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Archive: May, 2015



Photo Session with Madison the Lab/Shepherd Mix!

Friday, May 22nd, 2015

I think every dog should be as lucky as Madison.

She’s a labrador/shepherd mix, living the good life with her parents in Pacific Beach, and she’s truly the light of her mother’s eyes. Madison and her mom, Summer, have an incredibly close relationship, since they’ve been together since Madison was just a tiny puppy. And they’ve been through a lot together – most recently, a hard-fought battle with cancer that’s still ongoing. But Maddie’s a tough dog, and she’s doing so well that I have no doubt we’ll be able to get together next year for an anniversary photo session!

In the meantime, we visited the studio and the beach for a great variety of photos, and Madison had a blast playing with us the whole time! Maddie is a funny dog – her personality is a fascinating mix of sweet and bossy! For example, she’s eager to please and is simply crazy about her mom… but if we took too long to throw the ball or deliver her treats, Maddie would start barking/talking to us! Her gentle but insistent “woof, woof, woof”s had me laughing for our entire session – such a sweetie, but so bossy at the same time! Haha! :)

 

 

Oh, Maddie. You’re adorable.

studio pet photo session

 

 

Maddie loves the beach – and so do her parents! We had a great time running up & down the sand!

dog photo session

 

 

Hold on…

wait for it…

one more photo…

of every dog’s dream…

SO MANY TENNIS BALLS!!!

dog photo session

 

 

Summer & Lou, thank you so much for a lovely afternoon with your girl! I’m looking forward to talking with you (and seeing you) again soon! :)

 

Photos of Daisy, the San Diego Boxer

Wednesday, May 20th, 2015

One day I received a call from someone looking for a great Mother’s Day gift – something to celebrate her mom’s relationship with her 4-legged daughter! I was happy to oblige, and that’s how I met Daisy and her mom!

Daisy is an 8-year-old San Diego boxer, and a total sweetheart, who lives with her mom in Point Loma. She enjoys spending her time in her amazing house, which is full of favorite spots to lounge around in/on: her crate, her bed in the living room, the bed in the spare bedroom, her mom’s bed, the front patio, the backyard… so we spent a relaxing afternoon lounging around in all of the different locations!

I have to admit, I loved seeing the relationship that Daisy shares with her mom. These two are incredibly close; Daisy was always keeping an eye on her mom no matter how many treats I had in my hand! And when I first arrived, Daisy put on a pretty intimidating “guard dog” display of barking & growling – but the second her mom said “it’s ok Daisy!”, she completely relaxed. Some of my favorite images from our photo session feature both ladies together, but for this sneak peek, I’ll just focus on the star of the photo session! :)

 

Oh, that sweet face, and those big eyes… Daisy, you’re such a beautiful pup.

boxer photo

 

 

Daisy gave me the impression of being a very wise dog…

boxer dog photo

 

 

And she always keeps a watchful eye out for mom.

boxer san diego

 

 

Tami & Jenny, thank you for introducing me to Daisy! I’m excited to show you the rest of our photos soon! :)

 

Photo Session with Tricolor Dogs Tate & Skyler!

Thursday, May 14th, 2015

I’m so excited to share this photo session with you! And I know calling these dogs “tricolor” isn’t very descriptive… but for two pups with no identifiable breeding and yet look like they might have been separated at birth, that’s the best I can come up with! Haha! :) Tate & Skyler weren’t separated at birth, though; Tate is a 3-year-old border collie mix, says his DNA test, and Skyler is a 10-month-old Siberian husky/Rottweiler/border collie/sheltie mix (whew!) according to her DNA results. Regardless, both dogs are gorgeous, fluffy lovebugs and I had an absolute blast playing with – I mean, photographing them! :)

I really enjoyed getting to know these pups’ beyond the surface during our Dalmatian Package. Because for as similar as they look physically, they have incredibly distinct personalities – Tate has come a long, long way in becoming less dog-reactive since his mom adopted him. They’ve worked hard for him not to freak out upon seeing another dog, even at a distance… and today, you’d never guess that it was an issue he struggled with so much! His mom Robbin has done such an incredible job helping him overcome his fears! Skyler, on the other hand, is a happy-go-lucky puppy who’s “a sweetheart 95% of the time”, Robbin says! Luckily, she was a sweetheart 100% of the time for our photo session, haha – and I never got tired of photographing her beautiful smile. (Seriously – this pup could be a doggie model!) Skyler loves to play, too, but she leaves the task of fetching tennis balls to her brother – otherwise he completely runs her over as he charges toward the ball! But I think it’s still safe to say that playing together is their favorite pastime.

Okay, enough storytime – I simply can’t wait any longer to show you their photos!

 

This is Tate! He was pretty much a pro at posing for the camera, don’t you think?

tricolor dog trees

 

 

And this gorgeous girl is Skyler! How beautiful is she?!

tricolor dog flowers

 

 

And here’s one of several portraits that both dogs were willing to pose for together… I was so impressed at how willing they were to snuggle up together & smile for the camera, time after time!

tricolor dogs photo

 

 

Robbin (and Jen), thank you so much for a wonderful afternoon! I hope you had as much fun as I did – and I can’t wait to show you the rest of our photos! :)

 

Action Photos with Indy & Molly at Fiesta Island!

