Wonderful Manchester based wedding photographer Anna of Anna Hardy Photography shares with us a special trip with friends - including her pet Greyhound Freddie. Anna's beautiful photography inspires us to take a day out and do something your heart desires!
We love that whilst spending the trip with Anna's friends, Freddie also got to spend time with his own fluffy friends Louey & Duke too. Now we will hand over to Anna to tell us about Freddie, adopting him and how rewarding it has been...
"This was a weekend away camping with friends and family, spent eating, drinking, playing, surfing, walking, laughing and taking pictures. It's my favourite kind of weekend and we do this as often as we can. This particular place is near Abersoch in Wales, it's a favourite spot that my other half and his family have been coming to for decades and is absolutely beautiful. It holds a really special place in my heart and I love coming here. Although we live in Manchester, the sea is very important to us and we try to get away as often as possible, usually at least every two or three weeks outside winter, and our favourite place to go without a doubt is Anglesey and the west coast of Wales, it's an incredibly spiritual and beautiful place. This particular visit I decided to take a few pictures while we were there."
"The three dogs with us in these photos are Freddie, Louey and Duke. Freddie is our dog – he's a brindle rescued greyhound, he's nine now and we adopted him when he had just turned five. He's an ex-racer and unfortunately, like many others like him, was treated appallingly while racing. When we first got him he was all skin and bones and had bald legs and stomach from where he hadn't been given bedding. Apparently many just sleep on concrete with a bit of straw on top. It was so rewarding bringing him back to life and watching him heal and grow in confidence. He's the most placid, loving, gentle, sweet natured dog I've ever come across and life wouldn't be the same without him."
"I love his coat – his particular pattern of brindle looks like tiger stripes and his racing name was Fantasy Tiger - sometimes little kids in the park tell their parents they've just seen a tiger when we walk past with him! He was apparently a real champ racer and according to his race card (the rescue home give you this) he used to regularly win in the top category… But you'd never really know this now – like many greyhounds he is chronically lazy and loves nothing more than to just curl up and sleep. Every now and then he'll have a huge race around at breakneck speed for a few minutes and then he'll collapse for hours, happy to just snooze and be cuddled. He's absolutely enormous which can sometimes put people on edge who aren't used to them but they really are complete gentle giants – they're known for their lack of aggression (one of the reasons I wanted a greyhound as it was important he would be good with children) and they are actually real babies – they have a very sensitive disposition and are far more likely to be scared by you then the other way round. He's very daft and often has his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth which you can't help but laugh at. He's absolutely 100% part of the family and I love him to bits. He's such a lovely gent and has made our lives so much the richer since he's been around."
"Louey is my brother-in-law's dog and is a Bedlington Lurcher. He's a very old boy now and has got a very similar disposition to Freddie and is a total pleasure to have around. Plus he's got the cutest face on the planet! He's got a kind of haze of grey fluff that sits above his dark coat, and a grey fluff mohican, which I absolutely love. Duke is my sister-in-law's dog and is a Lurcher (deerhound-greyhound cross) - he's hilarious – absolutely enormous (even a little bigger than Freddie) and is only young – he's so sweet-natured and absolutely bonkers – a total whirlwind of energy and loves nothing more than to power around all over the place. It's wonderful seeing him and Freddie run together, one of my favourite things. I could never consider now having another kind of dog than a greyhound/sighthound/lurcher – they are amazing pets – wonderful dispositions, loads of character, great with kids and absolutely beautiful creatures. Plus so many of them have been treated appallingly and desperately need rescuing and a loving home. I love looking at Freddie bounding around free and happy, curling up in his warm bed with lots of love around him, knowing what a tough time he used to have and knowing that in the same way that he has made my life better, I have made his better too."
. Photography by Anna Hardy Photography .
"I specialise in natural, spontaneous photography that celebrates real spirit, personality and individuality – it's important to me to create images that are not only beautiful but also unique and full of character. I regularly photograph kids, families, couples, individuals and weddings, as well as a few select commercial projects. I'm inspired by the people I photograph – their quirks, their personalities, what makes them different to everyone else, what makes them shine."
With Thanks to Anna for sharing her images and day out with us!
For more information and to see Anna's fab photography
portfolio head on over to www.annahardy.co.uk
