I have a soft spot for German shepherds. I’m not entirely sure why, to be honest with you, since I didm’t grow up with one and I’ve never even had one – but they’re some of my favorite subjects to photograph! I think it’s something about their silly, expressive personalities that live in such tough-looking, handsome bodies. They’re guard dogs & goofballs at the same time!

So when I got a call from Tyson’s mom, I was thrilled to learn that I’d be working with a German shepherd – and as she told me about their situation, I realized I wouldn’t have to wait long to meet him. You see, about a month ago, their vet informed them that Tyson only had a month or two left… and he’s only 9 years old. This unexpected news was absolutely heartbreaking to his parents, as you can imagine, and we found a date just a few days later when we could both rearrange our schedules to get together. The good news is that with some alternative therapies, Tyson has been doing really well! I’m so glad they found the best treatment for him, and truthfully, you can’t even tell that he’s sick! (This is the same dog who, years ago, was diagnosed with Lyme disease so severe that he shouldn’t have even been able to stand up – and yet he seemed completely fine! The bloodwork was the only indicator of his sickness, since he was just as energetic & cheerful as usual! Ha!) So Tyson is no stranger to health challenges, but he’s also one of the toughest dogs I’ve ever met, hands down. This dog is a fighter, and I felt so privileged to meet him – because something tells me he’s got plenty of life yet to live.

Does this look like a sick dog to you? Nope, didn’t think so, haha! We started our session by playing fetch at the park, since Tyson will do ANYTHING for his tennis ball! (It’s even better than treats!)

Oh, that handsome German shepherd smile. Tyson, you are gorgeous.

And then we headed to Coronado Beach, one of Tyson’s favorite places to play! We had the beach almost entirely to ourselves, and it was so much fun playing in the surf with this happy boy.

Jessica & Matt, thank you for introducing me to your incredible dog – he’s a champion. I had a great time with all of you! :)

To be completely honest with you, whenever I get the chance to work with shepherds, I get excited about it! Especially German shepherds: they’re gorgeous dogs, they’re intelligent & quick, they do amazing work with our military & police, and I think my Bailey might even have a bit of German shepherd in her genetic history! So you better believe when I had the chance to meet these beautiful San Diego German shepherds, I couldn’t have been happier! :)

Garnet & Iroh are brother and sister (technically, aunt & nephew); Garnet is 2.5 years old and Iroh is 6 months old, so there’s a little bit of an age gap – but Iroh is doing his best to make up for lost time! He absolutely idolizes his big sister, you can tell: he whimpers if she ever walks away, and never wants to be more than two inches apart from her. But along with that adorable puppy love (ha!) he’s still a typical little brother, always stealing her toys, wanting to wrestle and giving her a hard time. And the best part? As much as Garnet puts on the appearance of barely tolerating his puppy antics, you can tell that she adores him just as much! For example, during our time in the studio, Iroh had to take a potty break, and the whole time he was outside Garnet simply waited by the door, impatient & inconsolable! So I love that these dogs have truly found their best friend in each other, and I was thrilled to meet them near the very beginning of their friendship, since I know they get to enjoy many more years to come together. :)

Garnet (left) and Iroh (right) did soooo well in the studio! They posed like champs – and I love their head tilts, haha!

That gorgeous shepherd profile just gets me… gosh, Garnet is so beautiful.

We headed outdoors to Mission Trails Regional Park, where the dogs got to stretch their legs a bit! Iroh especially had a blast!

And we finished up at the beach in La Jolla, where the dogs played and danced in the last light of the day.

Natalie & Ben, I had a great time with all four of you! I’m excited to show you the rest of our images soon! :)