Sophie Gamand

Sophie Gamand, award-winning photographer, artist, advocate. Los Angeles. sophiegamand.com.

10/16/2026

The occasional Wet Dog appreciation post! This series brought me so much joy and beautiful adventures over the years, including a Sony award, and exhibits at my dream museums !

10/05/2026

Welcome to October! If you have my calendar, you are spending the month with rolly polly Treasure from Dog Rescue . She was part of the Pirate Litter with mama Captain Kidd.
Treasure's adopter Betsy sent me a beautiful update - and did you see the incredible tattoo she got of my artwork?
“We met Poppy (FKA Treasur saw her pictures. We fell in love immediately when we held her and she covered us in kisses. She’s the greatest dog in the entire universe. She is a unique communicator: she gets her leash or collar and brings it to you; she asks for kisses or pets by lifting her chin to beckon you over; she asks for you to bring her water when she’s on the bed or couch through a series of escalating grumbling sounds or peeps. Her happiness is infectious, and she gives unmatchable joy.”

09/24/2026

My new ceramic collection is live! I’m really happy with this one. I’m also trying to start parting with my larger pieces (it’s hard! I love them and I’m also scared to ship them 😆😆). So I’ve listed a couple of larger sculpture this time.

These pieces took months to put together. They are all handbuilt slowly and with care. They are inspired by the place dogs occupy in our mythologies, and them acting as spiritual companions in many cultures.

Head to my website to claim your piece: https://www.sophiegamand.com/shop/ceramics

(U.S. shipping only at this time).

09/01/2026

Welcome to September! My birthday month 🙂 Also, in my calendar, Rachel's month! Rachel had a really rough beginning, but found the perfect family and is a testament to so many dogs like her. She was rescued from a large dogfighting operation in 2015. Shy and wary of touch at first, she proved to be both smart and gentle, learned to appreciate massages and became a staff favorite. Three years later, Tim was visiting the shelter and noticed Rachel. That day, children were reading books to adoptable dogs, and all the dogs were “going crazy.” Not Rachel. “She had laid down like she was listening to every word two little girls were reading to her. We knew she was the right fit as we have three children. Rachel is very protective of them. She loves her sleep and snuggles with the kids at night. She has been a blessing to our family and has brought much light into our home.”

08/01/2026

Welcome to August! If you have my calendar, you are spending the month with sweet Dove from Wallis Annenberg PetSpace. It took a while for Dove to find her home, but it was well worth the wait!
“Dove has taught us that kindness doesn’t have an expiration date,” Lily wrote after bringing longtimer Dove home. “We found Dove on the shelter’s website. Your photos were instrumental as they captured her essence and soul. We wanted to save a senior dog who needed a good home for the end of their life. Since coming home, Dove has made our lives so much better. She is pure gold. I’ve never met a dog as sweet as her. She loved meeting our horse and I think they are becoming best friends. Dove only wants love and only knows love. She snuggles up with you and has been comforting my recently widowed grandfather.”

07/24/2026

What does it mean to archive a body but not a life?
I had the most amazing residency at the (Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County). As a kid I was fascinated by skeletons -- I once did a summer camp where we dug up human skeletons (don't ask me!!!!). I wanted to become a paleontologist. I just loved the idea of digging up stories, learning about the people and animals who came before us. We live upon layers and layers of all the dead who came before us. I find this idea fascinating and strangely, reassuring. We are all part of a larger tapestry.
During my residency, I explored the sacredness of remains used for scientific purposes. When it comes to animals, they cannot give their consent to being used in this way after death, and as an animal chaplain, I find this idea challenging. Especially when their bones might have been archived, but not their stories. We don't know who they were, what they loved, what mattered to them...
For this series of images, I used my gloved hands to animate these skulls, like sacred puppets, erecting them to sainthood by using some on-camera tricks. This was all done in camera, no photoshop - and certainly no AI!

Caption:
1. Pug Skull (1930). Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Mammalogy Department, Catalog Number LACM 30595. © Sophie Gamand, 2025.
2. Dog Skull from San Nicholas Island, CA (1931). Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Mammalogy Department, Catalog Number LACM 30615. © Sophie Gamand, 2025.
3. Skull of a juvenile Brussels Griffon (1929). Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Mammalogy Department, Catalog Number LACM 30536. © Sophie Gamand, 2025.

07/21/2026

A look at the largest hand-embroidery I've made! The Theatrics of Play/Fight, 2022. Can you tell which dog is playing, and which dog is fighting?

This large piece is composed of hand-stitched embroidery, thrifted fabrics and flower appliques. It is inspired by French medieval tapestries.

It is not easy for the human eye to decipher the subtle ways in which dogs communicate with each other. Often, humans’ mere presence disrupts the balance that exists between dogs, and causes dangerous interference.

This hand-stitched embroidery took 4 months to complete. The dog on the left was modeled after a dog playing with another dog. The dog on the right was modeled after a dog engaged in an organized dog fight in Afghanistan.

07/19/2026

It really sucks having a big heart in a world that moves too fast to care.
Let this be your reminder that you are never alone.
Whether you are a rescuer, a shelter worker, an advocate, a foster, a volunteer, or simply someone who refuses to look away, please remember that you are part of a vast network of people who feel just like you.
And caring so deeply, while it hurts, it's also what allows us to dream up a better world. So thank you for doing your share, however small you might think it is.
Tag a friend who needs the reminder!

I took these photos on rescue trips in Puerto Rico ( Sato Project), Australia (Aussie Desert Dogs), Moldova, Atlanta (Fulton County Animal Services), and South Korea.

07/14/2026

Observing free-living dogs has been a fascinating experience.

Coming from a world of rescue, where every street dog must be plucked off their environment and placed in a home (sometimes on the other side of the world), it was challenging imagining life beyond that story.

But through my travels, readings, and meeting people doing incredible work with free-living dogs, I have learned to expand my understanding of this nuanced topic.

Free-living, free-breeding dogs are beautiful. I don't want to minimize their hardship of course. It can be a really tough life and human communities have to step up to protect these dogs.

Free-living dogs do not have "owners." Sometimes they have guardians who feed and care for them, but mostly they live the life of their choosing: under the sky, with their own routines and social networks. And they are whole. They can lead rich lives, in the margins of human societies.

Yet, even in countries that have a long history of cooperating and coexisting with these dogs, we can see an increase of violence. For example in Turkey and India, where governments have recently made dramatic changes to the way they view these dogs, and have called for their destruction.

We still have a long way to go to protect these dogs against ourselves and the violence that undoubtedly lurks for them. But decentering ourselves and seeing their experience of the world through their eyes, can be a beautiful step.

All things are true at once. That some dogs need rescuing, others do not. That the world is a violent place, and yet we all can find our way to experience full lives.

These photos are from archives and trips I have taken to Australia to meet aboriginal free-living dogs and dingoes (), Moldova (.vet.moldova and .international), Colombia (with my friend ), and Ecuador ().

To learn more about this topic, I encourage you to follow the wonderful and the work she does through , Rachel from , and Valli from .

07/12/2026

Sometimes the deck chooses for you! My Oracle deck is inspired by shelter dogs and features 50 former shelter dogs with powerful messages. ✨💫

Address

Los Angeles, CA

Website

https://www.sophiegamand.com/

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