Tuesday, May 12th, 2015

Well, let’s be honest: you can’t take a couple of big dogs to their favorite beach and not run around the whole time! Haha, this “sneak peek” blog post is full of action photos, even though I typically try to mix things up and feature a variety of images – but that’s because “action” is all these dogs wanted to do for their photo session! I always tell my clients that their dogs will be “in charge” of how things go at their session, and it’s true; I wouldn’t try to force a high-energy dog to sit still any more than I would encourage a low-energy dog to run a marathon. So Molly the golden retriever and Indy the great Pyrenees/lab mix must have discussed the matter before jumping out of their mom’s Jeep… the primary objectives of our session were A) play fetch, B) run around, C) chase birds and D) have a fantastic time!

 

Indy & Molly’s mom is a professional dog trainer (she works at The Golden Paw, one of my Bailey’s favorite places to stay!) and so of course her dogs knew all the commands that made our session go super-smoothly. She insists that they have a bit of “preacher’s daughter syndrome” (haha!) but I thought both dogs behaved like angels. They each have their quirks, of course – at one point Molly tried chasing after some ducks, thinking she could out-swim them (she couldn’t), and Indy particularly enjoyed the idea of coating himself from head to toe in sand – but they were such a joy to work with!

 

This is Molly! She’s not a puppy anymore, as you can tell from the white fur on her face, but this girl can get up and GO!

fiesta island action photo

 

And this handsome boy is Indy (short for Indiana)! He was always ready to chase the frisbee – unless you threw it too far. Then it was Molly’s responsibility to fetch it. Clearly.

pyrenees mix fiesta island

 

Ahhhhh – I love a good sunset over Fiesta Island.

sunset dog action photo

 

Christie, thanks so much for waiting out the cloudy weather with me! Those blue skies were definitely worth the wait! :)  Can’t wait to see you again soon!

 

Inspiration: Built-In Dog Beds

Thursday, May 7th, 2015

Hi there, blog readers! I’m proud to feature this lovely article today about interior design for dogs! The folks over at Modernize approached me recently & asked if my readers would find a benefit to reading an article like this… and I’m sure you will! So, enjoy!   – Allison

 

By Jane Blanchard

 

Dogs are clearly just as important to us as any other member of the family and homeowners are starting to take their dogs into consideration when planning their home setup! Many homes today have custom features included that are geared toward the family pet. We have seen a rise in popularity in features like dog baths and showers, integrated food and water stations, and built-in pet beds. Let’s look at some great examples of built-in dog beds, a growing trend in homes.

 

Centrally Located

1

Traditional Kitchen by Minneapolis Interior Designers & Decorators RLH Studio

 

An extra large dog bed blends in seamlessly with this traditional kitchen Your favorite friend will love being close to you and you will love not having him under foot while you are cooking.

 

Blending In

2

Transitional Family Room by Van Nuys Home Builders Root Construction

 

Can you spot the pet beds? Two identical beds are cleverly added to either side of a warm fireplace creating a toasty spot that any dog would love to curl up in. There is nothing more cozy than your sweet pups cuddle up by the fire while you read your favorite book.

 

Well Planned

3

Traditional Laundry Room by Cleveland Kitchen & Bath Designers Artistic Renovations of Ohio LLC

 

For many pet owners, a laundry room this smartly arranged would be a dream feature. The dog shower next to a fluffy built-in bed for Fido just makes sense and the stylish, practical design is something that is a must for a great laundry room.

 

Safe and Stylish

4

Contemporary Hall by Covington General Contractors Maison de Reve Builders LLC

 

If your dog needs a little enclosure when you are away, but a bulky, unattractive crate seems out of place, why not build the crate in to your home? This example is placed under the stairs offering ample space for your dog to walk around and stay comfortable. A pretty door helps avoid a utilitarian look in this lovely home.

 

Work and Play

5

Contemporary Kitchen by Richmond Interior Designers & Decorators Portico Design Group

 

Dogs love being wherever their people are and for little dogs, this is no exception. Sitting down to work at your home office desk with a built-in spot for your tiny pal nearby might even help you get better work done by keeping you calm and relaxed and certainly never lonely.

 

Bedtime Buddy

6

Eclectic Kids by Austin General Contractors Austin Creations

 

At the end of the day, its time for puppy cuddles. This platform pet bed keeps your best buddy at arms reach all night long. This is an especially helpful idea for the room of a child who would be comforted by the nearness of his dog.

 

A built-in dog bed doesn’t require much space or expense. Just a little planning and design, and your pup can be up off the floor and in their own cozy space in no time.

 

Jane Blanchard is a dog lover, and home design geek. Jane works for Modernize., a site for home inspiration.

 

 

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