Assistance Dogs Charity Category 1st Place Winner Dean Mortimer, United Kingdom

Title of image: ‘Reassurance’

Dog: Rocko, German Shepherd Dog

'My thought process behind this picture is one that is close to my heart. My brother is ex-military as are some of my friends. I have seen first-hand some of the issues that war can have on even the strongest of men. The ex-soldier in the photo suffered great loss in Afghanistan and suffers from PTSD so that’s when Rocko came to his rescue. Rocko the German Shepherd has been trained by his handler to help combat the effects of PTSD, the skills of which help calm and reassure the soldier when times get hard. In my photograph I tried to capture not just how this dog aids this PTSD sufferer but also to capture the kind nature of the dog and how he enriches this man’s life. I have been following and admiring the work carried out by Service Dogs UK, the charity I am nominating for this category prize donation from the Kennel Club Charitable Trust. I am amazed by how affective dogs can be in assisting an individual with their recovery. So I decided to base my entry for this category on this issue and hope that in doing so will raise awareness of this worthy charity.' - Dean Mortimer

Technical specification
Canon 1DX Aperture: f2.8 ISO Speed: 2000 Focal length: 200mm Exposure program: Av Exposure time: 1/160 sec Flash: No

Website / http://www.pro-formatphotography.co.uk

Instagram / proformatphotography

Assistance Dogservice doggerman shepherd doggsdsoldierptsdKennel Club Charitable Trustdonationcharity