We reached out to photographer Greg Murray to learn more about the powerful stories behind Gotcha Day: Adoption Tales of Remarkable Rescue Dogs, and the inspiration behind these heartfelt portraits.
Greg explained that all of the dogs featured in the project are rescue animals, each photographed alongside the person who adopted them. He shared: “All of the dogs featured were photographed for my book Gotcha Day: Adoption Tales of Remarkable Rescue Dogs. Each one is a rescue, photographed alongside the person who adopted them.”
Speaking about the intention behind the series, the photographer said the goal was to highlight the emotional connection between dogs and their humans. As he put it: “The goal of this work was to promote animal rescue by highlighting the deep connection between each dog and their human. I intentionally photographed them in physical contact to visually emphasize that bond and to reflect how truly fortunate they are to have found one another.”
On how these natural, touching interactions were achieved, Greg noted that nothing was staged. He explained: “The interactions you see were captured organically. I typically asked the owners to simply engage with their dogs as they would at home, allowing genuine moments to unfold naturally.”
Among all the stories from the shoots, one dog stood out in particular. Greg shared: “Selly, the pit bull–type dog who lost her eyes, especially resonated with me. Dogs like her are a powerful reminder of resilience. Despite everything she’s been through, she is incredibly loving, you would never know the hardship she endured.”
