Shirtless dudes posing with rescue dogs is your dream 2017 calendar
The 2017 edition of Heartthrobs and Hound Dogs has all the elements of a perfect calendar: Dogs in need of forever homes posing with servicemen who just happen to be completely ripped. It's the female gaze put to a good cause.
Shirtless dudes + rescue dogs is a proven formula for Ricki Beason, the Texas photographer behind Heartthrobs and Hound Dogs. She told Mashable via phone that the calendar's 2016 edition featuring military veterans raised about $30,000 for rescue shelters.
"When you pair a rescue dog with a really handsome shirtless guy, people tend to take notice," she joked.
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This year's calendar features firefighters, police officers and military vets, plus six rescue dogs. Each pup comes from one of the six shelters Beason selected to benefit from the 2017 edition.
Beason is a physical therapist by trade, but took up photography in 2014. At the time, her own adopted dog inspired her to pick up a camera and find a way to benefit the rescue community. Her initiative to photograph rural rescue dogs in need of exposure later inspired her first calendar, a 2015 edition featuring firefighters.
Two years later, the latest edition is available for order with all proceeds set to benefit shelters in Houston, Austin and Dallas.
"Having two rescue dogs myself, I know how much love they can offer you," Beason said. "I just want people to see them for just how great they are. They deserve a chance in a loving home, they deserve to find love, they deserve to be someone's most loved pet."
