Bob Wade grins for the camera as Lone Star, his bearded dragon, perches on his head. “Sully” Sullenberger puts his captain’s hat on Twinkle, his Labrador retriever. Kinky Friedman sits beside Alice, his favorite pig, as she ignores the camera. Nigel Marven lets White Snake curl around his neck like a living necklace.

These remarkable photographs and more than eighty others appear in Top Dogs and Their Pets, a new coffee table book by Pulitzer-Prize finalist photographer David Woo of Dallas. A portion of the funds raised through book sales will go to the Cesar & Ilusion Millan Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping pet shelters and rescue groups. Cesar Millan, well known on television as the Dog Whisperer, chose to be photographed for the book with one of his favorite dogs, Daddy.

Woo’s book features people at the top of their fields—sports, business, entertainment, philanthropy—and they have one thing in common: a love for their pets. Woo’s camera captures each special relationship in a simple black and white portrait. The photographs are joyful and playful: the way Mike Modano cradles his big dog, Bear; the huge grin on Sara Hickman’s face as she hugs her cat, Mimi. Actress Willa Ford dances with her dogs, Scout, Bella, and Bear. Dean Fearing holds his chef’s hat in his lap while Gumbo, his cat, peers out of it.

Each celebrity also shares information about the pet, including how its name was chosen, what its worst habit is, what the owner wishes the pet could do and more.

Comedian Ron White, pictured with his French Bulldogs, Gurdie and Pearl, commented, “My pets’ worst habit is liking others better than me.” When asked how she chose her cat’s name, Mimi, recording artist Sara Hickman said, “She told me to call her that!”  

An A-list of ninety “top dogs” is featured in the book, including television journalist Lou Dobbs with Rocky, actor Owen Wilson with Garcia, former President George H.W. Bush with Sadie, and astronaut Allan Bean with Fudgie and Puff. More than 50 of the celebrities live in Texas or have a Texas connection.  

Creating the book had its challenges and took Woo five years. Fellow Dallas Morning News photographer Richard Pruitt worked with him for a while, then Woo bought him out and continued on his own. His wife Suzi and his children often traveled with him and assisted with the details of setting up and managing the equipment. “We traveled with five or six bags, including video and back-up equipment,” Woo says. “If a light goes out, I have to be prepared to replace it.”

One of the biggest challenges was contacting people to ask them to be in the book.

“With famous people, getting through the layers of PR and security can be very hard,” Woo says. And sometimes the celebrity was reluctant. “Tony Dorsett wasn’t sure he wanted to do it,” Woo reveals. “He has a macho image, but his dog Charlie is little. Tony agreed after I e-mailed Jimmy Johnson’s photos to him.” Johnson’s dog, Buttercup, is small enough for him to hold in one hand.

When Dorsett’s wife suggested he hold the dog “like a football in your Heisman moment,” a great photograph took shape.

Because Woo knows the Bush family, he was able to photograph Laura Bush with the family dogs, Barney and Miss Beasley, in the White House. “It was a great honor and privilege,” he says. “Still, there was lots of security to deal with. We hauled our equipment through the White House kitchen to get to the Map Room. Then we had to be very careful not to mess up the antique rugs.”  

After a thirty-minute session with Mrs. Bush, Woo asked if he and his wife, Suzi, could say hello to President Bush. They went outside where the President was conducting a ceremony to replace a tree on the White House lawn. When the President noticed them, he called out, “Woosie, is that you?” In front of the press, with cameras clicking, he greeted them and gave Suzi a hug.

Sometimes, it was the pet that was reluctant. Byron Nelson’s wife, Peggy, had to push on her horse’s rear end to get the animal positioned in the shot. When Woo arrived to photograph singer/actress Lisa Loeb, she was apologetic and said, “I have uncooperative cats.” She could only hold them about ten seconds at a time. Racecar driver Greg Biffle’s dog, Foster, refused to look at the camera.

Kinky Friedman’s pigs weren’t reluctant, but his chickens tried to get into the shot. “I had to tell him that the chickens weren’t working out,” Woo laughs.

Of course, an occasional “accident” happened. Dallas journalist Hugh Aynesworth had to change shirts when his seventeen-year-old cat wet on his shoulder. “He switched to another pet cat for the photo,” Woo says.

Woo also had a couple of minor accidents with the white backdrop. When photographing oil industry leader Herbert Hunt with his three Yorkies, Sweet Pea, Bitsy and Miss Daisy, the backdrop fell down. After a little smoothing and reworking the set, the result was a great photograph. Hunt was pleased and wanted it known that his dogs are “chick magnets.” He commented, “When out walking, women always stop us to cuddle them.”

The same backdrop mishap happened with Jay Allison, CEO and chairman of Comstock Resources in Frisco, and his dog Jar Jar (also called “Duke”). First there was a little confusion when Duke took off running. “Everyone was worried he would go swimming,” Woo says. “Luckily he came back dry.” Then, during the photo session, the backdrop came down. But at the end of the day, Woo had a great portrait of Duke giving his master a neck hug while both smiled for the camera.

Woo offered everyone the chance to help select their photographs for the book. “They’d narrow it down to two or three and then we’d choose,” he says. “I wanted everyone to like their image.” People who are featured can also custom-order the book with their own photograph on the cover.

Top Dogs and Their Pets contains more than the beautiful full-page portraits. Out-takes from the photo sessions and short biographies of the celebrities appear in the back. It seems only fitting that a special photograph of David Woo and his best friend, Chester, taken by recording artist Steve Miller, is included.

The Website www.topdogspets.com has more information about the book and how to order. It also provides links to short videos that give a behind-the-scenes look at many of the celebrity photo sessions.