- Messages
- 7
- Name
- Stephen Rios
- Edit My Images
- Yes
Most of these were shot on a Canon t1i with the 18-55mm kit lens it comes with. Two of them were shot with my Canon EOS RP mirrorless and a 50mm F/1.8 lens.
I've loved black and white since I was very young and wanted to try my hand at it.
This isn't all of my pets, but it's most of them!
Beware, there be reptiles here
Koda - American Staffordshire Terrier (rescue) - Born as a bait dog, spent three years in the streets, went through three homes and was scheduled to be put down just hours after I picked him up. He's been a tough rehab, but he's a great dog. He loves to play and is always happy but I love that this shot captured the old soul in him that was born of all of his struggles. When we first brought him home we crate trained him immediately because he couldn't be left unattended except in a crate. He was dog-aggressive and food-aggressive and needed to be taught to trust. For three months we made sure either my wife or I were home to take care of him, and the first time we went out together he chewed his way out of a metal dog crate, ate an entire massive bag of dog food and.... redistributed it.... throughout the house, and did about $1,200 in damage to the house. When we got home we found him cowering and shaking in one of the furthers corners of the house, terrified. I held him and comforted him for an hour before he calmed down, and having finally learned to trust, was able to start his journey of healing.
Widget - Long-Haired Miniature Dachshund - Widget is my wife's service animal. He is an amazing dog and serves many roles. He's an old gray boy now, 12 years old, but still handles his duties valiantly. My wife has progressive polyneuropathy and he serves to warn her about upcoming symptoms or when she needs to rest. She also gets severe migraines that are very debilitating and he serves as an early warning system so she doesn't go out when she's about to have a migraine and goes with her everywhere to warn her when she needs to head home quickly. He never leaves her side.
Buddy - Dachs-Bull (rescue) - Rescued from the animal shelter, he was going to be put down simply because nobody would take him due to him being part pitbull. He'd been at the shelter for a year and a half when we got him. He is an absolute sweetheart and just wants to be near someone all day. He is extremely tolerant and will let someone do just about anything to him without a fuss. He's great at working with children and is basically a living teddy-bear.
Bandit - Baby Bearded Dragon (rescue) - Picked up from a local reptile shop, poor bandit was being picked on by her tank mates and was on death's door the day we saw her. When we told one of the employees about her distress he said "Yeah, this happens sometimes, we just have to remove them", we thought he meant put them in another enclosure, but he was going to euthanize her and throw her away! We took her home and nursed her back to health. She's a few months old now, but still under-sized due to being the runt of the litter and being starved and abused by her tank mates for so long. She's a spicy lizard with a LOT of attitude though! When she is older and healthier we'll probably try to find her a good home where we know she'll be taken care of.
Chubbs - Male Bearded Dragon (rescue) - Poor Chubbs. We got a call about a possible adoption after our first bearded dragon, a rescue German Giant Beardie we called Noodle Mama (she smelled just like ramen!), passed away, the situation quickly turned into a rescue. The owner was unaware of the level of care needed for bearded dragons and didn't realize the state that Chubbs was in. He was missing his two main fingers on both of his rear legs and a large portion of his tail. He also had many layers of stuck shed, so much that his brilliant orange coloring was pure white in some areas, and a lot of scale rot. It took a few months but we finally got him back in good nick and he's now living his days out as happy as can be! My wife has fallen in love with him and carries him around all over the house, even while she's cleaning!
Shadow - Female Rankin's Dragon - Walking horned wrecking ball of attitude, this one. She followed us home from the reptile store one day. Sometimes I think they hypnotize you and you just wind up at home with a new reptile wondering what happened.
Baffi - Male Guyana Red-Tail Boa - Baffi (yes, mustache!) is a BEAUTIFUL representation of his species. He really belongs in a zoo somewhere, but we're lucky enough to have him with us. He has traces of red over his gray all the way to his head and a brilliant red tail. It really is a shame this one is in black and white, but I wanted to stick with the theme. Fun fact, all Guyana Red Tail's have a mustache that looks like a thin wispy French mustache, hence the name! Also, while Baffi is just a baby right now with a head barely the size of a thumb, when he is fully grown he will be 10-12 feet with a head larger than the average male hand and will require a massive custom enclosure!
