Every dog has a tale
Celebrate your furry friend and help a disadvantaged pet
Since being the very first country in the world to start an animal welfare charity in 1824, Britain has been a nation of pet lovers. With almost 71 million pets currently residing in the UK, up by 6% from the previous year; each with their own unique histories, pet owners are now turning to new ways to document the lives of their special pets as a unique family memento and commissioning their own bespoke It’s My Pet Magazine.
Remember that time you awoke to find the kitten had left a live “love token” at the end of your bed? Or how about when the new pup had decided to make a chewing toy out of your brand new gym shoes? Whilst gut-wrenching at the time, you can probably now chuckle fondly at the memory, especially if your beloved pet is entering their golden years.
Well now the memories need never fade. Introducing It’s My Pet Magazine, an innovative bespoke magazine that captures the very essence of your family pet. Now including pictures, professionally written features covering everything from how you first met, to your pet’s distinctive personality, as well as contributions and anecdotes from the rest of the family. For an added bonus you can even commission a mini photo shoot, allowing your pet and family members to feel like the stars that they truly are.
With companionship cited as the most popular reason for pet ownership, what better way is there to celebrate and continually remember the friend who’s brought so much joy to your family? Commission your own It’s My Pet Magazine and 10% of the profits will be donated to the RSPCA who work tirelessly to improve the lives of domestic animals across the UK, as not all pets are fortunate enough to live in a loving, nurturing environment. Around 194,695 animals were helped by the RSPCA in 2012, an increase of 63% upon the previous year, so there is still work to do. Simply use the code ITSMYPET14 when making your order and help other pets access better lives and rehoming opportunities.
For further information about your very own It’s My Pet edition, visit www.itsmymagazine.com. 
Five top tips!
Make your pampered pet the subject of your own photo-shoot this year with these tips:
1) Know your pet
Sounds obvious but you know which cute behaviours your pet displays and when they’ll be in the best mood to capture them. Keep the session brief and let them run the show, if they have any special skills, now’s the best time to encourage a performance, when they’re relaxed and comfortable.
2) Use a plain or well thought out background
Try to keep your background restricted to one or as few colours as possible, this can be simply achieved by putting up a sheet behind your subject, or possibly on a patch of grass. This will also help if you plan on doing any editing or post production manipulation later.
3) Be prepared
If you’d prefer a less staged shoot and fancy capturing your pet in their environment doing what they love most, keep your camera fully charged with space on your memory card – as it may be that off the cuff shot of your dog shaking off water after a swim that is “the one”.
4) Strike a pet’s eye view
Remember your positioning as animal shots are usually best when you’re down at their level and you can then either zoom in close or pull back to get 3/4 length or complete body shots at their level. However if your pet is of a curious disposition, you might find they can’t resist approaching and checking out your camera!
5) Have your pet’s best toys on hand
Getting your pet’s attention is all the more easier if you have another pair of hands behind you waving their toys and making funny noises behind you. Use the toys to help mix up your compositions. As they follow the toy with their heads, ensure you take different angles, as they can look vastly different dependent upon the position. Good luck, the only limit is your imagination!
Top Ten Pets for 2014 (based on running totals over two years) 
Fish kept in tanks: 20 – 25 million (9% of households) ; Fish kept in ponds: 20 – 25 million (6% of households) ; Dogs: 8.5 million (25% of households) ; Cats: 8.5 million (19% of households) ; Rabbits: 1 million (3% of households) ; Caged birds: 1 million (1.9% of households) ; Domestic fowl: 1 million (0.9% of households) ; Guinea Pigs: Half a million (0.6% of households) ; Hamsters: Half a million (1.5% of households) ; Horses and ponies: 400,000 (1.1% of households)
Currently, the top five reasons for owning a cat or dog are:
- Companionship
- Owner/Partner/Child always wanted one
- Owner believes that they are easy to look after
- They were rescued
- Fits in with lifestyle
-Stats within this article taken from the most recent Pet Population 2013 report by the PFMA, www.pfma.org.uk and conducted by TNS, face-to-face interviews with over 2,000 adults, aged 16+, nationally representative of households in the UK.
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