February 27, 2013 Alisa Manzelli
According to the ASPCA, approximately 5 to 7 million pets enter animal shelters nationwide every year, and approximately 3 to 4 million are euthanized—that’s one every six and a half seconds. In addition, millions more are abandoned, only to suffer from illness or injury before their untimely death.
]]>February 27, 2013 Alisa Manzelli
According to the ASPCA, approximately 5 to 7 million pets enter animal shelters nationwide every year, and approximately 3 to 4 million are euthanized—that’s one every six and a half seconds. In addition, millions more are abandoned, only to suffer from illness or injury before their untimely death.
However, many are fighting to change these statistics. One is photographer Frank Bruynbroek, who dedicated15 years of his life into the creation of Compawssion: Portraits of Rescued Dogs. The touching collection of black and white, film portraits of rescued dogs shows audiences what it means to be a dog who has been abandoned and then rescued.
Bruynbroek was inspired to create the book after the tragic loss of his puppy, Rosalie, when he decided to use his talents to help the welfare of animals.
“The moment she died, I was so touched. They are such innocent beings. It’s the closest you can feel when you look at a child.” Bruynbroek explains, “When she died, I was completely naive to writing a book. I never thought of myself as a photographer, but then I made a promise.”
On his website, Bruynbroek writes, “It was time for me to give back and to contribute to a cause that grew bigger and bigger in my heart. Dogs give us so much love every day that I wanted to reach all those wondrous souls all at once.”
The 160 page compilation includes more than one hundred photographs, a foreword from prominent dog trainer, Cesar Millan, as well as interviews with twenty-five public figures from music, sports, politics, film, television, and more. These influential celebrity figures include Ellen DeGeneres, Josh Duhamel, Dr Jane Goodall, Diane Keaton, Jillian Barberie, Kim Basinger, Jackie Chan, Brigitte Bardot, and Sharon Osbourne, who all share their inspiring stories of what it means to save and care for a rescue dog.
Actress Katherine Heigl tells her story of how she adopted her pooch: “I walked by a woman trying to get people to adopt these puppies – beautiful, beautiful dogs – that were found in somebody’s backyard tied up with no food or water and had been left there for days. That’s when I first went, ‘Oh my God. People would do that?’ One of them had gotten adopted and I wanted both of them, but I could only have the one. So that’s how I got Piper, who is just probably one of the most amazing and soulful animals I’ve ever had the privilege to own and she’s just a really, really special and unique dog.”
But despite the three chapters of poignant stories documenting such miraculous human-animal bonds, no humans appear in any of the photographs. Bruynbroek explains, “To me I wanted to feature the dogs because the stars in this book are the dogs. When you add humans, it’s usually distracting from the subject matter…we look at a picture of a person completely differently….when you look at a picture of the dog, you just go to the personality and the essence of the dog.”
In the book’s foreword, Millan writes, “To me, Frank honors their fundamental nature as animals, dogs, breeds, and finally as individuals. That is the exquisite magic of what he does as a photographic portrait artist.”
Since its release, Compawssion has seen much success including features on The Ellen Show, Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight, and US Weekly. Through his book, Bruynbroek aims to spread awareness across the nation and possibly have the text translated into other languages for worldwide distribution.
He explains, “My dream is that there won’t be homeless pets anymore, anywhere. My hope is to see breeders with a conscience. My wish is to see all puppy mills abolished as well as all stores that sell puppies. An important aspect of this project is awareness and education as a means to prevent innocent animals from being killed every single day.”
The hardcover book “for the underdogs in all of us” is available for purchase on www.compawssion.com and a portion of the proceeds will go directly to no-kill animal shelters, rescue and rehabilitation centers, or service dog foundations, including the The Jane Goodall Institute, Cesar Millan Foundation, The Brittany Foundation, and several others. Bruynbroek has also produced a 2013 calendar that features photographs from the book, which also helps dogs in need.
Watch the video below for a preview of Bruynbroek’s moving collection of images.
