Recently I brought five dogs into the studio to eat a mouth-watering assortment of dog-friendly cakes that I baked in my own kitchen. The purpose was not to taste test the cakes, but rather to capture the sheer thrill and exhuberance displayed by these wide-eyed canines as they gobbled the culinary goodies to oblivion.

I was certainly prepared for the slobber to hit the fan, so to speak, and some of the dogs certainly did go for the cakes with gusto. Natalie, a tiny, snow-white chihuahua, reminiscent of a baby seal, couldn’t control her zeal. Not only did she knock cakes over with the strength of a charging elephant, but she even guarded all crumbs with a T.rex-like stance when any members of her pack tried to join in.

What completely surprised me during the shoot was the shy reserve that a couple dogs exhibited when faced with a mountain of tastiness just under their noses. “Should I do it, or should I not?” they each seemed to ask. One dog, Penny Lane, had such impeccable manners, that she was clearly befuddled when invited to a doggie-sized table to enjoy a fancy dessert. It took 20 minutes just to get her to start chomping on the tasty morsel inside a wine goblet. To think…I was originally worried we couldn’t keep her from eating the cake long enough to take the initial shots!

The project was one of the most rewarding I’ve every done. I’m quite sure I enjoyed the experience as much, if not more, than the five precious pups who took part. You can enjoy the photos for yourself, now through March 2017, at Tatiana’s Coffee and Tea, located at 2470 East Main Street in Ventura, California.