Mike Bender - Awkward Family Pet Photos. by Mike Bender, Doug Chernack

Copyright 2011 by Awkward Family, LLC

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Three Rivers Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

www.crownpublishing.com

Three Rivers Press and the Tugboat design are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bender, Mike, 1975
Awkward family pet photos / Mike Bender and Doug Chernack.1st ed.
p. cm.
1. PetsHumor. I. Chernack, Doug. II. Title.
PN6231.P42B46 2011
818.602dc232011033890

eISBN: 978-0-307-88815-0

Cover design by Daniel Rembert
Cover photo submitted by Nathan

v3.1

This book is dedicated to our pets.
Thank you for not judging.

T here are few things more rewarding than having a pet. They love us unconditionally, shower us with attention, and they actually help us live longer. So, what can possibly be awkward about our animal BFFs? Well nothing. In truth, were the awkward ones. We adore our pets and treat them like members of the family, but lets face itsometimes L-O-V-E makes us go a little overboard. Like giving them elaborate names, throwing them birthday parties, and making them a Christmas sweater to match with the rest of the family. As proud animal owners ourselves (a dog named Din-Din and a fish named Porky), we too often forget that what these gentle creatures cherish the most is our companionship. This book celebrates our well-intentioned but sometimes misguided affection and shines a light on the wonderfully awkward side of pet ownership.

When we launched AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com in May 2009, the pet photos quickly became our most popular and most commented upon pics. So, in June 2010, we dedicated a separate site to that special connection between people and their pets and called it AwkwardFamilyPetPhotos.com. And soon enough, strange pictures came pouring in from all over the world, and they werent just of cats and dogs. They also included birds, bunnies, chickens, goats, monkeys, frogs, snakes, raccoons, skunks, and, quite frankly, some animals we never even knew existed.

Beyond what can be found on the website, this book also features exclusive never-before-seen photos, behind the awkwardness stories, and peculiar tales from a veterinarian. To capture the authenticity of each kind of pet owner, we also invited guest contributors to open each chapter by writing about their own experiences. What struck us was that whether they had a dog, cat, or monkey, the devotion between human and animal was the same.

We want to thank all of the amazing families who were self-deprecating enough to send in their pet photos. Without them and their sense of humor, none of this would be possible. And of course we want to thank our pets. We know we do things that are perplexing, but they never hold it against us. They are our role models, our little Buddhas, and our sense of calm in a tumultuous world. Perhaps their most loving gesture of all is allowing us to be awkward. And for that, we are very grateful.

Mike Bender and Doug Chernack
AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com
AwkwardFamilyPetPhotos.com

O ur pets will go along with anything to make us happy and there is no greater symbol of that than the pet portrait. This is the opportunity to capture our animals the way we think they look best, pictured by our side or on their own. So we do their hair, dress them in fancy outfits, plot out their stiff poses, and ask them to smile as they stare into a flashing light. Sure, they probably think the whole thing is ridiculous, but they never complain. And while our pets may never ask us for doubles, these photographic gestures are our way of letting them know that they are much more than just our animals theyre family.

Winston thought his natural coat should have been sufficient.

Dont hate this opossum for being beautiful.

Kirby is more comfortable behind the camera.

Its never too late to capture that perfect moment.

Max wasnt convinced of his Dutch descent.

The cat was really hoping things wouldnt work out.