Back in February, the Sifter profiled the wonderful work of Seth Casteel. His series of underwater dog portraits took the Internet by storm. The unexpected surge in popularity promptly shut down his website (due to a massive traffic spike), earned him 125,000 new fans on Facebook and also led to tons of press coverage and new work opportunities including: an assignment for the New York Times in Alaska and a marketing project for Walt Disney Design Studios.

The final culmination of this viral sensation is the book Underwater Dogs, which you can purchase online here. Seth was kind enough to share with the Sifter some exclusive photos from the book to celebrate today’s launch.

Check out the small gallery below and be sure to check out littlefriendsphoto.com for more pics, book info or prints!





1. Buster – Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (6 years old)




Photograph by Seth Casteel | Buy the Book







2. Rocco – Boston Terrier (7 years old)




Photograph by Seth Casteel | Buy the Book







3. Dagmar – Chesapeake Bay Retriever (10 years old)




Photograph by Seth Casteel | Buy the Book







4. Herbie – English Bulldog (2 years old)




Photograph by Seth Casteel | Buy the Book







5. Rhoda – Daschund (7 years old)




Photograph by Seth Casteel | Buy the Book







6. Coraline – Olde English Bulldogge (2 years old)




Photograph by Seth Casteel | Buy the Book







7. Rex – Boxer (3 years old)




Photograph by Seth Casteel | Buy the Book







8. Foster – Daschund (6 yeras old)




Photograph by Seth Casteel | Buy the Book







9. Oshi – Cocker Spaniel (6 years old)




Photograph by Seth Casteel | Buy the Book







10. Underwater Dogs by Seth Casteel

How Therapy Llamas Bring Joy to the Sick and Elderly

Photograph by JEN OSBORNE for COLORS Magazine



There are approximately 10,000 therapy animals in the United States. Of those, 14 are llamas. That’s good for 0.14% [Source]. In an article published last year for Colors Magazine (Issue #83 ‘Happiness’ published April 16, 2012), photographer Jen Osborne accompanied two certified llama therapists as they visited the Bellingham Health and Rehabilitation Center in Washington, USA.




Photograph by JEN OSBORNE for COLORS Magazine



According to Colors Magazine, all residents are recovering from illness and most are elderly. Many have been there for years and have ever met a llama in person.

To read more about the history of animal therapy, check out the full article at Colors Magazine.




Photograph by JEN OSBORNE for COLORS Magazine



Seen here are Marisco and N.H. Flight of the Eagle, two therapy llamas trained by Niki Kuklenski of JNK Llamas. To qualify, llamas must be at least two years old, have never been bottle-fed, and undergo a battery of tests to gauge how they react to stressful situations. Only a select number of llamas have the temperament to be certified therapists. [Source]




Photograph by JEN OSBORNE for COLORS Magazine