If you’re like me, you likely assume that every trip to the salon will inevitably be a life-changing event: this cut will be the cut that sets into motion the universe’s granting every single of your heart’s desires and dreams. It’s this anticipation and expectation (though rarely fulfilled) that makes me really feel the dogs captured by critically acclaimed photographer Grace Chon for her photo series Hairy, recently compiled in Puppy Styled: Japanese Dog Grooming Before & After. In Puppy Styled, Chon’s 100-plus color photographs capture not only the essence of nearly 50 adorable dogs – they also serve as a testament to the transformative power of a little shampoo and some skillful scissor work. (The second photograph below? Literally took that photo to my stylist, I swear, and said “I want this.”)
Japanese dog grooming is not your ordinary dog grooming. Specifically, Chon explains, “It only has one mission — to make dogs look as adorable as possible! With extreme attention to detail and careful consideration of a pup’s best attributes, Japanese dog groomers and salons achieve the perfect transformation by forgetting uniform looks and getting creative.” Check out more looks from Puppy Styled below, and fetch it from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local bookseller.
