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“Rover” at the Peaks: Barking Success

24 Jan “Rover” at the Peaks: Barking Success

Posted at 23:32h in Events, Other Events, The Peaks by
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THEO, a Second Chance rescue and winner. He will be among the 250 dogs featured in the fourth and final edition of Andrew Grant's "Rover."

THEO at the casting call.

Kids and dogs.

Stage lore says you never want to be the act that follows because both win hearts and minds just by showing up. And they did, in droves, mid-week at The Peaks Resort & Spa in Mountain Village for the “Rover” event, a casting call for photographer Andrew Grant’s fourth and final book celebrating our best friends.

“Rover” is also a book with an ulterior motive: Andrew, a nationally known commercial photographer, created the series as a platform for raising awareness about and money for pet rescues all over the country.

Normally, the price of entry onto the pages of “Rover” is a donation of $5,000 to a local rescue – in this case, Second Chance Humane Society – but Andrew decided for the very special Telluride event, he would make an exception to the rule. The original plan: select just one lucky pup for inclusion in his museum-quality art book for FREE.

Then reality bit.

“I was absolutely overwhelmed by the number of incredibly unique dogs and their heartwarming stories,” he explained. “It was very difficult to select winners. I wish I could have included at least 11 more dogs, but each time we give away a page it’s $5,000 less raised for rescues and we’ll find donors for each page in the book. We always do.”

In the end, Andrew and his fellow judges, Kelly Goodin, director, Second Chance, and Kristine Hellman-Rosen from The Peaks’ Soggy Doggy, a dog grooming boutique and spa, selected the winning animals (yes, plural, so much for plans) based on character, a unique look, and a particularly compelling story. One was a rescue; the other, a purebred.

Theo, the rescue, is a healer mix who belongs to Gillian Parsons from Second Chance.
“We are very excited that a Second Chance alum was selected to be in ‘Rover,’ said Kelly.”Theo is a great example of what a difference a dog can make in the life of its family and what incredible dogs can be found at shelters.”
Lynn Tradig with BEAR, the purebred winner for a slot in "Rover."

Lynn Tradig with BEAR at the casting call. The purebred poodle won a slot for inclusion in “Rover.”

Bear is an eight-month-old purebred mini poodle, who belongs to Lynn Tardif, a personal trainer and triathlete who leads spinning and kickass fitness classes (“Tabata Boot Camp” and “Pound”) at the Peaks’ world-class spa. (Lynn, who is fluent in French and Spanish, also runs the brand new Telluride Language School, which uses the Musica Lingua method of instruction.)

I personally doubted we would ever be able to get a dog as I have always been allergic,” explained Lynn. “My husband and I took the plunge this year with Bear hoping a non-allergenic poodle would be the answer. I have no pet allergies with Bear and love to hug him and sniff his ‘baby’ smell.
When we got Bear, my husband’s only request was that he not be shaved in the typical Poodle manner. That explains Bears different “look”… scruffy! We are constantly asked what kind of dog he is. As most dogs do, Bear has improved our quality of life. We revel in his presence and love playing with him. He makes my girls laugh and feel carefree. He makes all of us live in the moment. We love Bear to pieces.“
In truth, Theo and Bear may have been singled out, but all who showed up for the “Rover” event, pets and their people, were winners. It was really quite party, with food and drinks and a raffle.
Check out Clint Viebrock’s video for proof and for those who were there, to relive a fond memory.

If you missed “Rover’s” casting call or came but did not quite make the cut, the good news is that all is not lost. You can still get your dog in the book and help Second Chance, a decisive win-win.
“If anyone would still like to have their dog photographed and included in the book they still can do so by making an appointment with me through the Peaks (we are in town for another two weeks) and a $5,000 donation to Second Chance or any of the other rescues we support across the country,” explained Andrew.
(To date, five people opted for a one-on-one with Andrew, so Second Chance is up $25,000.)

“We are grateful for gracious support and generosity of Andrew, Amanda (Andrew’s partner, in charge of marketing), General Manager Dave Ciani, a big-time dog lover, and Britt Havard of the Peaks for putting the event together. The wonderful gathering brought back great memories of the times Second Chance hosted the fabulous Fur Ball in Mountain Village. We look forward to doing similar dog-friendly, dog-fun events in the future. In fact Kristine of Soggy Dog Boutique and Spa (which raised $362 for us through event grooming!)  invited us to join her for monthly Yappy Hours in spring and summer at the Peaks, so we can bring up our adoptable dogs to Mountain Village on a regular basis,” added Kelly.

More about “Rover”:

Click on this link to watch a video featuring Andrew in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFlXcvmyUB8

Email amanda@rovertotherescue.com for more information about the “Rover” initiative.

Call 310-721-339 to book an appointment with Andrew Grant.

Theo again, this time shot by Andrew for inclusion in "Rover."

Theo again, this time shot by Andrew for the fourth and final edition of “Rover.”

Bear, photographed by Andrew for 'Rover."

Bear, photographed by Andrew for ‘Rover.”

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