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Former Hollywood actor Frank Bruynbroek developed a love of rescue dogs
two decades ago. And the actor-turned-photographer channeled that
passion into a book that features humanlike shots of the canines while
bringing attention to those that have been neglected and abandoned. “Compawssion: Portraits of Rescued Dogs” is a glossy hardcover book of
100 black-and-white photographs, and a 15-year project of Bruynbroek’s.
The book’s growing appeal is largely due to Bruynbroek’s interviews with
25 celebrity-activists, including Dr. Jane Goodall, Diane Keaton, Ellen
DeGeneres, Jackie Chan, Kim Basinger and Brigitte Bardot. Bruynbroek conducted in-person and phone interviews with the stars, some
taking years to complete. For example, he flew twice to Paris to meet
with Bardot, only to interview her over the phone. “All of them talked about their passion for dogs and why they rescued
them, as opposed to buying them,” Bruynbroek said. “The stories are
about love and respect.” He said Kim Basinger’s animals are an antidote to what she considers a
noisy world where most people are either living in the past, or in the
future. “Dogs don’t have that battle. They are present beings,” Basinger said in
“Compawssion.” “They’re so good at the mundane things. They’re very
still in their communication. Their voices are so loud to me. In their
stillness, I really hearsomething that’s valuable.” On Saturday, Café Aroma of Idyllwild will host a book signing. “This book is all about creating awareness,” Bruynbroek said during a
recent interview at his gallery in Oakbrook Village in Idyllwild. Tee, a
female pit bull rescued from a junkyard, was asleep at his feet. The portraits come from Bruynbroek’s early days as an activist, and from later commissioned portraits. “I think people like them because they look a lot like people,” Bruynbroek said. Dogs may not be the easiest subjects to photograph, but one owner whose
pet is featured in the book says she believes they’re cooperative
because of Bruynbroek’s demeanor. “I think dogs know that Frank is safe,” said Tawny Crist, of Banning,
whose 15-year-old female German shorthaired pointer, Mic, is featured in
the book. “He doesn’t do ‘cutesy,’ but brings attention to abused and
neglected dogs.” “Compawssion” was released in mid-October and by mid-November had sold
70 copies at $75 each. A Collector’s Edition sells for $395. On the
“Compawssion” website, there’s a list of eight animal rescue groups
selected to receive a portion of the book’s proceeds. The book has been featured in national newspapers and magazines.
“Entertainment Tonight” was expected to feature a spot on Friday. Cesar Millan, of the popular “Dog Whisperer” TV series, wrote the
foreword, while the back features a quote by William Wegman, famous for
his portraits of dressed-up Weimaraners. “Each portrait is a searing guided missile straight to the heart,” wrote Wegman. Two decades ago, Bruynbroek was rescuing homeless dogs with his
girlfriend and aggressively trying to find homes for all of them. “We would set up with our donated van on different sidewalks each
weekend in L.A., trying to place homeless dogs. It was a crazy time,”
Bruynbroek said.
