To be completely honest with you, I didn’t know I’d be photographing this session until 48 hours before it happened. And while I love squeezing in sessions on sunny days, especially with a happy & handsome black lab like Oscar… it wasn’t exactly fun & spontaneity that took us to Marine Street Beach the other night.

Joining a dog and his family for what could be that dog’s very last trip to the beach is, well… there are a lot of mixed emotions. It was absolutely joyful to see Oscar jog (well, totter might be a better word!) down the beach and through the waves, especially when I knew he’d had trouble standing and walking in the days beforehand. He had a big grin on his face the entire time – I can’t even begin to imagine how good the sand felt in his paws & fur. He even tried to dig a few holes! It was as if the myeloma wasn’t even there.

Oscar’s family doesn’t know how much time they have left together… it could be months, weeks, or days… so I was absolutely honored to join them for a sunset trip to the beach, where they knew Oscar would be happy. I hope you’ll join me in sending happy thoughts & healing prayers their way… Oscar certainly deserves a much longer life, because I can tell he has a LOT more love to give.

This is sweet, handsome Oscar – isn’t he a gorgeous black lab?!

His sisters love him so much – I really enjoyed watching them interact together. Oscar is so patient & happy to be around them!

No, you’re not seeing double – this is Oscar with his 2-year-old brother Bruce, also a black lab. (Who apparently had never gone swimming before last year, but this was one of the few photos of Bruce on dry land, haha!)

Sarah & Paul, I’m so glad you reached out to me. I’ll be thinking of you & Oscar over the next several days and weeks, I’m sure. Looking forward to going through the rest of our photos with you soon!