RESCUE ME — Four&Sons
Community, People, Photography

RESCUE ME

In his ongoing photo essay, photographer Shayan Asgharnia captures moments shared between the men and their dogs at California City Correctional Facility with a raw and beautiful intensity.

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RESCUE ME

It’s no secret: dogs have a supernatural ability to paw into the depths of our hearts, bring out our best, and remind us that pure love and good exists, while simultaneously testing our patience and pushing us to be responsible, balanced, and diligent in our care for them. Tapping into all of this with a remarkable sense of vision and hope is Marley’s Mutt’s Pawsitive Change, a dog-training program for prison inmates. Across multiple California state prisons, carefully selected inmates are grouped with rescue dogs for 14 weeks of rigorous training.

The program aims to prepare pups rescued from as far as China and Iran for adoption, and requires inmates to call on social and emotional tools too often neglected in prison, like cooperation, positive engagement, teamwork, self-esteem and constructive self-expression. Perhaps most significantly, for both dogs and humans to succeed, the participants must set aside all differences. And it works: each year, more than 400 inmates care for over 150 dogs rescued from high-risk shelters.

In his ongoing photo essay, photographer Shayan Asgharnia captures moments shared between the men and their dogs at California City Correctional Facility with a raw and beautiful intensity.


All images by Shayan Asgharnia
shayanasgharnia.com
@shayan.asgharnia

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TAKE THE LEAD

We are thrilled to introduce Dog-Friendly, a collection of city guides for dog-loving people, created together with our long-time contributor, photographer Winnie Au, and fellow enthusiasts, indie publisher Hoxton Mini Press. Available for purchase here.

PACK OF DOGS

Have you ever imagined Amy Winehouse or Nick Cave as a Chihuahua, Neil Young as a Vizsla, or PJ Harvey as an Afghan hound? That’s exactly what San Francisco-based artist Michael Gillette has done through his unique illustration project, blending beloved, iconic music legends, both past and present, with their dog counterparts. Pack of Dogs, our first foray into book publishing, is a celebration of pup and pop culture for music and dog lovers alike.

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Spanish photographer Sara Monsalve strives to ‘capture your memories’—to immortalise the beauty, innocence and wisdom of our pets.

JUMP FOR JOY

Photographer Rebecca Rinaldi knows that to capture a dog’s true essence, play is the key ingredient.

PLAY DATE

An antidote to mass-produced dog accessories, MiaCara’s range of carefully crafted toys are designed to surprise, endure and delight.

POODLE ELITE

Jouk Oosterhof photographs Amsterdam’s beloved family members (with a dash of lifestyle accessory).

TEAM EFFORT

What started as a fundraising effort to save photographer Kristoffer Paulsen’s beloved dog Josie, morphed into Melbourne’s most in-demand pet portraits.

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