A lovable, uglier-than-sin Bulldog

Some years ago, I visited a Mahoning Shenango Kennel Club Annual All Breed Obedience Trial Dog Show at the Canfield Fairgrounds. Having photographed many dogs, which turned out to be award- winning images, I was looking for the ugliest mug I could find. There were small pug uglies and big slobbering St. Bernards. All were great photo subjects.

Lo and behold, sauntering down the midway was a huge, uglier-than-sin English Bulldog, but still lovable. The answer to my photo image prayer. He was an out of this world subject.

I have photographed many “stop a truck” but still lovable dog subjects like Boxers, Bulldogs, Bullmastiffs, Pubs, etc. This Bulldog’s owner cooperated with me, and I took several eye level shots of him about 5 feet away. I kept saying good boy, good boy, so he would not take a bite out of me. A Bulldog is one of my favorite breeds because I admire its legendary tenacity and persistence, of holding on and not letting go.

Probably my greatest award-winning Kodak international contest photo winner was of a fierce looking, but very gentle, 100-pound Boxer named Ike, owned by a good friend. Ike repeatedly jumped over a hedge toward me at his owner’s command. I tried to get that perfect shot, which I did, using fill-in flash. That photo as a Kodak contest finalist in 1958 hung in Grand Central Station, New York City.

Today, technological changes in photographic equipment make everyone a good photographer with their “I” phones. Today at 90-plus, I am no longer a shutterbug, after taking many thousands of photos as well as developing the film and printing the photos in my own darkroom. Memories are made of this.

Michael J. Lacivita is a Youngstown retiree and member of the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame and the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.