As excited as I was to meet and work with Moose – after all, his name is “Moose”, how could I not be excited?! – I also wish we didn’t have to get together so soon. I wish I could have chatted with Moose’s parents and explained that my typical waiting list for a photo session is a month or two long. But unfortunately, we didn’t have that luxury – because of a recent diagnosis, I needed to get Moose’s photo session on the books ASAP. Luckily, his mom had the forethought to call me when Moose is still feeling good – and boy, is he feeling good! He’s still a 100%-energy-filled, goofy, happy labrador! As soon as we got to the beach he was practically choking himself to run around – because being on a leash is such a bummer when you have a million things to sniff and people to meet and a whole ocean to play in! ;)  So I shared a lovely afternoon with Moose and his parents, playing on the beach in Del Mar. It was so great to see Moose have a great time, in spite of his thinning fur and the other effects of his cancer treatment. I especially loved seeing the relationship Moose has with his dad; those two are incredibly close and there’s no one Moose listens to better. (Even when the temptation to run straight into the water is almost overwhelming.) So I’m happy to share these photos with you, and I hope you’ll take a second to send some prayers and happy thoughts to Moose and his parents.

This is Moose the chocolate lab! Can’t you tell he’s just bursting to jump up & run around?!

See what I mean? The rocket boosters still work! This dog goes crazy for his ball!

And as the sun went down and the last lights of the day lit up the sky, I felt there was nothing more fitting than for Moose to run around, doing whatever he pleased. The old guy deserves so many more trips to the beach… I want him to enjoy them all as much as he possibly can.

Aubrey & Steve, thank you so much for introducing me to your handsome boy. I really enjoyed meeting all three of you – and I’m excited to show you the rest of our photos soon!