Hello – and happy 2022! This is my first blog post of the new year, can you believe it? I don’t schedule photo sessions in January, since that’s my yearly planning & organizational time, but now I’m back in the swing of appointments & sessions and I’m SO glad. Because I have lots of sessions planned with some ADORABLE dogs this year!

I can’t think of a sweeter, more handsome boy than Simba the goldendoodle to help me start my year off right! He is a happy, easygoing old man who unfortunately got a scary diagnosis recently, and we’re not sure how much time he has left. But his mom has so much love for him and is determined to complete his bucket list: they’re planning to do all the fun things a dog could possibly want, and I think that’s a wonderful plan. Obviously there is no “good” way to lose a pet, whether it’s by surprise or you know its coming – it’s excruciating either way – so while the situation is not ideal, I love how Simba’s mom is using this time & knowledge to spoil the heck out of him and treat him to an amazing time. I personally think she’s handling it in the best possible way. They really are lucky to have each other!

Despite the fact that they are in this unfortunate situation, when you meet Simba, you really can’t tell what he’s going through. Simba is acting like himself, doesn’t seem to be in pain, and he’s just as happy as he’s ever been. He really is the sweetest guy! Did I mention that he’s huge, too? He kind of lumbers around happily saying “hi” to people, but there’s no doubt that his happy place is his mom. At the end of the day he always comes back to her; he absolutely adores her. He was always monitoring where she was going during our photo session and never wanted to be a foot away from her – like a massive velcro dog! I really enjoyed photographing him because he has this happy-go-lucky, content look about him, but then when he perks up his ears he looks like a little puppy again. Trust me – its the cutest thing! I loved photographing him from every angle.

We didn’t get many “action” portraits during this photo session, and that’s okay! After about 2 throws of the tennis ball the most Simba could muster was to slowly would walk toward it, and then he was done. At 11 years old he’s earned the right not to chase after every tennis ball! We let him relax without putting any pressure on him whatsoever. When I meet dogs who are going through any medical treatment or diagnosis, it’s very important to me to not push them physically for safety reasons. We truly just went with Simba’s vibe and what he wanted to do – which made the photo session a nice, slow, enjoyable pace for all of us! All he wanted to do was hang out in the grass, relax and snuggle with his mom. I think that was the ideal photo session for Simba – and kind of for me too. We had a great time!

This is Simba in his happy place. Right next to his mom.

See what I mean about his puppy face?!

“To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring – it was peace.” – Milan Kundera

Ieva, I can’t wait to share the rest of our photos with you soon! Give that boy a hug for me in the meantime!

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