When his beloved pit bull, Rosalie, died, Bruynbroek vowed to create a broader awareness with his photographic skills. As a Hollywood actor, he knew the value of celebrity, and set out to interview celebrity-activists. Luckily, one of his dog-portrait customers put him in touch with actress Diane Keaton. “Diane was my first celebrity interview,” Bruynbroek said. “She could afford any breed she wanted, but she chose a mutt.” Keaton’s rescue dog, Red, is featured in his book. He said that talking to celebrities was easy because it was all about the dogs. “I love seeing tough guys like Gene Simmons from KISS, ‘kootchie-kooing’ with his five dogs,” Bruynbroek said. He met other celebrities, such as Jackie Chan, on a movie set. “We were filming ‘Rush Hour 3,’ and Jackie Chan was in my scene. So I gave everyone on the set my dog calendars, including his assistant who set up the meeting for me,” Bruynbroek said. No photos of celebrities are featured in the book; only six select portraits of their dogs. Simone Reyes, who works with Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons, rescues dogs that nobody wants. Reyes’ dog with no eyes is the last one Bruynbroek featured in the book. “I wanted to show that eyes or no eyes, they don’t care,” Bruynbroek said. “They still give us love and have no complaints about life.” Bruynbroek uses black-and-white film and a professional printer to process his photographs. Sometimes the first image works, while other shoots take longer. “I don’t use a digital camera, so I take my time to get the right shot,” he said. Mecca, a 4-year-old English deerhound, was rescued by Idyllwild residents Gretchen and Jack Peckham, who are greyhound rescue activists. “Mecca was on her third litter of puppies, and was living with Jose, a homeless man, with three other adult dogs in the back of a truck,” Gretchen Peckham said. A woman affiliated with a dog rescue group near Sacramento persuaded Jose to let Mecca birth the puppies in her home. Two of the 12 died while Mecca was sick with heartworm. Later, the woman sent out an email to place the puppies, but Gretchen Peckham was interested in Mecca. “She was in pretty bad shape, but survived the painful heartworm treatment,” Jack Peckham said. They won a dog portrait at an Animal Rescue Friends auction, and Mecca was the first of their many dogs to be photographed by Bruynbroek. “Frank really captures the essence of their personalities,” Gretchen said. Café Aroma owner Hubert Halkin, who lives in Idyllwild and La Jolla, was impressed with Bruynbroek’s book. “Café Aroma welcomes dogs of all kinds, and quite a few of them have been beautifully photographed by Frank,” Halkin said. The “Compawssion” book signing will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Café Aroma, 54750 N. Circle Drive in Idyllwild. A portion of the proceeds will go to Animal Rescue Friends.
To order the book, visit www.compawssion.com.
TRANSCRIPT: This one is just incredible. "Compawssion" It's all rescue dogs.
It was done to raise money for the Brittany Foundation, a nonprofit charity to rescuing dogs. I think we're going to show Betty Lou.
A 17-year-old chihuahua. She was left abandoned as a tiny, little baby. The new owner did not let her be put down.
Now, she's 17 years old.
Idyllwild — Former Hollywood actor Frank Bruynbroek developed a love of rescue dogs two decades ago. And the actor-turned-photographer channeled that passion into a book that features humanlike shots of the canines while bringing attention to those that have been neglected and abandoned.
“Compawssion: Portraits of Rescued Dogs” is a glossy hardcover book of 100 black-and-white photographs, and a 15-year project of Bruynbroek’s. The book’s growing appeal is largely due to Bruynbroek’s interviews with 25 celebrity-activists, including Dr. Jane Goodall, Diane Keaton, Ellen DeGeneres, Jackie Chan, Kim Basinger and Brigitte Bardot.
Bruynbroek conducted in-person and phone interviews with the stars, some taking years to complete. For example, he flew twice to Paris to meet with Bardot, only to interview her over the phone.
“All of them talked about their passion for dogs and why they rescued them, as opposed to buying them,” Bruynbroek said. “The stories are about love and respect.”
He said Kim Basinger’s animals are an antidote to what she considers a noisy world where most people are either living in the past, or in the future.
“Dogs don’t have that battle. They are present beings,” Basinger said in “Compawssion.” “They’re so good at the mundane things. They’re very still in their communication. Their voices are so loud to me. In their stillness, I really hearsomething that’s valuable.”
On Saturday, Café Aroma of Idyllwild will host a book signing.
“This book is all about creating awareness,” Bruynbroek said during a recent interview at his gallery in Oakbrook Village in Idyllwild. Tee, a female pit bull rescued from a junkyard, was asleep at his feet.
The portraits come from Bruynbroek’s early days as an activist, and from later commissioned portraits.
“I think people like them because they look a lot like people,” Bruynbroek said.
Dogs may not be the easiest subject to photograph, but one owner whose pet is featured in the book says she believes they’re cooperative because of Bruynbroek’s demeanor.
“I think dogs know that Frank is safe,” said Tawny Crist, of Banning, whose 15-year-old female German shorthaired pointer, Mic, is featured in the book. “He doesn’t do ‘cutesy,’ but brings attention to abused and neglected dogs.”
