Portraits as Special as your Working Dog


photographing working dogs is a specialty of mine, here a saluki chases a lure during a Lure Coursing event.
working dog herding sheep, australian shepherd
a Newfoundland dog leaps from a boat during a water working dog test

Your working dog isn’t just an athlete, they’re your partner, your teacher, and family. The trust built through countless hours of training and the quiet understanding between handler and dog creates a bond unlike any other. Capturing a working dog in their element, whether it’s herding, hunting, agility, or flying through the air – is about more than motion. It’s about celebrating that connection, the energy, and the joy you share. Every jump, turn, or sprint tells a story of teamwork, dedication, and love and those are moments worth preserving.

Over the years, my photography of dog sports has been internationally published and featured on multiple magazine covers. I traveled all over the Northeast photographing dogs navigating agility courses, chasing lures, herding sheep and working in the field, learning to anticipate every turn, jump, and burst of energy. But competitions come with limitations: angles, lighting, and positioning are never fully in your control. That’s where private sessions make all the difference. Away from the constraints of competition, we can create dynamic, active portraits tailored specifically to your dog. Images that capture their skill, athleticism, and joy in motion.

For handlers, we know it’s about so much more than performance. It’s the long hours of training, the quiet communication, the shared victories and setbacks, and the deep trust that grows over time. My goal is to translate that energy and bond into portraits you can enjoy every day. Artwork that celebrates not just what your dog does, but the partnership you’ve built together.

I know this personally . My Golden, Rio and I competed in Hunt work, Agility and Obedience. My current Border Collies, Believe and Asher LOVE agility and I’m hoping to start herding training with Ash this spring. I’ve seen firsthand how dedication, trust, and love create dogs who are thoughtful, talented, and who share an incredible bond with me. My sessions for working dogs and their people are about capturing all of it: the work, the connection, and the joy that makes your dog who they are.

If you love your working or active dog and want to see them captured at their best, I’d love to create images that showcase their energy, skill, and the bond you share. These aren’t just action shots – they’re portraits of a partnership, designed to live in your home as artwork and albums, not just on a screen.

Interested? Let’s plan your dog’s perfect session.

Warmly,

Donna

DonnaKelliher.com ~ Pet Photography for the best loved dogs of Greater Boston, the North Shore and beyond.

Because YOUR dog isn’t “just a dog”

Donna Kelliher Photography

Website: https://www.DonnaKelliher.com

Donna Kelliher is a fine art pet photographer and Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA, certified through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers) based just outside Boston, serving Greater Boston, the North Shore, and beyond. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, and has spent more than twenty years behind the camera, her career beginning in dog sports photography before she shifted her focus to fine art portrait work. Her photography has appeared on the covers of Clean Run, Dog World, and Dog Sport magazines many times over, along with interior features in each, and her images appear in three books: The Everything Dog Training and Tricks Book, 2nd Edition, The Science Behind a Happy Dog, and Do More With Your Dog. Her work is also currently on display in a gallery exhibition celebrating dogs in art. What sets Donna apart is a rare combination: a trained fine art photographer who is also a hands on dog trainer with real experience working with every temperament, from timid and fearful dogs to high energy and reactive ones. That expertise was hard won. Donna spent years afraid of dogs herself after being bitten as a child, and worked through that fear so completely that she now trains and rehabilitates dogs with serious behavioral challenges, and competes in agility with her own dogs, Believe and Asher.

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