Michio, Kozue & Victor Funakoshi
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Fukuoka Street Urchin

What started out as an ordinary day in March of 1994 became a Spring day Michio Funakoshi would long remember. On the streets near his parents' home in Fukuoka, Japan he chanced to see a tiny puppy with an injured back leg. Michio took him to the animal hospital and within two days the puppy was doing much better. "When I brought Victor home, he quickly became part of the family. Since then he's brought us countless smiles and laughs", said Michio.

In 1996 Michio and Victor took a 15 hour flight from Fukuoka to Chicago where Victor began many new adventures. Michio said, "Victor enjoys chasing animals, traveling with them, and has been sprayed by skunks three times!"

On Easter 2006, when Victor was 12, he lost all function in his back limbs. Since then his wheel cart has been his back legs. "Yes", Michio says, "Victor still chases squirrels, coyotes and deer".

"In August we learned that Victor has cancer, so we decided to take a family portrait. It was truly a special and emotional moment. through his camera, David Sutton drew out our smiles, personalities and captured the essensce of our lives". With a sense of gratitude Michio noted, "This picture beautifully shows the bond between all three of us".

Our framing partners

The 2009 Dog Days calendars have arrived at Sutton Studios and are now making their way to dozens of animal welfare agencies all around Chicago and the Midwest.

Most of the Dog Days calendars will be sold by these agencies to raise money to help them continue their good works; others will be supporting the cause in other ways.

I know of one agency that uses the Dog Days Calendars as thank you gifts for court advocates who volunteer their services in animal abuse cases. Other shelters give calendars to the volunteers who devote so much time to caring for homeless pets. I’ve heard of several agencies that put the calendars in gift bags at their fund-raising galas, and still others who give them away as take-home gifts for people who adopt pets or attend training seminars.

You can get your 2009 Dog Days Calendar by contacting one of the agencies listed on our website, or by stopping by our studio. All funds received through the studio will be donated directly to our home- town shelter, Evanston C.A.R.E.

We couldn’t produce the Dog Days Calendar without the generous support of our partners, the Stanaszek-Goodwin Design Partnership (SGDP) and Murnane Paper. Special thanks to Ted Stanaszek and Kristin Dinkheller at SGDP, and to John Ostry at Murnane Paper for their help again this year.

Printing and distribution costs for the Dog Days Calendar have been entirely offset by friends of the Dog Days Calendar who have paid for calendar-month sponsorships. Sponsorships are currently available for the 2010 Dog Days Calendar- I’m delighted to report that two of the twelve months have already been spoken for.

HOWLoween Costume Contest!
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Do you like dressing up? Does your pet? How would you like to to win a Sutton Studios portrait sitting? If you answered yes to these questions then you should definitely enter Sutton Studios’ HOWLoween costume contest. We’ll be giving one costumed pet/owner combo a gift certificate for a portrait sitting/print package worth over $700. You can enter the contest in person by stopping by the studio in costume on October 28th between 6 and 8 pm, or you can enter by sending us a photo of you and your pet through our website any time before midnight, October 29.

We’ll take pictures of all contestants who drop in on the 28th and put those photos in our on-line gallery. We’ll also send those contestants a print as a thank you.