Marlow has had a pretty rough couple of months.

I was originally contacted by a friend of Marlow’s family, who heard about Marlow’s recent diagnosis. Brain cancer isn’t easy for any family to go through, and it was especially difficult for Marlow’s parents to accept that there was something wrong with their sweet old man. Marlow means the world to them… and I simply can’t imagine how they were able to swallow such an awful diagnosis. And unfortunately, there were even more worries headed their way: about a month ago, Marlow suffered a stroke which left him temporarily paralyzed. Can you imagine how scared you’d be to wake up one morning and find that your dog can’t move any of his legs? Devon, Marlow’s dad, was carrying him outside to go to the bathroom, and back inside again, several times a day. But despite the odds, Marlow fought back, and within a few days he was walking again! He still runs with a bit of a sideways gallop, a kind of lasting mark from the paralysis… but he’s back to his cheerful, walking-around-on-his-own self! (Although he’s a LOT hungrier these days, which is a side effect of his medication. On the bright side, that meant he was super-attentive to the treats I brought!)

If you can, I urge you to send happy thoughts & prayers to Marlow and his family. They could certainly use them, after all they’ve been through.

But our session wasn’t about concentrating on the past, or his current issues – it was about photographing Marlow’s interminable spirit! It was an honor to meet this handsome old man, and I truly had a great time working with him and his siblings in their Serra Mesa backyard.

This is Marlow! Don’t you love his sweet old face?

This is Marlow’s younger sister, Darla! She’s also a pointer, and acts like a total puppy (even though she’s 4 years old). She’s happiest when she’s chasing her ball – this girl is an athlete – but I caught her during a (rare) still moment!

And this is Cielo, the 8-year-old husky, to round out the pack. Cielo is an absolutely gorgeous girl who insists on beating Marlow to the ball every time their parents throw it, haha!

Okay, okay, one more… I told you Darla is an athlete! See that purple ball in her mouth? It gives her the power to leap higher than you thought possible… this is my favorite image of her gravity-defying feats!

Devon & Amanda, thank you so much for a fun-filled afternoon with your pups. And Brittany, thank you for introducing us! I’m so excited to show you the rest of our photos soon!

Tags: backyard, dogs, pet photography, pets, photography, San Diego, San Diego Dog Photographer, San Diego pet photography, senior