I am so pleased to introduce you to this distinguished little lady, Mindy! She’s a lovely little Yorkie who lives in La Mesa with her mom Andrea, and together, they share an incredibly close relationship. You see, Mindy has an incredible past: she’s the dog that Andrea picked out for her parents to own, in addition to the Yorkie that her mother picked out. So Mindy and her sister lived out in the country together… until the heartbreaking day when a coyote ended Mindy’s sister’s life. They were only 9 months old at the time… I can’t imagine the fear that Mindy must have felt once she realized her sister was gone. But don’t worry: despite the rough start, Mindy’s story has a happy ending: she eventually came to live with Andrea, instead of out in the country with Andrea’s parents, and these two ladies have happily spent their lives together ever since! They’re so incredibly bonded; it was truly beautiful to see how much these two mean to each other. To have the privilege of photographing their relationship and documenting that bond they share… well, I couldn’t ask for anything more! And although Mindy is less mobile/active than most of the dogs I work with (she turns 15 next week!), that meant we got to share a wonderfully relaxed photo session – and I’m loving our images! :)

This is Miss Mindy! Her favorite thing to do is roll around the nearby senior retirement center. From her perch in her stroller, she can see everything, and everyone can see her, too – she gets ooh-ed and aah-ed over on a regular basis!

 What gorgeous flowers for a gorgeous old girl.

 Matching bows? Yes please. I just love these two.

Andrea, thank you for introducing me to your adorable little girl. (And thanks, Sally & Linda, for introducing us!) I’m excited to see you again soon!

If you were to ask me which breeds make up Rita’s heritage, I would be at a total loss to answer your question. I mean, honestly – it’s anyone’s guess! She’s a gorgeous dog, with the biggest & sweetest eyes, and she could be anything from boxer to lab to pit bull to terrier to shepherd to hound… it’s a mystery! What we do know is that she was rescued out of Rosarito, Mexico by Baja Animal Sanctuary about fourteen years ago. Since then, she’s lived with her mom, Laura, in San Diego, “happily ever after”… these two are super-close and I loved photographing their relationship. Truthfully, I think some of the images I captured of both of them together are my favorites from the whole session… but I know that my human subjects like to “approve” their photos before I post them online, so this sneak peek will be all about Rita!

Rita is extremely shy – you may not be able to tell from these photos, but she really is. She typically sticks to her mom like velcro, but we made friends during our Pre-Session Consultation… and then she warmed up to the camera even more with a few treats as persuasion! :)

After a few indoor photos, we ventured outside to Rita’s “yard” – a.k.a. UCSD’s campus! She & her parents live there, since her dad works for the university, and her walks include smelling & rolling around in the grassy quads.

Did I mention that Rita is a total sucker for treats? ;)

Laura & Dave, I had a great time with you & Rita during our session! I can’t wait to show you the rest of our photos soon!