Denali the Dog

Biddle Gallery
2840 Biddle Avenue
Wyandotte, MI 48192
734.281.4779
www.biddlegallery.com
Hours: Tuesday-Friday 11AM-6PM; Saturday 11AM-4PM
contact person: Karen Thomas

Meet Denali the Dog and WAG Fundraiser
Friday, April 16, 6:00-9:00PM

Biddle Gallery is hosting a show for the "Denali the Dog" line of greeting cards. The cards are created by photojournalist Madalyn Ruggiero. The cards sell for $3.75 and feature whimsical poses of Ruggiero's golden retriever, Denali. All proceeds from card sales that night will be donated to Wyandotte Animal Group (WAG). Several of WAG's adoptable dogs will be featured during a special event outside Biddle Gallery, 2840 Biddle, Wyandotte, from 6 to 9 p.m, Friday, April 16

In October 2001 while living in Pennsylvania and working as a photographer for a newspaper, Madalyn Ruggiero welcomed into her life a golden retriever. She named him Denali - after the mountain not the car. Being creative, for the holiday season she decided to dress Denali and send it out to family and friends as a greeting card. It was very simple back then, with just a bow around his neck and some funny ears. Year after year, her family always eagerly awaited their Denali card. With suggestions from family and friends she decided to take it to the next level. Over the past few years Denali and Madalyn started a very small greeting card business.

People are always amused with Denali's photo's and patience. Everyone always ask, if it's a real dog. YES! she tells them as they look at her oddly. Some days, Madalyn layers two or three different items of clothes on Denali along with glasses and a wig. To save money she uses her own clothes, rummages threw her parents closet and visits thrift shops. Denali, if in the mood, will sit for Madalyn, eyeing that treat in her hand as she takes his photo. It's just the two of them. She rewards him with love, hugs and doggie treats.

Denali's photos are all individual portraits that Madalyn takes in a spare bedroom in her home which she converted into a makeshift studio. The words for his cards are given to her from family and friends. When she completes a new Denali photo she sends it to a few friends for words suggestions. From their, Madalyn sends out word suggestions to a test audience, which is family and friends and they help her decide which words to use.

Denali's cards are being sold in over 20 stores in 5 states. Check out his web site and blog at www.denalithedog.com and you can become a fan of his on facebook.

Madalyn Ruggiero is a Toledo, Ohio based freelance photographer. A graduate of Bowling Green State University with a B.F.A in Fine Arts, Ruggiero currently shoots for a variety of print outlets including the Detroit Free Press, Detroit News and the AP. Ruggiero, a long time Dorthea Lange follower, aims to show the human side of her subjects. Her goal is to treat every assignment with respect and to present readers with images that challenge the eye and tell a vivid story. Ruggiero's career has included a staff photographer position with the Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. and a stint as a freelancer with the Morning Call in Allentown, Pa. A return to Ohio led to a photo desk and temporary photographer position with The (Toledo) Blade. Most of Ruggiero's current work can be seen on the pages of the Detroit daily newspapers. However, she's been busy covering assignments for the Chicago Tribune, People Magazine, Washington Post and The New York Times.

Meet Madalyn and Denali and check out some of WAG's dogs who are looking for a second chance while perusing some of the funniest cards you'll ever see.

For more information on the cards, click here. For more information on the photographer, click here.

Attached Image
Denali the Dog (photo credit: Madalyn Ruggiera)