“Compawssion” was released in mid-October, and by mid-November had sold 70 copies at $75 each. A Collector’s Edition sells for $395. On the “Compawssion” website, there’s a list of eight animal rescue groups selected to receive a portion of the book’s proceeds.
The book has been featured in national newspapers and magazines. “Entertainment Tonight” was expected to feature a spot on Friday.
Cesar Millan, of the popular “Dog Whisperer” TV series, wrote the foreword, while the back features a quote by William Wegman, famous for his portraits of dressed-up Weimaraners.
“Each portrait is a searing guided missile straight to the heart,” wrote Wegman.
Two decades ago, Bruynbroek was rescuing homeless dogs with his girlfriend and aggressively trying to find homes for all of them.
“We would set up with our donated van on different sidewalks each weekend in L.A., trying to place homeless dogs. It was a crazy time,” Bruynbroek said.
When his beloved pit bull, Rosalie, died, Bruynbroek vowed to create a broader awareness with his photographic skills. As a Hollywood actor, he knew the value of celebrity, and set out to interview celebrity-activists.
Luckily, one of his dog-portrait customers put him in touch with actress Diane Keaton.
“Diane was my first celebrity interview,” Bruynbroek said. “She could afford any breed she wanted, but she chose a mutt.”
Keaton’s rescue dog, Red, is featured in his book.
He said that talking to celebrities was easy because it was all about the dogs.
“I love seeing tough guys like Gene Simmons from KISS, ‘kootchie-kooing’ with his five dogs,” Bruynbroek said.
He met other celebrities, such as Jackie Chan, on a movie set.
“We were filming ‘Rush Hour 3,’ and Jackie Chan was in my scene. So I gave everyone on the set my dog calendars, including his assistant who set up the meeting for me,” Bruynbroek said.
No photos of celebrities are featured in the book; only six select portraits of their dogs.
Simone Reyes, who works with Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons, rescues dogs that nobody wants. Reyes’ dog with no eyes is the last one Bruynbroek featured in the book.
“I wanted to show that eyes or no eyes, they don’t care,” Bruynbroek said. “They still give us love and have no complaints about life.”
Bruynbroek uses black-and-white film and a professional printer to process his photographs. Sometimes the first image works, while other shoots take longer.
“I don’t use a digital camera, so I take my time to get the right shot,” he said.
Mecca, a 4-year-old English deerhound, was rescued by Idyllwild residents Gretchen and Jack Peckham, who are greyhound rescue activists.
“Mecca was on her third litter of puppies, and was living with Jose, a homeless man, with three other adult dogs in the back of a truck,” Gretchen Peckham said.
A woman affiliated with a dog rescue group near Sacramento persuaded Jose to let Mecca birth the puppies in her home. Two of the 12 died while Mecca was sick with heartworm. Later, the woman sent out an email to place the puppies, but Gretchen Peckham was interested in Mecca.
“She was in pretty bad shape, but survived the painful heartworm treatment,” Jack Peckham said.
They won a dog portrait at an Animal Rescue Friends auction, and Mecca was the first of their many dogs to be photographed by Bruynbroek.
“Frank really captures the essence of their personalities,” Gretchen said.
Café Aroma owner Hubert Halkin, who lives in Idyllwild and La Jolla, was impressed with Bruynbroek’s book.
“Café Aroma welcomes dogs of all kinds, and quite a few of them have been beautifully photographed by Frank,” Halkin said.
The “Compawssion” book signing will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Café Aroma, 54750 N. Circle Drive in Idyllwild. A portion of the proceeds will go to Animal Rescue Friends.
To order the book, visit www.compawssion.com.
The portrait of Aja is haunting. Her missing eye and her other luminous green one are almost closed, ears pinned back, a serene look on her face. The black and white portrait of the red-nosed Pit Bull terrier possesses a hauntingly beautiful aura, sort of like a canine Mona Lisa.
