Meet Rupert the whippet – a show-off pooch who loves to model and pose for the camera including relaxing with a Coke or wearing glasses to read books.
Rupert has a knack for striking a fetching pose and began starring in the snaps at 10-months-old, when his owner noticed him standing with his front legs rested on the lawnmower.
Now the two-and-a-half year old has become a dab hand at creating lifelike scenes and has featured as a doctor, tennis player and even a choir boy.
Owner Janet Burton, 56, who has owned whippets for the past 15 years, began to dream up hilarious scenarios and fetching outfits to match – with Rupert all too happy to play along.
Janet, who also owns two female whippets called Amethyst, 10, and Bessie, 10, fell in love with Rupert when he was just four-weeks-old.
She said: “It had been a few years since we had a puppy. I didn’t put him straight in with the other whippets so I had a cardboard box at the side of my bed so I could comfort him during the night.
“The photos started by accident. I had only took pictures of pets because my children had grown up.
“Rupert had a habit of jumping up and putting his feet up to look at what I was doing.
“I just say ‘hop’ and he puts his feet up again. His facial expression looks like he is concentrating on the job, like he knows what he is doing.
“Rupert replaces the human in the pictures. He doesn’t mind wearing the outfits because whippets wear little jackets in the winter. The magic comes from his expressions.
“I use an ipad to take the photos and when he sees me with it he starts wagging his tail and jumping up and posing because he knows he is going to get treats.”
The mum-of-two, who says her and husband Paul, 55, have always owned animals, said the playful pooch enjoys outdoor activities but also likes a snooze.
She said: “We just have fun with the pictures and they are a small snapshot of Rupert’s day.
“Rupert loves walks in the country and he likes his football and sleeping a lot. If he wants to relax I find him with the cat. He likes to watch TV and barking at the dogs on the screen.
“I was receiving so many messages from people enjoying the photos so we created a Facebook page just for his own pictures.”
Rupert the dog cleaning the house. Janet, a retired nurse, said the most touching compliment Rupert received was from across the pond when an American man told her the images had helped cheer up his mother who was having a bad day fighting her breast cancer.
She said: “Sometimes it is the little things that make a difference.”
The creative owner comes up with inventive ways to get Rupert to strike the perfect post – such as hiding treats on the mouthpiece of a trumpet and taping a sponge to the window so it looks like he’s cleaning.
Rupert has also starred in his own calendar which sold to fans in Hawaii, South Africa, Iceland, Australia and America.
Janet, of Oaken, Staffordshire, said the pampered pooch still sleeps beside her bed and the last words he hears before drifting off to sleep are: “Love you Rupert.”
