We are their whole life

If you have followed me over the years, you know we have a multidog home. Designer dogs, Recue mutt dog, and a Rare Breed - Pure Bred. Sela is the pure bred and she is most definitely rare. She has kept us on our toes and she has taught me so much about K9 personality and behavior.

She is a breed that is definitely not for everyone. She either likes you or she doesn't. She protects her family, even from the UPS truck. She adores her people. (especially her DooDad). Sela was an amazing & gentle girl with my elderly Mom.

Sela is now 10 years old. The past 2 months we have been on a roller coaster ride with Sela. She has a host of pre-existing conditions and now pancreatitis. She has an amazing health care team and Sela loves them. But, we are now waiting on additional test and diagnosis.

She was feeling good on Sunday and I took Sela to the studio for portraits. I know the value of portraits! I know that someday, photos are all we will have left. She did great during her session. But later the day, she tanked. She has spent a couple of days in the doggy hospital and is now at home, but fragile. We are waiting on test results and diagnosis to know what our next steps are. (Pray for us)

I wasn't going to share this on my business page. As pet owners we go through many ups and downs. It does not matter the breed of dog (mutt or purebred), at some point we all age and health issues creep in. (For our K9s and for us humans).

But I wanted to share this with you while we are going through this, because of pet photography. I take tons of photos of my dogs. Cell phone shots and studio shots. I was looking back at Sela's photos over her lifetime. She is 10 and oh my goodness, 10 years have flown by. It seems like we just got her!

None of us know exactly how long our pets will live or if they will out live us. But, enjoy them every single day. Document their lives through photography.

Cell phone shots and digitals are all awesome. I have always required clients to purchase prints. Because I know the value of those prints. (not the cost...the value!) My husband and I have lost three special dogs (Rocko, Daisy & Ziggy). I have their lives in photos. Not only in digital but in prints. Hanging on our walls and even on the studio fridge! They are always with us in photographs.

One of my clients recently lost her dog before we could get photographs made. It was heartbreaking for her. All her cell phone shots were low res and did not print good. Please don't wait! Especially when our pets are aging. I have never had a client or myself say - "I regret having those photos and prints made" You will never say that! You will be saying, "I am so glad I have these prints and canvas on our walls."

You don't know the value of a photograph, until all you have left are photos.

#alwaystakepictures #dogslivesaretooshort

Dogs are a big part of our life, but to them, we are their whole life.