Growing up in the Netherlands in a rural area, there were always animals in and around the house Petra grew up in.
Nothing seemed more natural than coming home and bring back a guinea pig from school, be late because a cow was giving birth in a field or feed birds that were fallen out of their nests.

Adopting a dog when starting her own family was to be expected.
For this dog to change her whole life might not have been.
But after adopting Isa, a Spanish Galgo through Greyhounds In Nood Nederland, Petra fast became closely involved with the adoption and rescue group Isa came from. 

Moving to the US years later didn't change this and after handing over the leads from the Dutch organization to the next president, she started SAGE, Save A Galgo Espanol, a galgo/podenco adoption organization operating from South Central Pennsylvania and Northern California which she still leads up to today.

From 1999 until now, Petra has always used her photography to ask attention for the plight of the Spanish dogs. Whether it be photographing rescue efforts on the ground in Spain, photographing the rescuers in the Spanish shelters, or taking studio portraits of the adoptable dogs.
Several of her photographs were published in magazines, and on other media in the Netherlands and the US, raising awareness. 

Besides photographing for SAGE, she also has photographed adoptable dogs for other rescues like GoldHeart, Golden Retriever Rescue and the National Borzoi Rescue Foundation.
If you'd like for Petra to volunteer her skills to photograph for your rescue, please contact via email