A few weeks ago, I received a phone call from the lovely people over at San Carlos Animal Hospital! They had seen my work, through one of the local rescue organizations I work with, The Rescued Dog, and told me their lobby & exam rooms were in need of fresh new decor! Of course, I was happy to help out – especially after realizing that we already happen to have several clients in common! (Aberdeen the service dog and Beatrice the min pin, just to name a couple!)

So both of the veterinarians & their dogs visited the studio recently, for some fun portraits that will really liven up San Carlos Animal Hospital! As it turned out, surprisingly, both of their dogs were pretty nervous about the white backdrop that I use… and while a minority of the dogs I work with have any issues with it at all (I’d say less than 20%), I was pretty surprised to work with 2 dogs in the same day that had the same uncertainties! I have to say, I can’t really blame them – paper isn’t exactly a common surface to walk on – but with plenty of treats and slow, gentle encouragement, both dogs ended up posing like total pros on the backdrop! Getting used to the new surface took a few minutes, but we ended up having a great time & creating some gorgeous images. It just goes to show what a bit of positive reinforcement can do! :)

This dog’s name is James Woods – but don’t be fooled, she’s a girl! (Her name is a TV show reference.) James is a total sweetie – and if you’re looking at her eyes & wondering, the answer is yes, she’s cross-eyed! I’m sorry, but have you ever seen something as cute as a cross-eyed pittie?! Gah! I pretty much fell in love with this gorgeous girl as soon as I saw her. What a sweetheart.

Turns out, James Woods has an adorable head tilt, too!

And this is Lucas! He’s an Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog, a rare sub-type of Australian cattle dog, which I’d actually never worked with before. So of course I was thrilled to meet an entirely new breed – and if all Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dogs are just like Lucas, then I can’t wait to meet more of them! He’s a young boy, and a rescue, and I could tell at first glance how much he really loves his parents… so he trusted them about the “backdrop situation”, and eventually flashed some incredibly handsome smiles my way!

Yeah, I’d say he got pretty comfortable by the end of our time together. ;)

Drs. Acosta & Altman, Robin & Lisa, thank you so much for a fun-filled afternoon! I absolutely adored working with all of you & your dogs, and I’m so excited to show you all our photos soon! :)