Whether she’s standing beside a lake with the whole world before her, curled up on her human’s legs, nestled among a sea of flowers, or hurtling somewhere in the car, one thing is for sure: Maddie the Coonhound is on an adventure, and she’s taking us all along for the beautiful ride. You see, while many dogs will have no doubt shared Maddie’s experiences, not many have been photographed so prolifically. For the past two years, she has served as a photographer’s muse; traveling the country with her pet parent, Theron Humphrey, in order to capture some of the most gorgeous travel pictures we’ve ever seen.
Maddie’s story is another inspiring rescue tale. Adopted just two years ago from a shelter in Georgia by photographer Theron, her pre-rescue story is a far cry from her current adventures.
Theron soon noted the pup’s photogenic side: “I started documenting Maddie because she’s my pup – I had no intention of making a career out of it… One day, I shot a photo of her standing on the hood of my truck. My friends all loved it, and it grew from there.”
Maddie is now the star of a number of photographs, a fully-fledged muse, as well as the subject of a book, Maddie on Things. Having experienced the process of adopting a dog, Theron was then inspired to start projects called “Why We Rescue” and “50 States, 50 Pets, 50 Stories”, which both documented pet parents’ experiences of bringing home rescue pets.
“I photographed people with their pets and asked them why they rescued them and how their pets make their lives better. I wanted to show that shelter animals aren’t second-rate.”
If you’d like to keep up with Maddie and her adventures, you can follow Theron and his beloved canine on Instagram and Facebook, or visit their website.
Enjoy the adventure, Maddie and Theron!
Photos by ©Instagram.com/thiswildidea