Two area dogs to be featured in fundraiser calendar
Jun. 19—A couple of local dog owners will be counting the days until the 2022 calendar comes out.
Mankato area's rescued pooch population will be represented in a calendar marketed as a fundraiser for a Twin Cities animal shelter organization.
The two area pets' owners solicited enough votes to claim top dog honors in a recent statewide contest. As a result, professional portraits were shot of them for use in the calendar.
A mixed breed whose forever home is in Rapidan, Simon wore a snazzy purple scarf while he posed for photographers Sunday near First Avenue, a favorite night club hangout for the late Minnesota musician and flashy dresser Prince.
Simon the pit bull-boxer was accompanied by his owner, Stephanie Williams, during the photo shoot at a location in the city of his humble birth.
"He was born in Minneapolis — at animal control," Williams said.
Being asked to stay still while near water was difficult for a flat-coated retriever from North Mankato. Jenny obliged the photographers' wishes and obeyed her human, Scott Peymann, despite her instinctive urges to jump in the water to fetch ducks and dead fish.
"They wanted her to sit and she wanted to swim," Peymann said. "She did pretty well, even though it was hot — in the 90s — and there was so much action."
"Jenny was photographed at Lake Harriet. She was on the grass, and the lake was used as the backdrop," said Austin Smith, the director of marketing for Love From Minnesota, the company creating the calendar.
Smith's retail company teamed up with the Animal Humane Society to find a dozen dogs in Minnesota to be featured in the 2022 calendar. A portion of proceeds will be used to support metro area animal shelters operated by the society.
Shoots were at 12 outdoor locations in public spaces that are dog-friendly, he said. Photographers determined matches according to the scale of a landmark and a dog's size.
The May contest was in conjunction with Woofda, a monthlong initiative to celebrate Minnesota's dogs and families. Winners were picked via an online vote.
Each top canine's "wagging" rights included the photo shoot and a doggie bag filled with bling. Gift bags for the 12 diva dogs were filled with collars, bags of dog food, stuffed toys, tug ropes and note pads.
Peymann's pet was rescued three years ago from a house in Eagle Lake. Jenny, who was nursing pups, had been left without food or water.
Williams' dog, Simon, began his life in an animal shelter, one pup in a forlorn litter of 13. The litter mates, along with their mom, all were rescued minutes before they had been scheduled to be euthanized. The nonprofit Second Hand Hounds served as the dogs' first foster home.
Simon was about 14 months old when he arrived at Williams' Rapidan home. He'll turn 10 in August.
Her pet has mellowed out over the years but is still high energy, Williams said. And, despite Sunday's high temperatures, Simon was "a real trooper."
Plenty of water was made available for the dog to drink during breaks in filming, and he sat on a specially designed pad to keep from overheating.
"I was mainly worried about traffic. I kept him on a leash at all times," Williams said.
She said at one point after a Twins game, fans streamed out of nearby Target Center. Simon kept his poise during the attention he received from passers-by, including a bicyclist.
"He shouted, 'Hey, your dog's got eyebrows,'" said Williams, who added she's often heard that comment.
Simon's fur is white with black, rectangular black markings above both of his eyes. Give him a pair of dark-rimmed glasses and put a cigar in his mouth and he would be a spitting image of Groucho Marx — albeit a drooling Groucho with four legs.
The mostly white dog's unusual facial features disarm those who are usually cautious around the breed that makes up 75 percent of Simon's blood. When curiosity overcomes people who raise their eyebrows at pit bulls, they get a chance to interact with a dog whose personality is goofy, not vicious.
"Usually, the first thing I am asked is: 'Did you put those on him?"' Williams told The Free Press in 2014 during an interview about Simon's first claim to fame — coverage in a magazine for dog lovers.
Peymann said his dog's breed was a favorite of British royalty in the 1800s.
"I like to say she's a champagne dog who has to live on a beer budget."
His dog's striking looks and friendly personality helped her clinch the contest.
"I take her to Scheels and to Pet Expo — everybody there knows Jenny."
Voters included Mending Spirits animal rescue supporters and members of Kato CrossFit.
Other Minnesotans may get a chance to meet Peymann's pup at the Minnesota State Fair this summer. Love From Minnesota may invite some of the 12 top dogs to make "pawtograph" appearances to promote the calendar. Jenny has one trick that would make her a good "ambassadog" for the Animal Humane Society.
"She knows how to use her paw to greet people with a 'high-five.'" Peymann said.
