Karen and Eric Sadler are both natives of Charlotte, NC, but have recently relocated to Wilmington. They were brought together by, among other things, their love of animals. Their extended pet family includes four Weimaraners, three cats and a blue and gold Macaw. Both are extremely active in animal rescue and support and saw an incredible opportunity to help support it by creating three Pet-centric sites,Touch of a Paw, Dog Perils, and now Critters on the Move. They would like to invite you to join in on their support of dog rescue and help make the dream come true of no more homeless pets!

Gloria Madill

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always been mesmerized by the natural world around me. Perhaps it was because I was an only child and lived out in a rural area with fields and woods in sight. The birds, insects and wild flowers were my friends and my entertainment. I’d spend all day studying the intricate wonders of nature’s shapes, textures, and colors.

Cameras amazed me: How could a scene or person be put in that little box, and then be reproduced in every detail on paper!!? Up until about 10 years ago, I only owned ‘point & shoot’ cameras. I recorded every year’s events of family and friends, filling album after album. When I finally bought my first SLR , an old Cannon, with all the neat zoom lens, the joy of photographing became an obsession.

I spent wonderful hours snapping natural scenes, children, and animals. I did some commercial art shoots, homes, building, etc., but preferred the God created beauty.
One day I began studying the lights and shadows on my black & white, Maggie Mae.
That was the beginning of my great love of photographing dogs, cats, horses-even snakes.

Finally, about 5 years ago I got my first digital SRL. That camera and Photoshop-type computerprograms opened up a whole new panorama of possibilities. Soon after, I took courses from some private photographers. I learned my way around Photoshop. That’s where I discovered the way to turn photos into works of art--watercolor and other brush techniques. I also enjoyed the flexibility of adding things, removing things and making assorted backgrounds to my compositions. Now, I was really hooked!

One day I decided to set up a background and make paintings of my granddaughter and her yellow lab pup—the rest, as they say, is history.

Soon I was working at local dog specialty shops on weekends, doing what I loved. People seemed to like the fact that their pictures were artistic, yet had every feature of their own animal--and the price was right, too.

Last winter I met Karen Sadler, a local artist who wanted to start a new venture called, ‘Critters on the Move’. She was looking for a photographer who might have a file of cute dog photos to get started in making decals for cars and other windows, and who was willing to photograph more animals for these decals. I had been praying for new direction on how I could use my passion for animals and photo/art. Was our meeting a coincidence? We hardly think so!