Smile Like a Dog » News

Plan Early and Save on Holiday Cards

Mark — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 06:53:46 +0000

Yup, it’s August and you’re actually reading a blog post on my site about the holidays. I know, I know — not even the malls have their decorations up yet but there’s actually a chance for you to get ahead of the game for 2010 and get your holiday cards all taken care of before summer ends.

Here’s how it works: If you reserve a pet or personal photo session before September 30th I’ll include holiday shots as part of the session as well as a custom card design and your first 10 cards — that’s a $75 value.

Give me a call at 415-378-8602 or email me to learn more or book your session now.

Donating 10% of September Session Fees to Berkeley Shelter

Mark — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 06:13:13 +0000

As some of you may know in May of this year a terrible fire swept through the Berkeley East Bay Humane Society, destroying much of their facility and taking the lives of a number of cats sheltered there.

BEBHS is rebuilding but still needs a lot of help and, to that end, I’m donating 10% of all my session fees booked from August 26th thru September 30th, 2010 to BEBHS. This includes photography for both pets and people so if you’ve been waiting to get photos taken of your dog, cat, family or even yourself now’s a great time to do it and contribute to a great cause at the same time.

Please contact me to learn more or book a session.

Voted #1 Pet Photographer Again in 2010

Mark — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 21:19:20 +0000

I’m pleased to announce that I’ve been voted the San Francisco Bay Area’s Best Pet Photographer for the second year in a row on SFGate’s Bay List. I’m thrilled to have won this award again in 2010 but truly honored and humbled by the outpouring of support and votes from all my loyal customers, fans, friends and family who really made it happen.

Many, many thanks to all of you!

Last-Minute Holiday Gifts for Pet Lovers

Mark — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:35:49 +0000

Admit it, you’ve waited until the 11th hour and still don’t know what do for that special someone this holiday. Well, if they’re a pet lover living in the San Francisco Bay Area, look no further.

You can get them a gift they’ll always cherish: photos that capture their pet’s personality so they can always remember them.

Purchase a gift certificate for any of my pet photo sessions OR if the recipient already had a session with me you can give them a credit good for a spectacular photo canvas or large prints of their favorite images.

Gift certificates can be created and delivered to you up until December 24th.

Contact me for more details.

Raven Update: Lost Poodle Circling in Los Gatos

Mark — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:02:17 +0000

It’s been nearly a week since Raven, a black standard poodle and client of mine went missing in San Jose. Since then her owners have hired a pet detective with tracking hounds who’ve followed her to Los Gatos where she seems to be circling around the Bean Ave and Bayview Ave area.

Raven is still missing

If you’re in Los Gatos or know folks there please keep an eye out for her, spread the word or contact owners

Mark: 510-325-6979
Monica: 510-387-1367

More details and updates can be found on the blog her owners have set up

Help Find Raven – Lost Poodle in San Jose

Mark — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:31:49 +0000

Readers of this blog will remember Raven, a standard poodle I photographed a few weeks ago. Raven’s owners need your help: She escaped from a home where she was being watched in San Jose California and has been missing since the afternoon of September 30th. Full details can be found on this page her owners have set up but if you live in or around San Jose or know someone there please be on the lookout for her. Here are the basics:

She’s a black standard poodle with a non-traditional cut
She’s friendly but can be initially shy around new people
She was last seen in San Jose moving along Junipero Serra Lane (parallel and just north of Moorpark; just south of 280) heading East
There is a $500 reward for her safe return

If you see her or have any information at all about her, please contact

Mark Vigil Dombeck: (510) 235-6979 mark@dombeck.com

Monica Vigil Dombeck (510) 387-1367

Review Dog-Friendly Places in the SF Bay Area and Win a Pet Photo Session…with Me!

Mark — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:17:08 +0000

Anyone from the San Francisco Bay area knows we love our dogs here but sometimes it’s hard to know for sure whether a store, park or business is pet friendly and, if so, how much so. Well, my friends at Fido Factor have a dandy solution for that. Fido Factor is a cool new site dedicated to sniffing out the best dog-friendly locations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Better yet, the reviews are submitted by normal folks like you and me.

As of this post they got just about 700 pup-friendly places on their site and are growing fast. And, between now and October 23rd they’re running a contest to see who can submit the most new locations and reviews. The winner will get a great prize — a pet photo session with me — so keep your eyes peeled for dog-friendly locations in San Francisco and the Bay Area in general and be sure to post as many reviews on the Fido Factor as you can by Friday, October 23rd.

Louis the Maltese Photo wins American Humane Grand Prize

Mark — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:31:01 +0000

On Monday I got one of those phone calls that pretty much makes your week. It was American Humane Association calling to let me know I’d just won the grand prize in their Pets and Pals photo contest. A couple of months ago my friend Karen Nichols (host of the excellent Cat’s Meow blog on Catster and also the famous Skeezix the Cat’s mom) gave me the heads up on this and I submitted a few shots. Frankly, I’d completely forgotten about it.

Needless to say, I’m completely flabbergasted and honored. The photo that won is one of my favorites from this year. It’s a shot of a cute Maltese named Louis taken in my backyard studio called “Give Me Paw”. It was one of those on-a-whim deals where I thought it might look cool if I got on my back and got Louis looking down from above. Of course, right after the shot was taken he jumped on my stomach but at least he’s a Maltese and not a Mastiff.

Give Me Paw

Thanks again to Karen and Skeezix for the heads up on the contest in the first place and also to the good folks at the American Humane Association.

Shots of the Day – Best Buddies

Mark — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:16:23 +0000

Regular readers may recognize the two dogs in this post from an earlier one this year. Eva and Maya are two German Shepherds I photographed for a My Mutt poster a few months back. We decided to add a few more shots to the mix and met again last week for a session in a lovely backyard in Alameda. I went through the shots today and just keep coming back again and again to these three below. They just make me think of good friends and also remind me how much I love Shepherds and how much I miss ourGSD, Heidi.

Maya & Eva - Best Buds

Yes, dogs do laugh

a fine pair

Whole Lot of Shaking Going On

Mark — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 04:34:12 +0000

I had a recent request for some photos of dogs shaking themselves dry and, as is the way of the world, I’ve been seeing dogs shake left and right every since (sort of like when you’re shopping for a car and start seeing the models you’re looking at showing up everywhere).

I decided to go back to the archives and pull some of my favorite shaking shots and ended up with quite a fun little collection that I just had to share. I thought pretty hard about setting it to music (AC/DC’s You Shook Me All Night Long came to mind) but I don’t want the Aussie gang coming after me with a copyright infringement suit so you’ll have to just play it along in your head as you view.

Enjoy…