We didn't think so! And celeb photographer Mike Ruiz knows this all too well!
This year, the famed artist and photog is releasing the 2023 version of his annual passion project — the Mutts & Muscles calendar — that is equal parts cute and hot. Pairing some incredibly handsome male models with some of the most adorable puppies we've ever seen, the calendar retails for $26.95, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to a different organization every year. This year, Ruiz chose Harley's Haven Dog Rescue, a Pennsylvania-based dog care center and shelter, as the beneficiary of Mutts & Muscles.
"I’m excited for the 2023 calendar. There are 22 amazing male models participating this year. It’s the biggest group in the calendar’s history," Ruiz said about crafting this year's calendar. "I’m so grateful to all of them for coming from all over the country and Canada just to help me save the lives of some dogs in dire need. This year the calendar benefits an amazing rescue called Harley's Haven Dog Rescue. They do so much to help dogs who have been abandoned, neglected, and abused by taking them from shelters where they are languishing and finding them loving fur-ever homes."
Speaking about the inspiration and the genesis of Mutts & Muscles, he said:
"In 2012, fell madly in love with a sweet pitbull type dog named Oliver. He was being fostered by my good friend Tim Brock, with whom I would stay when I was in Los Angeles. One look from his soulful brown eyes, ad it was love at first sight. Within 24 hours I had filled out all of the adoption paperwork and he was my son. As a responsible dad, I wanted to make sure I was armed with all of the information necessary to raise a pitbull-type dog so I did a lot of research. I was horrified to find how many dogs were discarded, abused, and neglected in the U.S. The numbers are staggering. I decided that I need to do something to try and help these poor souls so I started advocating for them which led to me starting this calendar. My goal was to raise money and awareness for the plight of dogs everywhere."
Scroll through to see more pics from the 2023 Mutts & Muscles calendar! (All images courtesy of Mike Ruiz.)
For more information on Mutts & Muscles and to purchase the calendar, visit the official Harley's Haven Dog Rescue website here. And for more of Ruiz's work, follow him on Instagram, @mikeruizone.
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