I absolutely love photo sessions that take place during a time of transition: sometimes it’s for a family who just moved to San Diego, or is just about to move away… or a family that already has 4-legged children and is about to add their first 2-legged child to the family… or perhaps those 2-legged kids are headed off to college and we’re capturing how life has always been before things change. In the case of Ella, Juneau & Roxy, we were celebrating a very happy occasion: Roxy is a brand new member of the family! She’s seriously spicing things up in her new home, too; Ella & Juneau are older pups who’ve been loyal members of the family for many years, and I have a feeling their routine has changed (just a little!) since Roxy came home. But they love their new little sister, especially Juneau; he’s such a great big brother and it’s already clear that he & Roxy have formed a special bond. (And it’s adorable!)

Our photo session took place at Mission Trails Regional Park, as well as at a nearby grassy park for a slight change of scenery. And even though things started out with a bit of chaos, the dogs soon settled into a rhythm of posing for me beautifully. Plus, it helped that we had some yummy treats for them on hand! I have a feeling that the photos from our session will be a fresh, gorgeous complement to the portraits they’ve taken in the past… and I’m so excited to share them with you!

This is Ella! She LOVES treats and has the most beautiful lab smile… one of my favorite moments of our session was when she spontaneously started crawling toward me (okay, let’s be honest, she was probably headed for the treat bag) near the end of our session!

This handsome hunk-a-lunk is Juneau, the golden retriever and mama’s boy of the bunch. Whenever his mom & I stepped more than a few feet away from him, he would whine and fidget – he just looooooves his mom! And he’s such a sweetheart, I practically fell in love with him too.

This little spitfire is Roxy! She’s part chihuahua, dachshund and about 5 other breeds, with an insatiable zest for life. She certainly keeps her new family on their toes!

One more photo of Roxy, just because this head tilt is too cute to resist. I mean COME ON.

Cinda, thank you for introducing me to your gorgeous dogs! I’m excited to see you again soon! :)

Tags: dogs, golden retriever, labrador, mixed breed, park, pet photography, pets, photography, San Diego, San Diego Dog Photographer, San Diego pet photography, senior