Hilarious Photos Capture the Complex Emotions of the Wet Dog

Few animals are quite so human in their expression as dogs. If you doubt that at all, check out Sophie Gamand’s photos of canines being bathed. These hilarious and expressive pictures reveal many of the same emotions—anger, humiliation, joy—you see in human faces, underscoring the unique bond we share with our four-legged friends.

Few animals are quite so human in their expression as dogs. If you doubt that at all, check out Sophie Gamand's photos of canines being bathed. These hilarious and expressive pictures reveal many of the same emotions---anger, humiliation, joy---you see in human faces, underscoring the unique bond we share with our four-legged friends.

“To me, dogs are so much more than animals these days,” Gamand says. “They are somewhere between humans and animals because they’ve learned to how to communicate with us at a much different level.”

Dogs have been Gamand's primary subject for years. She became fascinated with the way Americans, particularly New Yorkers, treat their dogs. Gamand, who is French, had never before seen canines primped for fashion shows or toted about in bags and strollers. She was utterly fascinated by the obsession some people have for their dogs.

She landed on the idea while shooting a story about a groomer in the Bronx. She spotted a sodden dog that looked utterly depressed---or perhaps frustrated---and knew she was onto something. “When you photograph people you focus on the face because that’s where the story is most of the time," she says. "The same goes for dogs.”

All the photos were shot digitally in two days and immediately went viral after two blogs, My Modern Met and 22 Words, featured them. Like other photographers who’ve had instant hits, Gamand was unprepared for the hundreds of requests from publishers, editorial outlets and others eager to capitalize on her work. She attributes some of the interest to the success of similar projects, like Seth Casteel’s Diving Dogs, that have gone viral in recent years. “He certainly opened the door for people like me,” she says of Casteel.

Gamand eventually landed a deal with Grand Central Publishing; her book arrives next fall. She photographed dozens of dogs, some of which she cast by stopping people on the streets of New York, and will present 150 pages of canine photos. She made only portraits, but tried to make each unique by adding including props, changing the backdrop color and so forth. Although she attempted to direct the dogs and groomers, animals are not known for following directions to the letter. Therefore, the moments she captured were unscripted.

“Those pleading eyes, the anger, it’s real,” she says.

Though the book is about dogs, Gamand also enjoyed studying the people those dogs live with. She believes dogs provide a window into their owners, and she likes the way dogs become a unique form of self-expression for people who might otherwise not have a creative outlet.

“At first I thought these people who dress their dogs up for pageants were crazy, but the more I got to know them, the more I realize it’s their moment to shine,” she says. “Working with dogs has really made me more compassionate toward people.”