I've loved black and white since I was very young and wanted to try my hand at it.
This isn't all of my pets, but it's most of them!
Beware, there be reptiles here
Koda - American Staffordshire Terrier (rescue) - Born as a bait dog, spent three years in the streets, went through three homes and was scheduled to be put down just hours after I picked him up. He's been a tough rehab, but he's a great dog. He loves to play and is always happy but I love that this shot captured the old soul in him that was born of all of his struggles. When we first brought him home we crate trained him immediately because he couldn't be left unattended except in a crate. He was dog-aggressive and food-aggressive and needed to be taught to trust. For three months we made sure either my wife or I were home to take care of him, and the first time we went out together he chewed his way out of a metal dog crate, ate an entire massive bag of dog food and.... redistributed it.... throughout the house, and did about $1,200 in damage to the house. When we got home we found him cowering and shaking in one of the furthers corners of the house, terrified. I held him and comforted him for an hour before he calmed down, and having finally learned to trust, was able to start his journey of healing.
Widget - Long-Haired Miniature Dachshund - Widget is my wife's service animal. He is an amazing dog and serves many roles. He's an old gray boy now, 12 years old, but still handles his duties valiantly. My wife has progressive polyneuropathy and he serves to warn her about upcoming symptoms or when she needs to rest. She also gets severe migraines that are very debilitating and he serves as an early warning system so she doesn't go out when she's about to have a migraine and goes with her everywhere to warn her when she needs to head home quickly. He never leaves her side.
Buddy - Dachs-Bull (rescue) - Rescued from the animal shelter, he was going to be put down simply because nobody would take him due to him being part pitbull. He'd been at the shelter for a year and a half when we got him. He is an absolute sweetheart and just wants to be near someone all day. He is extremely tolerant and will let someone do just about anything to him without a fuss. He's great at working with children and is basically a living teddy-bear.
Bandit - Baby Bearded Dragon (rescue) - Picked up from a local reptile shop, poor bandit was being picked on by her tank mates and was on death's door the day we saw her. When we told one of the employees about her distress he said "Yeah, this happens sometimes, we just have to remove them", we thought he meant put them in another enclosure, but he was going to euthanize her and throw her away! We took her home and nursed her back to health. She's a few months old now, but still under-sized due to being the runt of the litter and being starved and abused by her tank mates for so long. She's a spicy lizard with a LOT of attitude though! When she is older and healthier we'll probably try to find her a good home where we know she'll be taken care of.
Chubbs - Male Bearded Dragon (rescue) - Poor Chubbs. We got a call about a possible adoption after our first bearded dragon, a rescue German Giant Beardie we called Noodle Mama (she smelled just like ramen!), passed away, the situation quickly turned into a rescue. The owner was unaware of the level of care needed for bearded dragons and didn't realize the state that Chubbs was in. He was missing his two main fingers on both of his rear legs and a large portion of his tail. He also had many layers of stuck shed, so much that his brilliant orange coloring was pure white in some areas, and a lot of scale rot. It took a few months but we finally got him back in good nick and he's now living his days out as happy as can be! My wife has fallen in love with him and carries him around all over the house, even while she's cleaning!
Shadow - Female Rankin's Dragon - Walking horned wrecking ball of attitude, this one. She followed us home from the reptile store one day. Sometimes I think they hypnotize you and you just wind up at home with a new reptile wondering what happened.
Baffi - Male Guyana Red-Tail Boa - Baffi (yes, mustache!) is a BEAUTIFUL representation of his species. He really belongs in a zoo somewhere, but we're lucky enough to have him with us. He has traces of red over his gray all the way to his head and a brilliant red tail. It really is a shame this one is in black and white, but I wanted to stick with the theme. Fun fact, all Guyana Red Tail's have a mustache that looks like a thin wispy French mustache, hence the name! Also, while Baffi is just a baby right now with a head barely the size of a thumb, when he is fully grown he will be 10-12 feet with a head larger than the average male hand and will require a massive custom enclosure!
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