What has 23 tongues, 19 tails, four nubs, and a whole lot of wet noses? That’s the question photographer Becky Barrett teased her Facebook fans with a few weeks back.
The answer came Wednesday, June 27 with the delivery of her new themed calendar, Old Forge: Dogs About Town. The four-color calendar features 23 canines that have risen to local celebrity status by patrons of their owners’ businesses.
Barrett’s inspiration for the calendar came after years of working at the Strand Theatre.Night after night, she observed movie-goers’ positive reaction to, and interaction with, resident Husky greeters, Argus or Noah.
“If the dog wasn’t there, people would constantly ask where the Husky was,” she said.
It was a similar scenario when Barrett paid a recent visit to the Kiefers at Souvenir Village.
“The people who stopped in didn’t care about us, they just came to see the Kiefers’ new puppy, Zona,” she said.
That was enough to motivate her to move forward with the idea that was embraced without hesitation by all the owners she approached.
The calendar includes four senior dogs (ages 9 and over), a puppy, and eight rescues—photographed in their natural habitats.
Because of her passion for dog adoption, 60% of the proceeds of the calendar sales will be directed to the Herkimer County Humane Society.
Barrett, a self-professed crazy dog lady said she honed her photography skills by photographing her own five “kids”: Zappa, Daxie, Zya, Dweezil and Basil, beginning with the oldest female, 7-year-old Zappa, who she describes as “the most perfect dog model ever.”
She seems to cast a magical spell over her canine subjects to get them to cooperate for the camera, which allowed her to complete the calendar photos in just a matter of hours over the course of a couple days.
Only two models needed a little coaxing to stand still for their shot—The Knotty Pine’s Labrador Retrievers, Ben and Buster. The were enticed to attention by a prime rib
dangled over Becky’s head by the restaurant’s chef.
The mascots and the businesses that appear in the calendar are: Ginger of Feathers and Boughs Inc.; Maisy of Mountain Greenery; Ben and Buster of Knotty Pine; Noah of the Strand Theatre;
Harley of Singing Waters Campground; Chica and Pedro of Wilderness Interiors; Rudder of Wrap City ‘n Glue; Harley of Tickner’s Canoe Rentals; Bailey of Ozzie’s Coffee Bar; Zona of Souvenir Village; Tahoe, Boulder, Archie, Charlie, Gopher and Lizzie of Old Forge Hardware; and Barrett’s brood of five representing RBarrett Photography.
The calendars are $20 each and available at Ozzie’s, Wilderness Interiors, Old Forge Hardware, Knotty Pine, Souvenir Village and Otter Lake Vet Clinic.
Barrett, who also does maternity, wedding and concept photography, will be the featured artist at Five Corner’s Café on the July 6 First Friday Artwalk, displaying her body of work titled, “Humankind’s Best Friend.”
To view Barrett’s work, go to: rbarrettphotography.com.
