Well Heeled

Dougie Wallace has turned his camera on man's best friend and the strange world of 'pet parents'. Dogs, and his pursuit of them, have taken him to London, Milan, New York and Tokyo. Their owners, often described as 'extreme pet humanisers', can spend as much on accessorising and grooming their 'offspring' as they would on themselves. Dougie Wallace has used his observation and wit to portray this phenomenon in his new series Well Heeled. Wallace's dogs have human expressions and are strong characters, who, with their knowing looks, can even appear to play to camera. Well Heeled captures details in a dog's eye view that we bipeds would not usually see. Behind the coiffured and pampered 'children in fur coats' the focus is on their claws, paw pads, incisors, drool-drenched beards and wet noses. Their canine traits erupt throughout the photographs and leave the viewer in no doubt that they are animals who would rather chase a ball or chew bones than be dressed up with crystal collars, Louis Vuitton leads and pushed around in prams.