bee7474 Loc: Selah, Wa

Can you take a dog photo without the owners permission?

CPR Loc: Nature Coast of Florida

You can take any photo you want as long as you are not in an illegal place. IF you want to use it for commercial purposes (an advertisement or in a book for sale, etc.) then you need a release in most places.
Go to a dog show and you will see hundreds of people taking photos, especially of the winners.

bee7474 Loc: Selah, Wa

Thanks, in this case it was a lady with a in service dog and a man walked up with his son and wanted to take a picture of the dog and his son. The dog handler said no as the dog was in training and didn't want the dog to pay attention to the kid. The man went away and had his kid kneel down and he took the picture of the kid and the lady with her dog in the back ground. I was just a witness.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Just to correct this mis-information in hopes that it doesn't get propagated once again: You can produce things (and sell them) with a picture that you didn't get a release for; books, websites, t-shirts, anything. You can even make a profit! :)

What you cannot do however is to use that image to advertise a product or service. (this is in the US by the way)

bee7474 Loc: Selah, Wa

Thanks, that is good to know.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

All this assumes that you've taken the image where the owner doesn't have a reasonable expectation of privacy...(like in public, on a sidewalk, in their front yard, etc.)

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

You can only photograph a dog, after you get his permission. I suggest a signed release (from the dog).

bee7474 Loc: Selah, Wa

Yes, I witnessed this at the State Fair. I am chicken, if it had been me I would have let the man take a picture of the dog and worked it out with the dog later.

CPR Loc: Nature Coast of Florida

The second question was "Should you take a photo when the person does not want it taken???"
"CAN YOU?" Yes, you can, But Should You?

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

A service dog in training takes months to learn tasks, avoid obstacles, stop at crossings, etc. Then more months to learn to perform and pay attention only to the owner when there are distractions.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

In this case the man should have respected the fact that the dog was in training and should not have walked up and even asked the question. Duh! And, you can take a photo of anything in the public or what has been deemed public, but you might get hauled away for taking photos of military buildings or ships but most likely not for photographing a dog in the background.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

This should clear up a lot of misunderstanding regarding releases/permissions and how images can be used without them


http://ftp.asmp.org/tutorials/frequently-asked-questions-about-releases.html#.WU1LrevyvCM

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

Absolutely correct! If you are 25 feet away and the dog and trainer are walking past, you can take the photo. But if you want to have any personal interaction with the dog itself, the best way is to approach the trainer, paying no attention to the dog, and ask politely. I usually say something to the effect of, "Hi, can I say hello to your student (or friend, if the dog is actually working)?" If the trainer says no, thank him/her and walk away. If the answer is yes, you can go from there. I frequently work around working dogs (K9, service, companion). One K9 I know will growl if ANYONE reaches for him, but will play like a puppy (he liked to have his belly rubbed) when I ask permission. I have known the Ranger and his dog for years. The dog knows me well, but I still follow the same protocol. The Ranger appreciates the courtesy, and I appreciate the chance to play with the dog without getting my arm ripped off. Two other points: If the dog is working (picking up something for a person in a wheelchair, etc.), stay away (and have the courtesy not to take a picture). Also, don't touch the owner/master unless he/she initiates the move. I once walked up do the aforementioned Ranger, touched his sleeve as I congratulated him for a promotion, and instantly his dog assumed an attack posture. After we shook hands and I asked to say hello to the dog, we were friends again and I ended up rubbing his belly again. As a side note, I was playing with the dog once and his master said some in German; instantly the dog was on his feet and back to work.

bee7474 Loc: Selah, Wa

Thanks for the info, interesting.

aellman Loc: Boston MA

The elephant in the room is that a release does not prevent your being sued by a disgruntled subject. All it does (at best) is speed up the court proceedings, because it establishes that the subject freely gave permission. On the other hand, a subject can maintain that s/he did not understand what they were signing. A release helps, but is not an ironclad protection.