Phoebe the French Bulldog | February Breed of the Month | Historic Downtown Rutledge, GA
Phoebe was once labeled "rescue only" at animal control. Shut down. Bald. Terrified.
And then she landed in Christy's life — and everything changed.
Four years later, she is perfectly at home. Devoted to her person. Watching the world with those all-knowing eyes Christy described so perfectly. The same eyes that once carried uncertainty now carry loyalty, humor, and an opinion about everything.
A Dog Who Gives Back What She Was Given
There's something that happens when a dog who had every reason not to trust decides to trust anyway.
You see it in the way they follow their person from room to room. In the way their eyes track every movement. In the way they're never quite settled unless they know exactly where their human is.
For Phoebe, that person is Christy. And from the moment we arrived in Downtown Rutledge, there was no question about it.
The Session | Historic Downtown Rutledge, GA
Rutledge is my town. I've known Christy for years — she used to waitress at Yesterday's Café before it closed, which for a small town like Rutledge feels like losing a piece of the place itself. I also know her daughter Katy through the rescue community, where Katy runs her own organization. Getting to photograph Phoebe felt like a homecoming of sorts — a chance to reconnect with someone I hadn't seen in too long over something we both care about deeply.
It was a busier evening in Rutledge than usual — the new restaurant that's been under construction for what feels like forever may actually be getting close — but Phoebe was completely unbothered. She wasn't paying attention to the foot traffic anyway.
She was paying attention to Christy.
The Dog Who Only Has Eyes for Her Person
Dogs who are completely fixated on their person are both easier and harder to photograph — often at the same time.
Harder, because my usual bag of tricks doesn't work as well. The squeaky toys, the ridiculous noises, the treat in the air — when a dog has decided that their person is the most interesting thing in any room, none of that really competes. Phoebe was polite about ignoring me. But she was absolutely ignoring me.
Easier, because her gaze was completely directable. Wherever Christy was, that's where Phoebe looked. So when I needed Phoebe looking at the camera, I had Christy stand directly behind me. When I wanted Phoebe's eyes to go left, Christy moved left. It sounds simple, and in theory it is — except that it requires the dog to hold their position while their person walks away and repositions, which only works if the dog has a reliable stay.
Phoebe does.
So we could place her in a scene, have Christy walk around behind me, and get exactly the gaze direction we were after. The only other thing that could pull Phoebe's attention — briefly, for just a split second before her eyes went straight back to Christy — was her tiny tennis ball. I used it sparingly, right at the moment I needed it. The rest of the time, we just used Christy.
About Historic Downtown Rutledge, GA
Historic Downtown Rutledge is one of my five Breed of the Month session locations — and it happens to be the one closest to home. The brick facades, painted walls, cobblestone textures, and architectural variety give us a completely different look than any of the outdoor nature locations.
→ Learn more about Downtown Rutledge as a session location
About the Breed of the Month Program
Each month I open one session to the public — a complimentary Signature Session plus artwork credit for one dog whose story moves me most.
February was Phoebe's month.
→ Learn about the Breed of the Month program
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