Maddie On Things Visits Free People

A couple of weeks ago we had the honor of welcoming the dog and photographer behind one of our favorite blogs, Maddie On Things, for a visit! If you haven’t heard of the blog, check it out – Maddie the coonhound is incredibly skilled and photogenic, and her owner Theron manages to capture her in and on various objects in a really beautiful way. Theron and Maddie stopped by during their cross country book tour in support of the book, Maddie On Things, a collection of some of Theron’s best photos of Maddie. Along the way, he is also working on a project called “Why We Rescue,” which will document an animal rescue story in each of the 50 states. We talked with Theron a bit about his book, Maddie, and the importance of rescuing pets, and of course, Maddie also got on and in some things!

maddie on things

Images of Maddie on couch by Theron.

maddie on things

How old is Maddie?

She just turned 3, April 1st. I rescued her from the Cobb County Animal Shelter in Atlanta Georgia. Right before I started traveling, I was really inspired by Steinbeck, he had Charlie, and I was like, “I really need a dog for my adventures.” I got on Petfinder and I searched for coonhound because I wanted a southern dog and she was the first one that popped up. So I went to see her that day and got her out of the kennel and played with her, but as I was walking her back, she pressed her body against my leg the whole time and I was like, I can’t put you back in the cage.

And then we traveled together for a whole year, and I did a documentary and 50 state photo project. We spent the whole year together so we really bonded and about three months into the project I started using Instagram just to document my daily life, and she was always with me, so I think like a parent photographs their baby or child, I started photographing her.

maddie on things

Maddie in our Printed Cat Tipi; Photos by Theron.

maddie on things

And by taking photos of her, that’s how you discovered her amazing talent?

I’m fascinated by how photographs age and I have this great image of my mom , she bought a brand new Mustang in 67, black and white, and now that photograph is really valuable because she’s not 18 anymore and the car is gone. So I was like, “Oh, I wanna remember my companion and my truck,” so I picked her up and put her on the roof of my truck thinking I was really gonna have to hurry, and she literally just stood still and looked at me.

And then I guess having the mind that I do, I was like, “I wonder if she’ll stand on a fire hydrant,” and my buddy was like, “Can you get her on four soup cans?” And along the way Chronicle Books, a really great publisher out of SF, saw the Tumblr and wanted to make it into a book.

Now we’re doing a 50 state book tour. We’re going to 45 book stores and now I’m also shooting another documentary called “Why We Rescue” that’s telling the stories of people, how they rescue their animals, and where and why. I want to show how taking a risk and adopting an animal and bringing them into your life is really awesome and brings joy.

maddie on things

Maddie On Things Free People!

Be sure to check out Theron’s website, This Wild Idea. Thanks so much for stopping by Theron & Maddie!

0 0 vote
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
4 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Meg
10 years ago

OMG!! I heart that dog!
These pics are adorable!
I love a hound dog.

http://happinessiscreating.com/

jan mcillwain
10 years ago

What a happy story and so lucky to have found each other. I have two dogs and seven cats that my husband and I have taken in and we feel very fortunate to have each of them in our lives.

10 years ago

love this photogenic dog! what an awesome concept behind this :D

http://stephaniesurtida.com

xx,
SS

Justino
10 years ago

Will free people ever sell those coveted Indian sari pillows? I want these all over my home! A.s.a.p!!!!