Yet this is not a one-time-get-lucky Kodak moment. Photographs as rich as this are commonplace for Los Angeles-based dog photographer Frank Bruynbroek ("Brin-brook"). He's best known for capturing canine souls and personalities in dramatic black-and-white portraits too emotionally charged not to be called works of art.
Originally from a small town on the outskirts of Brussels, Belgium, this modern-day Renaissance Man tried his hand at everything before finding his true calling: French teacher, motorcycle tourist, wedding photographer, light-show designer, ski instructor, commercial director, background singer. At the age of 29, he moved to Hollywood to try his hand at acting, and found out he was good at it. From securing side roles in "Godzilla" and "Rush Hour 3" to landing commercials, television spots and voice-over work, Bruynbroek found himself immersed in the Hollywood dream. In between acting jobs, he dabbled in his hobby—photography.
It was during one of these "dabbles" that Bruynbroek stumbled upon his life's path. In 1997, while taking headshot pictures of a fellow actor, Bruynbroek turned around and saw his Pit Bull/Boxer Rosalie, 1 year old, just staring at him in the most intriguing way. Acting on instinct, he snapped the shot and, suddenly, knew he was on to something. Shortly after that, Rosalie died unexpectedly of an illness, and Bruynbroek realized how precious that one, perfect photo embodying Rosalie's image and soul was to him.
Years passed, more acting commenced, and then came the photo of Aja, another of Bruynbroek's beloved rescues. The sun slanted through the yard just right, Aja beamed into the lens and Bruynbroek struck gold. The image of his canine soulmate further launched his photography career. The pieces formed years ago with Rosalie's one and only snapshot began taking shape. That portrait of Aja wound up winning contests and being sold numerous times to various publications, mainly because it says so much, says Bruynbroek.
"I want to show that dogs, no matter how cruel we were to them, they bounce back and they love back," he says.
And he's giving back. Having adopted Rosalie, Aja and his other Pit Bull Sophie from the Brittany Foundation, a non-profit all-breed dog rescue in Los Angeles, Bruynbroek is no stranger to the joys of rescuing dogs and the need to bring attention to dog rescues.
An idea about creating a photography book featuring rescued dogs photographed in the soulful, black-and-white close-up portrait style Bruynbroek is famous for began brewing. Called "Compawssion," this book is an homage to his Rosalie, as well as the countless other homeless dogs needing homes and the former orphans now living good lives with loving owners.
"Why don't I use my talent with photography to help the cause," he remembers thinking 15 years ago when this project started forming. "I began looking at my art differently….The cause of rescue dogs became bigger, almost a humanitarian cause. It's almost like my calling. It's definitely a great new chapter of my life I embrace."
In "Compawssion," stories of dogs' love written by celebrities will round out this coffee-table book, with proceeds going to dog rescue organizations. Bruynbroek will be signing his book this month all around the Southland. Click here for dates and times.
Owners often hire Bruynbroek to take portraits of their pets, many of which are rescues that will wind up in "Compawssion." Sometimes, Bruynbroek will approach owners of interesting-looking dogs at popular dog hangouts, like the hiking trails near his home. He spends hours with his canine subjects in their own environments, waiting patiently for that one moment—that one look—so that what he captures on film (he's old school, no digital cameras here) not only makes a good picture, but symbolizes what that dog is all about. No silly hats, wigs or funny poses in a studio setting here; Bruynbroek's style is all about finding the soul and letting it come through the lens.
"Dogs live in the moment—that's when I connect with them in my camera" he says. "They're very much like Zen masters. Animals are freer than we are. They don't judge."
This feeling of peace and tranquility is exactly what he tries to provide in his gallery, Oh My Dog, in Idyllwild, Calif., near Palm Springs. Featuring approximately 70 large-scale black-and-whites of dogs, the gallery introduces visitors not just to Bruynbroek's photographic talents, but to the world of rescue, too.
"It's the seed I plant in people's brains with art and soulful pictures," he says. "It goes beyond a canine picture. If I can be inspirational, it's my duty to inspire people."
