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VPD Canine Calendar – 15 Years of Photos and Philanthropy

Ever wonder what goes into the production of the VPD Canine Calendar? We are here to let you in on some interesting facts and experiences that we’ve had as we produce this memorable calendar, year after year, in partnership with the VPD Canine Unit.

 

 

 

Firstly, there is a touching, although tragic, story about how the VPD Canine Calendar got it’s start.  The calendar was originally created by retired VPD Sergeant Mike Anfield in 2010 in honor of his wife, VPD Constable Candy Anfield, who sadly lost her battle with breast cancer. Since inception, it has been important to the Anfield family that all funds raised from calendar sales directly support BC Children’s Hospital Foundation and the BC Cancer Foundation. Fifteen years later, we are delighted to ensure that all funds continue to be split equally between these two important local charities, with almost $600,000 raised in that time.

Now, as you can imagine, we have plenty of fun brainstorming and scheduling photoshoots around Vancouver with VPD’s four-legged heroes. The photography typically takes place between April and July, with some seasonal photos scheduled in the fall and winter months when possible. Our talented photographer, Devin Manky, snaps over a thousand photos every year, which are then meticulously reviewed by our selection committee before the perfect 13 images are chosen for this 13-month calendar.

Once the photos are selected, we turn everything over to our incredible graphic designer who works hard to have the print files ready by the second week of August. Following that, we immediately go to print, plan our promotional schedule, and before we know it, the calendars are on sale in early October.

Want to get on our exclusive pre-sale list for the 2025 calendar? CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE PACK.

 

We often get asked how some of the photos are captured, and how often we rely on photoshop. The truth is, over the last five years in particular, most photos are pretty authentic – with the exception of these two:

Suspect Line-Up – February 2023

  • As much as we’d love to be able to line-up all these pups and have them all looking at the camera in a single shot, we have to admit that each of these doggos were photographed separately, and then they were all pieced together in post-production.
  • This was an incredible feat of pre-planning in itself, as we needed to ensure we had a pre-assigned spot in the line-up for each pup, taking into consideration their size and shape, where their eyes were looking, and at what angle they were standing.
  • In fact, the final image took weeks to come together, as not all dogs were available to be photographed on the same day.

PSD Ghost & Mister Bentley at the Pub – April 2023

  • Were these two pups actually sitting in a chair at a pub table? Yes
  • Were they photographed separately and brought together via our graphic designer? Yes
  • Was the Westminster Kennel Club Best in Show competition featuring a german shepherd airing on the TV at the time we took the photos? No
  • Did PSD Ghost and Mister Bentley play a friendly round of darts, as per the chalkboard behind them? We wish!

Then there are some pretty unique photos which have appeared in recent years that sceptics might say aren’t real … but they are indeed the real deal. So how exactly did we get these shots?

PSD Jack on the Playland Coaster – July 2022

In spring 2021, the year after COVID had closed PNE Playland for an entire summer, the famous wooden roller coaster had just undergone a major refurbishment when were granted special access for a K9 photoshoot. With the generous help of the Coaster engineers, we spent almost a full hour finding the perfect angle and facial expression before capturing this amazing image of PSD Jack perched proudly on the Coaster seemingly about to go for a wild ride. PSD Jack retired later that year and is still living the good life with his handler, Cst. Keith Howson-Jones.

 

PSD Mando & Amak at the Vancouver Aquarium – June 2023

We were fortunate that the Vancouver Aquarium invited us for an early morning photoshoot before the doors officially opened for the day. And to say that PSD Mando was intrigued with all the exciting new smells is an understatement! While it may look like we photoshopped these two animals together, Amak, one of the resident male Steller Sea Lions, popped up to say hello to PSD Mando at exactly the right second, all thanks to the generous guidance from a couple Marine Mammal Trainers.

 

PSD Ghost on the Grouse Mountain Skyride – September 2024

With special permission and arrangements with Grouse Mountain Resort, we utilized both Skyrides very early one morning. With the use of safety harnesses and safety staff, PSD Ghost and his handler, Cst. Zach Fedora, hopped onto the roof of one Skyride tram, while our photographer hopped onto the roof of the other. With both Skyrides moving slowly up and down their cables, timing the photo for both trams to be lined up and close enough together to capture both the canine team and also the breath-taking scenery was a feat in itself. Both groups rode the Skyride up and down the mountain twice in order to get the perfect shot.

And finally, an interesting note about one of the most popular photos in recent years:

PSD Solo at the English Bay Inukshuk – November 2022

This photo of PSD Solo was taken in June 2021, during the incredible and devastating heat dome in Vancouver. It was 10:30pm when this photo was snapped – capturing the late stages of a stunning Vancouver summer solstice sunset. What you don’t see is the temperature reading. Despite the time of night, it was a sweltering 35 degrees at English Bay when PSD Solo flashed his curious look at the camera. Ironically, it’s also the only photo in the 2022 calendar without a tongue hanging out, even though the temperature was soaring.

 

The 2025 VPD Canine Calendar will be on sale to the public in early October, but we’d highly recommend you JOIN THE PACK to receive exclusive pre-sale opportunities and special K9 updates throughout the year.


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