Calendar's star dogs 'talent spotted' on street

4 hours ago

Laura Foster,at St Edmundsbury Cathedraland

George King,Suffolk

News image — This dog's owner pulled out all the stops to make sure their pet stood out in the 2027 Dogs in the Cathedral Calendar

Tom Soper Dog looks to camera — This dog's owner pulled out all the stops to make sure their pet stood out in the 2027 Dogs in the Cathedral Calendar

Photogenic pooches channelled their inner Kate Moss as they posed for a calendar photoshoot after being talent-spotted on the streets.

The Dogs in the Cathedral Calendar is the brainchild of the canine-friendly St Edmundsbury Cathedral, in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

First launched in 2024, the 2027 edition will include 12 images featuring 14 different dog models, from a Staffordshire bull terrier and a shih tzu to a Brussels griffon.

The dogs, all spotted in the town, were photographed by Tom Soper, who said taking the photos in a cathedral presented a "few challenges" but "treats work really well".

Laura Foster/BBC A head and shoulders photo of a smiling man wearing a grey jumper. He is standing in front of what looks like a black and white dog statue in the background. — Photographer Tom Soper is more familiar with taking pictures of people than dogs but said it made a "nice change"

"We've had a couple over the last couple of years who have been really tricky and we've ended up not being able to get a photo until right at the end," he said.

"It's quite a challenge to make sure the dogs are always calm because it's obviously a strange place for them and we're sometimes putting them in odd positions.

"But the dogs are generally pretty good - we allow an hour for each dog and if they need to have a break, they can have a break."

Meet the canine cover stars

Tom Soper A large tan-coloured dog in a church with its tongue poking out. — St Edmundsbury Cathedral prides itself on being a dog-friendly church

Laura Foster/BBC A head and shoulders image of a man wearing a white top and a woman wearing a navy top holding a furry cream coloured dog. The couple are wearing glasses. — Julie and Gary Harrison with their prized pooch, Charlie

Bury St Edmunds has gained a reputation in recent years for how accommodating it is of dog owners and their furry friends.

In 2024, it was voted the most dog-friendly town in the UK at the Dog Friendly Awards and last year it came second.

The dogs included in the 2027 calendar were hand-picked while seen strutting their stuff on the streets of the town.

"I was very surprised and honoured," said Julie Harrison, when she was asked if her pooch Charlie could be photographed for the calendar.

"[The photoshoot] was very good and it went really, really well – and it was lovely and really nice [seeing the photograph], it is really good."

Laura Foster/BBC A group of men and women standing together with their dogs inside a cathedral. — The photoshoot took place in June before the dogs and their owners were invited to an official launch event

Louise Connolly's six-year-old German shepherd-cross-Akita also appears in the calendar and she believes he could be a fan favourite.

"He's now a supermodel, he's famous - he is very handsome so people do stop us in the street and say, 'Oh my goodness, what a magnificent dog'," she said.

"He was very good, but he did get quite excited and in the afternoon didn't move for a few hours because he was so tired after his ordeal of being a supermodel.

"We are very proud."

Tom Soper A grey Staffordshire Bull Terrier dog bounding through the grounds of a cathedral. — This Staffordshire bull terrier could not contain its excitement as it rushed to the photoshoot

Catherine Rayson, marketing communications manager at the cathedral, said 150 calendars would be sold in the town, with proceeds supporting the cathedral's work.

"They make a great Christmas present and we sell out," she said.

"It's chaos, but it's really fun - we get to meet people in the community and it's important to me that it keeps going."