A Dalmatian, alert in the entrance of Vienna’s Hotel Bristol
for the August 13, 1956 issue of LIFE.

My hubby and I always talk about getting a dog for Lucas once/if we agree on the right age for him to start living with one. What kind will it be? So when I went into Mark Shaw‘s website and saw his new limited edition Animal Prints I was delighted. Mark Shaw is the celebrated fashion photographer from the 1950’s. He is best known for his photographs of Jackie and John F. Kennedy, which he shot originally for LIFE magazine and then became a close friend of the famous couple. Mark Shaw worked for LIFE magazine for 16 years shooting covers and more than 100 stories. He also worked for Harper’s Bazaar, Mademoiselle and a number of other publications. He photographed some of the most prominent and glamorous celebrities, among them Pablo Picasso, Grace Kelly, Brigitte Bardot, Coco Chanel and Audrey Hepburn. Hepburn’s photographs culminated into a book called Charmed by Audrey published last year. Animal Prints is a special collection of animal photographs with their celebrity owners. I love how in the website below each photograph there is a description of each dog. The English Springer Spaniel, my all times favorite dog, is described as “the founder of all English Hunting Spaniels, is favored for work close to the handler and under the gun and is used to flush out and spring on game. The English Springer Spaniel’s excellent work with the hunter in the field leads to its sweet disposition. Springer Spaniels are excellent family dogs and infinitely companionable.” I think in this house, we have a winner.