Watching Sara Harley with her dogs, Mulligan and Cassie, it isn't hard to tell she's an animal lover.

 She's firm as she guides their behaviour, yet gentle as she then takes a moment to quietly praise them and fondly pat their big, dark heads. The dogs gaze back adoringly.

 Perhaps that's part of the reason for Ms Harley's undertaking, the Paws for Charity "2009 Art Book Project." The other part is that she lost her mother to breast cancer when she was 21.

 "It's always been a cause that's very personal for me," Ms Harley says.

 So after creating some photo books to give as Christmas gifts last year, Ms Harley had an idea. She decided to make a photo book to raise funds for breast cancer.

 That may seem like a leap, but Ms Harley, who moved to Nova Scotia from Ontario with her husband a year ago, had been involved with charity fundraising for several years. When she owned a dog biscuit company in Kemptville, she joined three other women with dog-related businesses in forming Paws for Charity.

 The group's goal in 2006 was to raise money for breast cancer. Since then, the scope of Paws for Charity has expanded and three of the women continue to raise funds for various charities.

 Ms Harley's initial idea was to develop the photo book herself. But recognizing the synergy created with group projects, she decided to expand the concept.

 From her home in Upper Branch, she used the internet to seek out pet photographers and artists, then sent invitations to people asking them to contribute images featuring dogs and cats for her charity project.

 She says she was surprised by the generosity. Artists seemed happy to participate and she ended up with 99 images.

 From those, she selected 37 photos and creations to include in the project, a task she admits was difficult, but more images would have increased the cost of the book.

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 "I lost some sleep over it actually," she laughs.

 In the end, she says she tried to create a good balance in the book - dogs and cats, artwork and photos, portraits and scenics. The book includes three artists from the UK, 27 from the U.S. and seven from Canada, including two Nova Scotians.

 She's pleased with the result and says the feedback she's received has been positive. She launched the book in April to coincide with Cancer Awareness Month and sold 85 copies by the first of May.

 "I'm pretty happy with it. We're trying to raise awareness so hopefully we can get some more books sold," Ms Harley says.

 And she's already planning the 2010 Paws for Charity "2010 Art Book Project."

 All of the profits from the sale of the book are donated to the Avon Crusade for Breast Cancer. The book can be viewed and purchased on-line at http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/606337.

 As well, there is a story behind each image in the book. Over the next few months, Ms Harley is posting those stories on the Paws for Charity blog. That can be found at http://www.pawsforcharity.blogspot.com.

posted on 05/12/09