Pet of the Month: July 2009

finnegan made his debut as an amateur dog model this year. after being photographed by steve benisty, the great dane made the cut for the photographer's upcoming book featuring dogs from around new york, slated to debut at the end of the year. benisty, who has photographed more than 200 dogs from around the city, narrowed down his collection to highlight the best of different breeds; finnegan was discovered through a recommendation, after photographing another dog for the book.

"i had been looking for a great dane for a while," benisty said. "they sent me some pictures, and he was very photogenic."

finnegan is the second great dane from the dunn family to be featured in this paper, with the first being photographed in the early 1990s.

joan and bob dunn rescued the dog from a previous owner, adopting him through the mid atlantic great dane rescue league.

"the woman who owned him worked 7 a.m. to 8 at night, and they had him in a cage all day," joan said. "these dogs need exercise."

finnegan, who is 2 and a half, now runs freely around central park and socializes with other dogs.

--

to submit your pet for "pet of the month," send an email with photo attached describing why your animal deserves recognition to pets@manhattanmedia.com. photos will be judged on factors including cuteness, originality, artistic merit and how compelling the accompanying story is.