6.30.14

Sassy, Twinkle, Mia & Koko

These four are the other half of a pack you met last year – we had to do two sessions to make sure everyone got their fair share of time in the spotlight! Sassy is a 15-year-old Bichon Frise who was the very first dog of the family, and Koko was first (and only!) cat of the family, an orange tabby who is now 14 years old. Lydia and her mom rescued them when Lydia was just five years old; they grew up together and now Lydia is headed off to college this fall!

Twinkle is almost five years old, a Chihuahua/Miniature Pinscher mix from Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption, and he only has eyes for Lydia’s mom. He always has to be in her lap or by her side if she’s sleeping. And his ears!! I think in his spare time he might be listening to radio stations from other galaxies. :p

Mia is the newest addition to the family, an 18-week-old Australian Cattle Dog/Beagle mix just adopted from the Atlanta Humane Society. She’s fitting in perfectly with her new family and is ridiculously adorable with her puppy run and gangly legs. Needless to say, I had a fantastic time with these four star models!

Sassy’s begging-for-treats face – how could you say no to those big eyes?!

Filed in:Cats | Dogs | Sneak Peeks
6.23.14

Sleepy kitties!

I don’t usually post personal images here on the blog since I like to keep the focus on clients and don’t want to get carried away with too many pictures of my own crew, but I am having so much fun with my latest foster kittens I couldn’t resist! I was archiving images and found SO MANY pictures of them I had to share just a few. So – fair warning – this is going to be serious kitten overload! (I feel like one of my clients trying to whittle down my favorite images from a gallery, lol!)

The orange tabby is Kennex, the orange and white is Dorian, and their calico sister is Valerie. (Extra points to you if you know those names from a canceled-too-early tv show!) They came to me only three days old, about three ounces each, with their ears tucked and their eyes closed. They took to the bottle feeding well and are now nearly two pounds at seven weeks old, and they’ll be available for adoption very soon through Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption.

I love every kitten (and dog!) foster who comes through my home, but when I get them so tiny, there’s always a little extra bit of obsession on my part as I get to keep them for longer and see them go through so many stages of growth. But I will be so happy to see them find forever homes soon and then be able to take in another group that needs me!

Here they are when they first arrived, then at about four weeks old:

Then around six weeks old: These next few with my legs in the background were part of a fun impromptu exercise when they fell asleep on me – how many different images can I create if I only have one lens, and can’t move my subjects or the lower half of my body?!

Dorian’s expression here cracks me up! “Really? More photos?”

(Don’t worry, they never play in the blinds unattended!)

When they fell into the deepest part of their slumber, I was able to shift them off my lap and get some cute sleeping photos. Kennex is the most energetic of the bunch, so he let me snap one quick photo of them all snuggling together before he woke up, but Valerie showed off some of her best sleeping poses.

Typical Kennex! If he’s awake and no one else is, he runs around trying to get everyone riled up again so he can have a playmate again!

Filed in:Misc | Our Kiddos
6.18.14

Ellijay & Knuckles

Ellijay and Knuckles are a pair of handsome and very laid-back brothers who were rescued a few months apart from each other when they were just puppies. Knuckles, the blond terrier mix, was found in a rental home after the tenants moved out and abandoned him there at only three months old. After adopting him into their family, his mom wanted to add a second dog, but her husband thought one was enough. They were actually arguing over this very issue as they were driving back from a trip to Ellijay, but just as her husband was declaring “No more dogs!”, he had to slam on his brakes because in the middle of the road sat a tiny, fluffy brown ball of fur that looked like a baby bear.

Of course they were wise enough to accept that the universe was telling them something. 🙂 They took in the little guy, with a cut on his head and a broken rib, and named him Ellijay. He was terrified of people and it took him months to settle in – but with Knuckles it was love at first lick. When they met they immediately bonded and have been inseparable ever since. Knuckles showed his little brother how to love and trust his new family, and ever since then they have been living the life. Now, after a decade of trips to the lake and mountains, Knuckles is twelve and Ellijay is eleven. Ellijay was just diagnosed with cancer on his leg and will be undergoing treatment soon.

Knuckles is very attentive to his brother’s needs and doesn’t leave his side. He is quite the stoic, serious gentleman, but it’s still easy to see how much he loves his brother. Without knowing Ellijay’s history, you would never know he had been skittish and fearful at the beginning. Nothing phases him now – not even a stranger with a camera and a big silver reflectors! He is a loving, trusting, beautiful boy who has such a unique look. We think he’s part Golden Retriever and part Chesapeake Bay Retriever, the latter for the texture and color of his fur. To me he looks like a chocolate Golden Retriever, if ever there was one!

Please send lots of love and positive thoughts to Ellijay’s family as he begins treatment. We’re pulling for you, sweet boy!

Ellijay was so determined not to miss anything during our session that he started to doze off while sitting up!

Filed in:Dogs | Sneak Peeks
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June 25, 2014 - 3:28 pm

Beth | Daily Dog Tag - They are indeed handsome! Sending good thoughts to Ellijay that he has a fast and complete recovery!

June 19, 2014 - 2:51 am

Adriana (mom) - Thank you so very much for the beautiful photographs!!! They could not have come at a better time, Ellijay had his surgery yesterday and is finally home w us, it will be a long recovery process but we look forward to seeing him smiling again like in the photos. Thank you and can’t wait to see the rest of them!

June 18, 2014 - 10:58 pm

Auntie Erin - I fell in love with Knuckles and Elijay from the moment I met them! They are the sweetest boys and I love every momen when I get to take trips with them and watch them over the weekend. Elijay, you are a rockstar and I am so proud of you for being so brave! I will see you this weekend! ♥♥♥♥