Aire dates... (From Bournemouth Echo)

Aire dates...

8:13am Monday 11th June 2007 in

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IT all started with a family photograph. When amateur photographer Caroline Gruber-Prince took pictures of her children and pets for family and friends she had no idea what she was starting.

Keen to entertain and make people laugh, Caroline, of Wallisdown, picked themes for the photos and her three Airedale Terriers were appropriately dressed.

The reaction to the hilarious pictures was so strong that recent years have seen Caroline painstakingly producing calendars for her nearest and dearest, all featuring the fabulous Basil, 11, Sybil, five, and Hector, three.

Now the trio have joined the hundreds of dogs taking part in the Daily Echo Hot Dogs competition.

They have been dressed as punk rockers, clowns and the three bears and have posed happily with other family pets, including mice and birds perched on their heads.

And in this year's calendar they have masqueraded as drivers, football fans and even hoodies.

Caroline said: "I use no software whatsoever. It's all legit. They really do do these things and dress up. When the camera comes out they all line up to dress up.

"Basil is an old hand now. I started doing it 12 years ago with my Airedale Oscar. He was the inspiration. It's all very kind. We wouldn't do it if they didn't want to.

"It takes a long time making the calendars - cutting, punching and binding."

Caroline is in the process of setting up a website to display all her pictures and wants anyone interested in its progress to contact her at airedalesareus@ntlworld.com

To see and rate hundreds of entrants in the Daily Echo Hot Dogs contest, click here

Visit Caroline's website at the link below.