The more I think about it, the more I’m pretty sure it was a miracle that I actually got to meet Trevor & Tori’s family! You see, these pups are part of a beautiful military family that’s leaving San Diego very soon – and I mean, in-less-than-two-weeks soon! So between a tight timeline and weather delays messing with their dad’s flight schedule, these pups almost left San Diego without the chance to pose for a few family photos… and while the dogs probably wouldn’t have been too concerned, I know their mom had been looking forward to their photo session for several months, so I wanted to do everything I could to make sure we saved an afternoon for us to spend together! Not to mention, I have some idea of the general chaos & stress they’re going through, since Mr. Shamrell was also in active duty and the military moved us to San Diego last year. So I definitely wanted to treat them to a fun afternoon while I could! (Oh, and speaking of which: we figured out that they were living in Pensacola when we lived there, too! Their dad was even stationed at the same bases at the same time as my hubby! Crazy!!)

Trevor & Tori’s mom, Liz, worked at Bodhi Animal Hospital in North Park, which is where she first saw my work, and I should have guessed that she’d have an incredible connection with her dogs from all her experience working with pets every day. She & Tori (the boxer) have the same fun-loving spirit, and I absolutely loved watching them interact; they seem to simply “get” each other! Trevor (the little mixed-breed dog), on the other hand, is a bit older than Tori and has slowed down a bit this year… Liz said she first noticed that Trevor was losing his hearing when he didn’t respond to her calls on a recent hiking trip. But they’ve been working on a sign language system for commands & praise, and it’s absolutely adorable to watch them silently communicate with each other! So really, while photographing these dogs’ personalities was incredibly fun, it was even more enjoyable to capture a piece of their close relationship with their mom & dad.

This is Tori! She has the most unique facial coloring – isn’t she beautiful?

Tori knows how to pose, too… I just love the way she’s looking up at her parents in this image.

And here’s Trevor! He may be older now, but he can still zoom across the park like a puppy!

Turns out, Trevor is quite the posing pro as well… don’t you love those ears??

Liz & Justin, I’m so glad we finally had the chance to get together, even amidst all the chaos of moving! I can’t wait to see you both again very soon! :)