Even though his three Pit Bull girls are gone now ("Every time a dog goes, it's devastating," he says. "It's a way to show us that nothing lasts forever and death is a part of life. [Maybe] they show us the way."), Bruynbroek hasn't given up on fostering orphans, which he does mostly through the Brittany Foundation. Perhaps history will repeat itself and he'll adopt one of his fosters as he did three times before. But one thing's for sure: he'll probably be photographing those who stay with him on a temporary basis. Because canine photography is more than a job for Bruynbroek. It's his mission.
By KRISTA WICK
November 25, 2012
http://www.etonline.com/news/127290_Celebrity_Dog_Owners/index.html
Pauley Perrette, Miley Cyrus and Kaley Cuoco are just a few of the many Hollywood dog lovers who found their furry-friend-turned-best-bud at a local animal shelter.
"There are so many who need homes," explains Cuoco, who passionately advocates shelter adoption. "It’s such a good idea to adopt them and they love you forever for it. It's like they know."
The Big Bang Theory star's beloved pooch, a pitbull-mix by the name of Shirley Sue, graces the pages of photographer Frank Bruynbroek new book Compawssions. The collection of stunning black and white photographs shine a light on rescued pets (star-adopted and otherwise) in an attempt to de-popularize the myth that shelter dogs are undesirable.
The pup-loving photographer personally interviewed 25 celebrities (including Cuoco) that have a rescued dog.
"I wanted to do a book about hope and a book about love," said Bruynbroek to ET. "Some of them are mutts, some of them are pure-bred, and it's just to show that love is not something you buy."
Ellen DeGeneres, Jackie Chan, Kim Basinger and Brigitte Bardot are also featured in the collection, available now.
By Brenna Egan
You may not have Richard Prince piece's dangling from your walls or Koons' balloons greeting visitors upon entrance to your abode, but that doesn't mean you can't dazzle guests with mini-vignettes of arty decor. By that, fellow not-ballers-yet, we mean coffee table books — the resplendent triple threat of objets d'art. You can show them off on a rad rainbow bookshelf, pore over them for endless inspiration and edu-ma-cation, and even wrap 'em up and inscribe a sweet note for a heady pressie (nothing beats the no-card-necessary aspect of that!).
Well, three natty and noteworthy tomes have come across our desks in the last week that are begging for some eye-popping and page-turning. First, there's Gypset Travel, the long-awaited part deux to Julia Chaplin's Gypset Style (we're pretty confident that's already sitting pretty somewhere in your home!). Next up, celeb style-snappers of the century, Markus + Indrani, have shelled out 200-plus pages of their expertly art-directed megawatt photos in ICONS. And, last, but not least — perhaps the best gift for the dog-lover in your life — is Frank Bruynbroek's Compawssion: Portraits Of Rescued Dogs, filled with furry friends who may have faced a darker fate if it weren't for straight-up stray sympathy (adopt!). Sneak a peek at what's in between these hot hardcovers in the upcoming gallery, and we're sure large-scale canvas lust won't even cross your mind!
If that 'do doesn't make your tail wag, we don't know what will! In all seriousness, Frank Bruynbroek, a bone-a fide (excuse the pun) doggy photog, set out on a mission with this book to export his talents for the greater good. "Most of all, I want Compawssion to be about mutual respect, love, joy, and the celebration of the rich emotional connection between dogs and people. There is definitely a greater awareness growing everywhere, with wonderful, dedicated people rescuing and placing dogs every day. With each picture I take, I plant a seed. I hope that one day the seed will become a beautiful tree. I probably won’t be around anymore to stand in awe in front of a forest, but it’s all part of the traveler’s tao, 'the destination is not important.'”
Compawssion: Portraits of Rescued Dogs by Frank Bruynbroek, $75, available atCompawssion.
How could anyone leave this half-dog, half-zebra to suffer on the streets? Puppy mills be damned! Along with black-and-whites of this adorable hybrid, you'll find pups and interviews from public figures like Dr. Jane Goodall, Ellen DeGeneres, Diane Keaton, Katherine Heigl, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, Brigitte Bardot, and Josh Duhamel.