Altering A Bear Form For Dog

Call him 'Ishmael' ... because that was his name.
This big old Rottweiler was put to sleep due to cancer, and his owners had me preserve his likeness. This IS NOT freeze dried! This is CONVENTIONAL TAXIDERMY!


I used a Black Bear headform from Research Mannikins, and altered it into the headform for 'Ishmael'. You can see the section of the muzzle that was removed, including part of the rear of the mouth.

The lip line needed to be shortened for the Dog.

Ismael's death mask was a huge aid in altering the headform.

This is Ishmael's actual choker chain collar, placed of the unaltered neck of the headform.
Here, some of the mouth and facial details are started. The eyes were custom ordered from Tohickon Glass Eyes. The BEST glass eyes anywhere ... bar none!!!

A lot of foam was sanded, rasped, and filed away in reshaping the headform.


The first skin fitting.

Notice the rounded shoulder area of the Bear, has given way to the more straight shoulders of a Dog ...


Looking more like a large breed Dog at this point.Finer facial structure is carved in as well as the seating for the ears was added at this time.

Shoulder refinement.

After removing the nose section, the nasal passages were added to the headform section.

... and the nostrils were detailed from the front.The nose was secured back in place with 5-minute epoxy.

Clay work around the eyes, and lips was added.

Clay was also added to start the ear bases.

Clay fills in the seam ion the front of the muzzle where the nose sectioned was rejoined. Right after this step, all exposed foam was coated with Orange Shellac, to give the hide paste more "tooth". Old School Baby!

When all was ready, Sallie Dahmes Dextrine Hide Paste was coated on the headform.

The cape was worked over the headform, and the lips were tucked into the slots created for them.
The hide was carefully worked into place, and pressed into the details, may of which were held fast with 20-gauge hide nails. In areas where the fur was thinner, insect pins were used, and removed when the mount was dried.The earliners were fabricated from plastic milk jugs, heated to shape, and inserted into the ear skins, held fast with Polytranspar Epoxy Adhesive.

Close-ups of the eye and nose details.

I supplied Ishmael with a brand new, shiny chain collar. His original one was just to rusted and cruddy looking. I felt he deserved a new collar!

 

That is beyond an excellent example of "Know Your Subject". Insanely well done.

 

Are there pictures, I don’t see any. Sounds like a big project.

 

Open on a computer, not a phone ...

 

When I first read this post and added the question I did not see your post either John. As always your attention to detail is outstanding.

 

It's a damned shame John doesn't stick to TAXIDERMY on this site with the dearth of information on conventional taxidermy of pets . Did you notice he also had a death mask? The very BEST way of getting to the finished project is to get a death mask of any unusual creature or one without a commercial form. Then MAKE or ALTER one for your purposes. Many times the death mask can be use to actually make the form.

 

very well done John!

 

That is amazing.