We embarked on our Working Like a Dog project with the crazy notion that maybe the two of us could shine a spotlight on dogs whose responsibilities to their humans go well beyond the designation of ‘pet’ or ‘companion’. We hoped that by inviting these dogs to express themselves in front of our cameras, we could show and share our appreciation for these brilliant, hard-working and complex canines.

Dogs – and working dogs – have had a huge impact on our own lives.

Not so many years ago, Brandise fell victim to a vicious dog attack. She was forced to take some time off of her busy international modeling career to heal her sustained injuries. Brandise focused her time off to respark her passion for photography. Photography proved cathartic in her recovery process and her injuries soon healed. Her first job back after the attack she was cast on the Emmy nominated TV series Project Runway and spinoff show Models of the Runway.

Brandise’s success in photography and video rivals her success as an international model. She has shot album artwork for Jackson Browne, worked for Rolling Stone and toured with Crosby Stills and Nash working on documentary video projects. Her undeniable passion for music, animals, life on the road and photography has landed her two separate features on the social media platform Instagram as one of their suggested users.

During this time, Nicole was pursuing her dream of working with animals. She studied animal training with top trainers and learned to work with everything from bears and tigers to dogs and cats. Somewhere along the way, she decided that her mission as a trainer was actually to train other humans to strengthen their bonds with their pets through training and understanding. Happier owners means happier pets, and then hopefully fewer pets will end up on the streets and in city shelters – that was Nicole’s thinking. Nicole’s own dog, Maggie, who came from one of those shelters, became Nicole’s animal training ambassador. In addition to working in commercials and movies, Maggie performed at hospitals, charity fundraisers and on TV, doing tricks and training demos.

After lots of late-night talks, far-flung emails and the logistical nightmares that come with making appointments to meet with dogs and their owners all over the US, we piled into Brandise’s trusty Volvo station wagon for the Working Like a Dog road trip. We packed the car full of photographic equipment, lights, squeaky toys, balls, and tons of dog treats. Although we weren’t really sure what to expect on this grand adventure, not a day went by when we weren’t moved to tears by the stories we heard about these dogs and their owners. There were cancer-detection dogs, bedbug detectors, a dog who surfed for charity, dogs who warned their owners of life-threatening allergies, search-and-rescue dogs, cadaver dogs, mobility dogs, and so many more that we learned about. The one thing all these dogs and their owners had in common was how welcoming they were to two crazy girls who came to town with a camera. We can’t thank them enough for their generosity in supporting our dream.

                                                                                                        Brandise Danesewich + Nicole Ellis