Should I pinch myself? Am I dreaming?

Nope: I truly had the chance to work with the most adorable animals!! Frank the pug puppy was only 11 weeks old at the time of our session, which is quite frankly an incredible time to have a photo session. Seriously – I am SO happy his parents gave me a call well in advance of when they wanted their session to take place. It gave us all the time we needed to plan the perfect experience, and Frank was at the perfect age! Ollie, his brother, is a rescue kitten from a litter in which he was (very sadly) the only survivor. He & his siblings were all diagnosed with panleukopenia (which is the feline version of parvovirus), so it was truly a miracle that Ollie’s foster family helped him make it through. But now he’s about 6 months old, and is one of the most inquisitive, happy, intelligent cats I’ve ever met! He comes when you call his name, and will do just about anything for a treat (including, I learned, let his parents put a harness on him so we could go outside). Today, Frank & Ollie live happily in central San Diego, doing their best impression of Milo & Otis. :)

And I have to admit, I was impressed with how these brothers get along – their parents definitely made the right move in adopting them both at around the same time, so they could grow up together and bond from an early age. Plus, they’re both already so well-trained! Do you know any other 11-week-old puppies who can hold a sit-stay, or toilet-trained 6-month-old kittens? I don’t!! Many first-time pet parents just “wing it” and figure things out as they go, and while that can often work out just fine, Frank & Ollie’s parents have taken the opposite approach, and have invested plenty of time educating themselves on all the best things they can do for their new animals. It really shows; these two are already such happy, confident kiddos. They have the cutest little friendship, and I really loved photographing them both!

This, of course, is Frank! With the biggest little head tilt I’ve ever seen. Come on, can you even stand how cute he is?!

Ollie the cat is a gorgeous little kitten; I already know he’s going to grow up into a strikingly handsome orange tabby!

We also visited a place in San Diego that most animals aren’t allowed to see… I’ll keep the location quiet since we only got in thanks to their dad’s work. But let’s just say it was somewhere I never thought I’d get to experience the inside of! (Yes, that’s a remnant of a plant on Frank’s face… something tells me he was “sampling” his surroundings!)

Ollie, on the other hand, used the outing as an opportunity to keep a lookout for small animals & anything else to chase, smell and/or play with.

Rachel & Mike, thank you so much for introducing me to your new additions! I can’t wait to get together again soon!!