About forty minutes southwest of St. Louis lies the town of Gray Summit, home to Purina Farms; one of the most innovative and design conscious arenas in the country for showing top breed dogs.
As we made our way to the main entrance, we were greeted by the well manicured, larger than life, canine topiary. The air was electric with four legged champion hopefuls and their handlers whisking off to the next round of showings or heading back to the grooming area for a quick touch-up. Our main goal was to capture the essence of dog and handler / owner relationships for the next round of ad campaigns for Purina's Pro-Plan and Selects high end dog food via the creative minds at Colle+McVoy.
We spent the better part of a Saturday moving all about the various showing arenas and grooming areas capturing the nature of what it means to be at this level for dog and owner; a rapport that is a manifestation of the endless hours of training and care between them. It never ceases to amaze me how dedicated all participants are to becoming the best in show.
Off to Dallas later this week to guest speak at the "Still 2 Motion" talk put on by the Dallas chapter of ASMP. If you're in the area, please drop by. It should be an interesting evening...
