The Dog Show Deadline That Got Me Moving

Last week, I popped into one of my favourite spots—The Boathouse in Uphill.

Great tea, awesome ice cream, and right next to the boats of Uphill, and it’s dog-friendly (big win). I went to chat with the owner, Gemma, to see if she’d be open to me photographing her dogs in return for showing them in the café.

She was totally up for it.

Gemma’s a huge dog lover. She has three. She told me about a local artist who painted one of her dogs and now gets loads of bookings from just that image on the wall.

“You’ll be inundated,” she laughed. “You’ll be questioning why you did it.”

The Banner That Gave Me A Push

As I unlocked my bike to leave, I spotted a huge banner flapping nearby…Weston Dog Day—In 10 Days.

I’d done four shoots at this point, but dogs weren’t even on my website yet.

Cue: instant hustle mode!

That same day, and for the next week I got to work:

• Added dogs to my website ✅

• Created a dedicated portfolio page ✅

• Designed flyers with a QR code ✅

• Sent them to print ✅

Then disaster, the night before.
The QR code glitched.

Too late. They were already printed.
With some wrestling—and a little help from ChatGPT, naturally—it was fixed in time. Phew.

A Stack of Flyers, and a Sunny Saturday Afternoon

The day of the dog show arrived. I dashed there after work, did a lightning-speed outfit change, and cycled down with 200 flyers in my bag.

It was glorious. Sunny, buzzy, full of competitions, and dogs—every size, shape, and fluff level imaginable.

I handed out flyers. I chatted. And then I hoped.

Over the next few days, I handed the rest out at the park and beach.

The Best Bit?

It gave me a solid deadline. A reason to get my website sorted, book more shoots, and really put myself out there.

Let’s see what comes of it... 🐾

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