The Perfect Gift for Dog Lovers – ‘Quake Dogs’

What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight – it’s the size of the fight in the dog. (Dwight D. Eisenhower)

‘Quake Dogs’ will make you melt…

At 12.51pm on Tuesday, 22 February 2011 a magnitude 6.3 earthquake severely damaged New Zealand’s second-largest city of Christchurch, killing 185 people. It followed an earlier ‘quake of 4 September 2010 which caused significant damage to the region, but no fatalities.

‘Quake Dogs’ is a dog’s perspective of surviving the Christchurch earthquakes. The book is made up of a series of stories about individual pooches and what they went through.

100 dogs, 2 cats and a chicken were photographed for the 68 stories in the book. And as sappy as I know it sounds, each one is more engaging and heart-warming than the last… Honest.

Cilla, the Boston Terrier, may have slept through the big ‘quake, but the many aftershocks caused her great anxiety and apparently her hair started falling out, and she lost a lot of weight.

She has since moved to just north of Auckland where she lives with her owners and new best friend, Oakley, the French Bulldog.

Jet, the Labrador, was collected by her owner’s daughter after the 2010 quake. She developed separation anxiety and was able to anticipate aftershocks.

When the big 2011 quake hit, she was alone outside and had to wait, surrounded by liquefaction, for three hours, teddy in her mouth, until her owner could get home. Fortunately, her separation anxiety is much better now.

Chloe, the Chihuahua, lives with Caiou (a Greyhound) and Little (a Labrador). When the big quake hit, the dogs were home alone. Apparently, their house was like the inside of a washing machine on spin cycle…

To avoid being crushed by a falling cabinet, Little smashed through a glass door and received a nasty glass cut on his head. Caiou and Chloe followed him and they all huddled in the garden together until help arrived.

Today, Chloe has proved the most resilient of the three pups, although she is small enough to fit in a hand-bag, so this may be a contributing factor!

The poor dog, in life the firmest friend. The first to welcome, foremost to defend. (Lord Byron)

My Mum sent me my copy of ‘Quake Dogs’. I just love it.

Written by Laura Sessions (who has two dogs – George and Mildred) and photographed by FURtographer Craig (who has no dogs, but three cats – Jazz, Mr Tinkles and Millefeuille), part of the proceeds from the book go to support HUHA, a national organisation that works to rescue and re-home animals around the New Zealand.

If you have a dog lover in your life, they will love this book! The book has been such a success that it has sold out BUT new stock is expected by 2nd December (in time for Christmas!). You can order through the Furtography website (payment through Paypal) and the book will be sent to you. AND, you can even get a personalised dedication… All for NZ34.99!

*Guinness, is the face of ‘Quake Dogs’ – in New Zealand he became a very familiar scruffy face and appeared regularly in the TV news updates. The enormous, shaggy Irish Wolfhound became the pin-up boy for the Student Volunteer Army and was awarded a medal for his work with their rescue effort.