I was so thrilled to meet Echo & Hooligan, two Irish Wolfhounds, for their photo session recently! These gentle giants are absolutely gorgeous dogs, and I have to be honest – I loved learning more about their breed from their mom, Karen! Irish Wolfhounds are an incredible, sweet breed with a long history, and as Karen has learned, when you walk around with two huge shaggy dogs, you start to become a breed ambassador for all the curious people you meet! They make quite an impression on their walks & outings, as you can probably imagine. (And trust me, if you & I have anything in common, you would stop everything you’re doing to meet these dogs if you saw them out & about!) So I was honored to be in their presence for a whole hour, haha – and we had a wonderful photo session together!

This is Hooligan, a five-year-old rescue – and this boy definitely has a mind of his own, haha! I really loved seeing his independent personality come through in the images.

And this is Echo! She’s about 1.5 years old, much younger than Hooligan – but her obedience & behavior are spectacular! She works closely with her mom in various competitions, and is amazingly responsive to her every move. (While still having a mind of her own, too, of course! That trait is pretty unanimous amongst Irish Wolfhounds!)

Oh these two. What a gorgeous pair.

Karen, thank you for introducing me to your two furry grandkids – and for the breed education along the way! I’m looking forward to seeing you again soon! :)

Oh my goodness, this little pup… she packs a lot of personality into a tiny little body! :)  Penny is a rat terrier, and if you’ve ever met one of these adorable dogs, you know how easy they are to love. Penny is no exception: she’s a total sweetheart, maybe a bit shy at first, and cautious of new things, but absolutely devoted to her mom, her toys, and to hunting small animals! Haha – Penny has the most adorable hobbies! But perhaps what I adore the most about this girl is the way she plays with her toys: she chews and tugs on them, just like most dogs, but then she throws them up in the air! She tosses them to herself! It’s amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dog play with toys the way Penny does… it’s like self-contained fetch! And it’s soooo cute! Her mom, Katie, mentioned that she sometimes feels like Penny would like a brother or sister… but then, watching her play with herself, she realizes that Penny doesn’t need another dog to keep her entertained! So she gets her socialization at the dog park, and that means she gets her mom allllll to herself at home! Haha! :)

We started our photo session in the studio, where the backdrops were an interesting new challenge for Penny to overcome.

Luckily, with a bit of distraction from some new favorite toys, Penny made herself right as home!

Then we headed outside to the park, where Penny kept strict watch for any small critters that might dare to show their face…

… but then we went to the BEACH! Where we saw BIRDS! And Penny turned on her rocket boosters!!

Thank you, Katie, for a super-fun afternoon! I can’t wait to show you the rest of our images – especially the ones with you & Penny together! :)

Seeing my past clients brightens my day, every time it happens! I love the families I get to work with on a daily basis, and I’m so lucky to call so many of them my friends now… running into them around town and at local events is so much fun. But when I get to see them again specifically for another photo session?! Oh my gosh, that’s icing on the cake!! So I was thrilled to book another photo session for the handsome Aberdeen, the CCI service dog! (Regular blog readers might remember his two sneak peeks from earlier this year, here and here!) This labrador/golden retriever pup is not only handsome, but absolutely devoted to his mom Patty – which I just can’t get enough of capturing. Their relationship is so beautiful – he’s there for her at every turn, always watchful and attentive… and yet his personality is so silly & goofy! I got to see both sides of Aberdeen during our studio photo session, during which he posed like a pro and somehow kept me laughing the entire time! Seriously, I could work with this dog every day and not get tired of it… his happiness is that infectious! :)

Here he is (in his favorite pose – relaxing!) on the white backdrop. He has a few more gray hairs than last time, and I think the white really brings them out! They’re a “distinguished gray”!

No photo session is complete without TREATS!

And lastly, Aberdeen wanted to bring out his formal attire on the gray backdrop! Eeeeek! Doesn’t he look soooo handsome?!

Patty, Aberdeen is one of those dogs that I just can’t get enough of! It was so great to see both of you again! Can’t wait to get together again soon! :)