Dog Photography Blog

The Christmas rush has waned, with gifts gleefully unwrapped, cookies and eggnog consumed, waistbands adjusted and matching pjs employed. Bender rather enjoys his new bones and was quite the hilarious ham with the new snow booties on (thank you Axle for the humor and being concerned about your brother’s frozen tootsies).

For me, creative items for sewing and painting were unwrapped, along with a pair of cashmeres in a battle of light and dark with an epic choice (which do “side” do you think was picked first – the dark side or the light side?), a duvet cover in smooth Egyptian cotton (this has been on the list for the past few years… finally!) and new seed and feeders for the birds. Kris received fancy date nights and neckties, portable tool boxes and a pair of matching his and hers undies that infused a royal blush and awkwardness into my sister when the hers bikini style was held aloft first. Merry Christmas sis! Hahahaha!

We hope you had a jolly affair, surrounded by not only presents but love and appreciation of your family and those you call family.

---

Puppers, if you didn’t get what you wanted, how about tell your mum & dad about a super awesome pair of toys made by Bulltug (they happen to be one of our favorite things, yes they’re featured in THE Holiday Gift Guide)

Bender loves his Chew-N-Tug 7 Pack and has successfully destroyed the ball, one of the rope toys and half of another. His favorite is Racool the racoon, though he’s not allowed to “eat” or chew on him for long. 

Brand new to the Bulltug collection as of this past fall is Trash-N-Seek, a plush trashbag with rope toy handles and a trio of very plump we ate too much roly poly raccoons! 

This toy is tons of fun, as it encourages not only chewing and tugging, but searching for the fat raccoons hidden inside, two with squeakers and one with a spiky ball inside. Plus there is a massive squeaker on the bottom of the trash bag. 

Don’t believe me on the fun?

Pop over to Bulltug’s website to snag your own Trash-N-Seek.

You can also follow them on Facebook & Instagram.

---

Merry Friday after Christmas and may the new year that’s coming be full of fun, play and epic awesomeness. 

December is lurking, just behind the turkeys, with attempts at S**W to add a little extra chaos to traveling for the holidays. (Be safe with this week!)

November started the flood of the merry holidays, trimmed in tinsel & gift giving. Inspired, THE Holiday Gift Guide was launched. Aligned with the Holiday Gift Guide is a series of interviews with the businesses behind our favorite things.

CuddleMutt, Val’s Brew Treats & the book Dogs of Minneapolis have all been featured.

Time for another! Atomic Collars!

---

Our favorite things: Atomic Collars!

Hello Cahlean!

Cahlean is epically amazing, with not only the talent you love and know as About A Dog Photography, but she sews BOMB accessories for dogs as Atomic Collars.
(Yes giving yourself an interview about your own business is a bit unique, it works out in the end haha!)

How did you get started?

It was a bloody cold day, Jan or Feb if recall is correct. Bender (at the time a foster) needed a stylish martingale collar. Locally, the options were super limited to black, blue & red inch wide. A trip to the thrift store, a bold red necktie partnered with a tan men’s belt, sewn together with vibrant red thread and the first collar (Atom) was conceived. 

Where did you get the idea for Atomic Collars?

With the collars being upcycled especially from vintage (sometimes fugly) neckties, it seemed fitting to have a “retro” name. Atomic always carries the feeling of pinups, bowling shirts, and just enough sass. There wasn’t a ton of wide (1.5 to 2 inch) collar options, especially for girls. We wanted to offer collars that were durable and wide enough to be stylish

What’s unique about Atomic Collars? What sets you apart from others in your industry?

The material for the collars is upcycled found fabrics – everything from neckties, skirts, suit jackets, leggings, even dishcloths. Its a process of giving new life to a garment or fabric source. Plus the amount of collars or scarves from an item is limited so it makes each one unique.

* The metal bits & most of the webbing is usually new, so as to ensure durability. 

What is something that surprised you about owning a business?

How different it was running a retail business vs a photography business (About A Dog Photography). Inventory is a THING! The ideal is a new pattern launch (on the website), give it a lovely picture and call it good, when actually there needs to be a count of how many bits of the new pattern there is!

