Fun

New Photography Book Shows The Glory Of A Dog’s Tongue Mid-Lick

Written by: Claire Beaudreault

October 8, 2015

This book is guaranteed to make you smile, and possibly even drool a little. Photographer Ty Foster used to work for an insurance company, but quit to do something way awesome: TAKE PICTURES OF DOGS. Can you say “dream job”? (Actually, I get to Google puppies for work, so I totally get it.)

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Foster’s new book is called LICK and it’s a tribute to our favorite slobbery buddies.

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(I’ve written about one other phodography book for BarkPost, and the author/photographer was also named “Foster.” Coincidence??? I THINK NOT.)

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To celebrate Adopt-A-Dog Month, Foster and Knock Knock threw a pup-up photoshoot for 57 lovely, lucky, licky Los Angeles dogs. That’s a lot of tongue.

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Check out the video of the shoot that went down at Lake Hollywoof Park:

I asked Foster a few questions about his process and inspirations.

All the pups in the book have beautiful pink tongues! Have you ever shot any Chows or Sharpeis with black or blue tongues?

I haven’t! A lot of our dogs from the book came from casting calls so I guess I need to get some fans that have Chows or Sharpeis! They’re beautiful dogs though so hopefully a few cross my path in the future.

What was the longest tongue you saw during your process?

I think it’s a tie for me between Pits and Cattle Dogs. For some reason those two breeds consistently have the longest tongues.

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Did any pups (dog forbid!) reject or dislike peanut butter?

Yes! A few, actually. Some dogs wanted nothing to do with it, but it could have been the fact they were in a new environment (our studio). We always come prepared with some alternatives though, such as organic honey.

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Tell us a little about your dog—how did you meet, what do you like about him, what’s the weirdest thing he does?

My wife and I adopted a pit-boxer mix from a local rescue named Bully Breed Rescue based in Connecticut. Bully Breed actually rescued him from a shelter with a high kill rate, so we saved him just in time. His name is Magic, but we affectionally refer to him as ‘bear’. He’s affectionate, really easy going and very well behaved. I am not sure he does anything particularly weird except that he is an intense obsession with squeaker toys. We always bring one with us, if he is bolting full speed away from us at the dog park, all you have to do is squeak it once and he’ll stop dead in his tracks and come racing back. It’s borderline unhealthy!

A photo posted by Ty Foster (@tyfosterphoto) on

What’s next for you, any upcoming projects?

I have a few projects I am working on, some dog related some not. I am also working on a sequel for LICK, so stay tuned!

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If you need a gift for the dog, photog, or peanut butter lover in your life, purchase LICK here.

Featured image via Ty Foster

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Written by: Claire Beaudreault

October 8, 2015

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A themed collection of BARK-designed toys, treats, and chews.