Photographer Frank Bruynbroek captures amazingly regal portraits of four-legged beauties. But you may not see these at the kennel club – all of Bruynbroek’s subjects are rescued from shelters where they would certainly have been euthanized.

“Being a dog photographer is not a profession I chose -- it chose me. Out of the devastation and grief after the loss of my dog Rosalie came a vision to help more than one dog at a time, and I made myself a promise to use my talents to contribute to the welfare of animals. In order to give them a voice I began working on a book of portraits of rescued dogs. The overwhelming feedback of my first exhibit in Los Angeles gave me a new pair of eyes and showed me that it needed to be my main focus. Now it's all I do, and I have a gallery of portraits of rescued dogs located in beautiful Idyllwild.”

“With my art I am trying to create awareness about the unbearable killing in this country of 6 million unwanted pets every year. By buying pets we keep perpetuating the problem. We all need to spay, neuter, and adopt pets. We have to be the change we want to see.”

The desert region is home to a number of humane, no-kill shelters and spay/neuter facilities that need your help. Give a little extra cash or volunteer at these worthy organizations:

The Humane Society of the Desert, Orphan Pet Oasis

17825 North Indian Avenue

North Palm Springs, CA 92258

(760) 329-0203 - Fax (760) 329-7944

Indio Animal Control

45-355 Van Buren Street

Indio, CA 92201

(760) 559-1511

Animal Samaritans, SPCA

72307 Ramon Road

Thousand Palms, CA 92276

(760) 343-3477

Morongo Basin Humane Society

4646 Sun View Road

Joshua Tree, CA 92252

(760)366-3786

The Pet Rescue Center

80-126 Highway 111, Suite 2

Indio, CA 92201

(760) 775-6691

Frank Bruynbroek’s Photography can be seen at 54-425 North Circle Drive in Idyllwild. His rescue dog calendars can be ordered from www.fbsite.com.