focused on hairless dogs, like the Chinese Crested and the Xoloitzcuintli to better understand humans’ relationships with them.

I found her work on Behold, the photography blog of the online magazine I like so much, Slate.

Garmand said the two breeds were very different to work with.

 “What I found during the shoots is that usually the Chinese cresteds are very shy and skittish. They’re very afraid of people and they almost always have their tail down. They don’t look at you. They run away from you when you touch them,” she said. “It was like working with a cat. I didn’t know how to interact with it.”

Her experience with the Xolo, one of the world’s oldest and rarest breeds, was exactly the opposite. “It was almost like working with wild or feral dogs. They have been domesticated for a while so they understand our codes, but they have a wild side,” she said.

The Pit Bull series is featured in a calendar. Proceeds from the sale of the calendar benefit the Animal Haven shelter.