Did you have any early challenges? If so how did you overcome them? If not, what is something you’ve accomplished with Atomic Collars that makes you the proudest?

Early challenges was with the sewing machine (bobbin tension oh vey!) and finding strong d rings. Rings from men’s belts were fairly easy to quest for, most of them aren’t designed to take the full force of a 65+ dog hitting the end of the leash in a chase after a squirrel. We’ve found welded ones that should handle everything a dog can get them into. 

What is some advice you’d give someone just starting out? 

It can be a ton of work, but its also super rewarding to have people excited about the collars and scarves and seeing dogs rocking things you crafted!

What is you most popular product?

Martingale collars. A close second would be the newest addition – scarves!

Do you have any pets?

Indeed – the foster fail who inspired the start of Atomic Collars, the pittie Bender. And a boxer mix named Axel (he’s the inspiration behind About A Dog Photography).

Tell us about the humans behind Atomic Collars:

Cahlean (waves). I’m the creative gusto behind all the ideas at Atomic Collars, the lover of dogs and milk glass cake stands, everything cider and the warmth of summer, photography, sewing and collecting a horde of vintage patterns.

Where can we find Atomic Collars?

atomiccollars.com as well as the socials IG @ atomiccollars Facebook @ atomiccollars

We’ll also be at Inbound Brewco on Dec 1st (THIS SUNDAY!) for the “Maker & Baker” event as the Maker! Swing out from 12-4 and pick up a bomb collar and a smart scarf!

The turkeys are being bought, the stuffing stuffed, the cranberries are singing, being de-canned or compoted, while potatoes prepare to be mashed and smothered in matching turkey gravy. The end of the meal has released the belt at least two notches,  a statisfied sign, a burp then the wafting goodness as the last element of classic Thanksgiving is pulled from the oven.

PIE!

Around here pumpkin pie with an over generous heaping of whipped cream caps off the meal.

Which got us thinking, could dogs delight in the same pie goods as us humans? In a way yes.

Traditionally pumpkin pie is made with nutmeg which very very BAD for dogs! Which means dogs can’t eat our pumpkin pie, but we can always MAKE them their own pies!

Here’s a handy recipe to make your dog his own pumpkin pies!

---

Pumpkin Pie For Dogs

(Found on Rover.com)

---

Want to try a different type of pie? Substitute out the pumpkin and whip up:

• an apple pie
• a banana pie (mix in some peanut butter for an Elvis vibe)
• a blueberry pie
• a cranberry pie
• a peach pie
• a pear pie
• a raspberry pie
• a strawberry pie (or mix all the berries!)

All the fruits listed above are dog edible. If you make any of them just be aware of too much added sugars that could upset your pup’s tummy. 

If we were crafting a dog pie, we’d aim towards a blueberry or peach (perhaps a blueberry peach one!).  What kind of pup pie will you create for your dog this Thanksgiving?

The turkeys are harvesting, beginning their defrost to thawdom and epic feasts abounding with foods of the stuffed, canned, baked and freshly cut varieties, Thanksgiving is nearing, to be followed by naps and frantic shopping for THE deal of the year. 

Onward we continue with our favorite things series, this time we feature ourselves, About A Dog Photography. Not just photography sessions with your dog (which are always our FAVORITE thing) but something else solidly awesome. 

---

Our favorite things: Dogs of Minneapolis book

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! We have WRITTEN A BOOK!!! And…… its REAL!!! Snag one and get your hands all over this hunk of 11×8 awesomeness! Ooooo la la! A book by us! SWOON!!!

---

And take a breath…. (can you tell its one of our favorite things?)

This was an epic adventure full of amazing dogs and their people (18 sets of dogs including a dynamic duo and a quad with squad goals down) paired with those iconic locations found around Minneapolis. They helped raise: $1620+ for Secondhand Hounds, Ruff Start Rescue & Great Dane Rescue of MN & WI! (You can help raise even more! 10% of each Dogs of Minneapolis book purchase will be given to one of the three rescues!).

