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Photographer Jack Jackson is touring Canada with Rescued By Love, an exhibition pairing members of the LGBTQ+ community with the rescue dogs who transformed them. The coast-to-coast run launches in early March in Bradford, ON, rolls into Vancouver, BC late March, hits Winnipeg in April, Halifax in May and closes in Calgary in June—and along the way Jackson will shoot and interview brand-new participants.
We sat down with the artist to unpack what this project means to him and what it actually takes to make it as a professional dog photographer.
Modern Dog: What kicked off your journey into dog photography?
Jackson: It started dumbly enough—snapping dog pics on my phone. Then action shots hooked me, I bought a real camera, and I was gone. That makes it sound painless; it wasn't. Two wrist surgeries later, I'd call it a steep, bruising climb. Early on I took short courses learning manual mode and Photoshop, but the turning point was a mentor, the wonderful Jason Krygier-Baum. Once things clicked, moving to Canada triggered some serious life reroutes.
I walked away from the corporate safety net and dove into work I genuinely loved. I felt like a kid in a candy store making up for lost time—dizzy, prolific, never stopping. I'd found my thing in a city I adored and I soaked up every moment. I'm still learning—that's the magic of photography.
Modern Dog: Where did the spark for this project come from?
Jackson: It took two ingredients. My now-partner reached out via Instagram about my dog work and we clicked instantly—she's a portrait shooter with a rescue background, I'm the dog guy and part of the queer and trans community. And then, of course, there was Jet.
I was in no position for a dog—alone, unemployed, mid-transition, unsure I could even stay in the country I loved. It was rock bottom. But I knew, even with housing in flux, that a dog would help. Jet bounced into my life and upended everything. She inspired Don't You Want Me (DYWM) and its emergency support fund, and became my go-to model. Discrimination, ignorance and hate stack mental-health battles, addiction and trauma high in our community; visibility and awareness quite literally keep people alive.
My situation isn't rare in our community, and I'm lucky to have survived—I nearly didn't. But I was in my 40s with hard-earned life experience and, crucially, my dad's support. Most people don't get that, and many don't make it. That's the engine behind how I work—for the voices and stories we never got to hear. That's DYWM's true inspiration.
Modern Dog: Why do rescue dogs and this community so often form that unbreakable bond?
Jackson: So many of us just get what it means to need a home, to need a family, to feel utterly alone. That sounds bleak—because it is. It's bleak that homophobia and transphobia are so often behind that isolation. But when a dog finds its person, pure magic ignites. I was on a video call today with a new participant and her wife prepping their portrait session, and tears were flowing. She told me that just before adopting, like me, she knew she needed a dog she couldn't afford—and the dog saved her life.
She'd survived a horrific situation rooted in homophobia. She felt worthless, alienated from her parents for her sexuality, a burden to her wife. Thank god she got that dog—because this woman is brilliant, thriving and talented, relocated to Toronto for a better life with her wife, won university awards, and I'm incredibly lucky to have met her. Her dog had been given up twice, but she promised him she'd make it work—and she has. He's blossomed.
Modern Dog: How has the project been received?
It's been heart-meltingly warm. I love that people see not just DYWM's potential but its power—the power of storytelling to shift the lives of LGBTQ people and rescue dogs, and to nudge mainstream thinking, especially around gender. The idea that an unwanted, 'disposable' dog can save someone's life is staggering. The local community and businesses have been spectacularly supportive.
Pet Valu came to us last year, donating to the Emergency Support Fund and sponsoring DYWM's cross-Canada tour plus more photo sessions—how wild is that? They've been dream partners and the springboard we needed. A publisher has reached out, and there's documentary talk. Honestly, I'm still pinching myself. Everyone I've shot for DYWM now feels like family; they're the reason it works, and they inspire me daily.
Modern Dog: What's next on your lens?
Jackson: Other projects will surely come, but right now I can't see past DYWM—it feels like we're just warming up. After Canada, I want to photograph more rescue-dog duos in Europe and embed with remote communities. The possibilities are limitless. On the pure dog side, a canine nutritionist and I are discussing her cookbook—dogs and humans sharing the same healthy meals—so fun!! I'm also itching to shoot a dogs-only series with classic, art-inspired themes. That's the endless beauty of dog photography: so much to do, to learn, to love. I'll never get enough.
Part of the LGBTQ+ community with a rescue dog who changed your life? Apply to join the project here.
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