The American Staffordshire Terrier is one of those breeds that people aren’t always sure about. Is it a terrier, even though it’s so big? Is it a pit bull, even though it has a different name? Well, if I learned anything from my recent photo session with Marley the American Staffordshire Terrier, I can tell you this much: they’re beautiful, patient, sweet dogs that are completely dedicated to their owners! Marley is a 9-year-old Amstaff mix here in San Diego, and I absolutely loved photographing her because she was up for anything! She’s incredibly calm, just content to be close to her mom – and by “close” I mean “right next to and literally on top of her if at all possible”! She kept me laughing, every time she crawled into her mom’s lap and did her best to take off alllllll her makeup with licks & kisses. It was absolutely adorable!

We started our session in the studio – and I’m loving Marley’s deep brindle color against the black background! Not to mention her inquisitive look, as if she’s saying “Mom? Am I doing this right?”

Then we visited Marley’s house, where it was promptly time for belly rubs on the bed. Obviously.

… and belly rubs were soon followed by snuggles on the couch. I’m telling you, this is one snuggly dog! (Is that an American Staffordshire Terrier trait too?) And doesn’t she look pleased with herself?

Later that afternoon, though, the clouds rolled in and things weren’t looking too pretty outside. But Marley loves the beach, and we knew a few photos in the sand would be the perfect way to finish our session – so we waited a couple of days until the sky cleared up and gave us a pretty, sunny background! It was definitely worth the wait! (This is one of several reasons why I limit the number of sessions I book per month… because being flexible according to the weather is so important to make sure my clients get the best-looking photos possible! This image just wouldn’t be the same with gray sky & gray water.)

Yeah…  worth. the. wait.

Sarah, I’m so excited to show you the rest of our photos! Give Marley a hug for me in the meantime, and I’ll talk to you soon! :)

As soon as I rang the doorbell, I heard a cacophony of barking & yipping from inside the condo – and as soon as the door opened, I was bombarded by the paws & tongues of two adorable schnauzer mix dogs! Haha! Chewie & Max are little terrier/schnauzer mixes, and I practically had to do a double take when I saw them both – because although they’re not biological siblings, they look SO much alike! It’s almost uncanny… but despite the resemblance, our session was going to be all about Chewie, since Max & his mom were given a surprise photo session with another photographer when they visited San Francisco a while back – and they didn’t want Chewie to be jealous of all his brother’s time in the spotlight! So we “balanced” things out with a session that took place inside their condo, as well as right out their back door to the nature trails of Lake Murray! I loved being able to shoot in a place that’s so personal to them; they often go on walks on the trails and the dogs were completely comfortable there. And of course, they were totally at ease in their house too – they might have fallen asleep on the beds if it weren’t for their rapt attention to the treats in my hand, haha! Take a look!

Oh Chewie – I just love your face!

Here are the handsome brothers together! What do you think – are they more terrier or more schnauzer mix?

Chewie loves sniffing (and marking) everywhere on the Lake Murray trails – we even let him loose for a bit of exercise!

Chris & Amy – thank you so much for a great session. I can’t believe it was months in the making! I’m excited to see you both again soon!