A few snafoos (overly bouncy pups, overly shy pups, permits and weather oh my!) didn’t keep this idea from growing into a tangible touchable book. We learned, we grew and we’ve got approx 500 more ideas for books to come. (Want to be part of the next one? Drop us a line at & we’ll get you on the waitlist! BTW the North Shore will be in the near future…)

---

A HUGE thank you for all the dogs who are part of the Dogs of Minneapolis. Without you, there would merely be pictures of murals, sculptures and buildings. Thank you a bazillion!

Show them the love:
– Ruby
– Bailey
– Murphy
– Kaiser
– Armani
– Luna & Zoey
– Austen
– Owen
– Panda
– Shanook & Shiloh
– Rocky, Arlee, Gemma & Mortie
– Nessa
– Sherman
– Jax
– Zuzu
– Bo
– Kona
– Diamond

---

This is part of our blog series “Our Favorite Things”. Did you miss the previous interviews? Find the CuddleMutt one here, and the Val’s Brew Treats one here. 

Winter has arrived, full frozen force like Elsa tossing a pout in a dusting of snow, the coverage give or take your location. Couldn’t we ease into this a bit more?

On your quest to stay warm and cozy today, tip your hat to our veterans (thank you everyone who has served in the military, we appreciate it to the highest degree) and snuggle in for another addition our favorite things.

Today’s feature is Val’s Brew Treats. Kattie (pronounced Katie for those unsure) is a spunky, sweet, awesome woman doing epic things with… spent grains!

---

Our Favorite Things: Val’s Brew Treats!

Hello Kattie!

How did you get started?
It all started as most endeavors start: over a few beers at a brewery. We realized that after the brewing process, the spent grain is usually just thrown away despite the fact that it can still be used for baking. We took the spent grain, incorporated other natural ingredients, and baked a small batch of treats. Val readily volunteered to be our taste tester. Spoiler alert: he loved them!

Where did you get the idea for Val’s Brew Treats?
From our dog Val and the brewing community we love!

What’s unique about Val’s Brew Treats? (And do you only offer dog treats?)
Our dog treats are made with the leftover beer grain from the brewing process. We work directly with Twin Cities breweries. We are passionate about reusing and recycling to create a more sustainable way of living. 

We also make high quality pet products such as bandanas and bow ties. We even make paw & nose balm to help your pet in the winter.

We are a zero waste company. 

What is something that surprised you about owning a business? 
How much I enjoy it. I love being able to work from home and spend time doing what I love. And of course spending time with my dog. 

Did you have any early challenges? If so how did you overcome them? If not, what is something you’ve accomplished with Val’s Brew Treats that makes you mega proud?
How long it actually took to get the treats approved and ready to sell. I spent months working with the Department of Agriculture making sure my labels were correct. 

What is some advice you’d give someone just starting out? 
It’s hard work. Be prepared to work 16+ hours a day. But being your own boss is awesome!

What is you most popular product?
Buffalo plaid anything. 

Do you have any pets?
Val. He’s 6.5 yes lab/shepherd mix. We adopted him 4.5 years ago. He’s a wonderful dog who brings us joy daily. 

Val has many jobs at Val’s Brew Treats. His titles include: quality control, taste tester, model, and snuggler.

Tell us about the humans behind Val’s Brew Treats:
I’m Kattie and my boyfriend/partner is Ben. We are both originally from New Jersey and moved to Minneapolis almost 5 years ago. 

I grew up in my grandmothers sewing room. She is the most talented women I’ve ever met and I’m blessed to have 1/10 of the talent and skill she has. I’ve always been passionate about design/sewing. I also enjoying working with leather, watercolor, sculpture, and cooking. I love working with my hands and being able to create. 

Ben is my behind the scenes operations. He does labeling, social media, and booth helper am heavy aka heavy lifter.

Where can we find Val’s Brew Treats?
At one of the many markets we do each month (follow us on Facebook and Instagram to know where we’ll be) and our website https://www.valsbrewtreats.com/

Thank you a ton Kattie! Head over and snag some of those famous treats (Bender rather enjoyed his peanut butter ones) as well as some dapper accessories perfect for the holiday season!

---

Did you miss the CuddleMutt interview? Find it here: CuddleMutt