Eden and Lily are two-year-old sisters, petite and beautiful black cats who are very outgoing. From the second I walked in, they were brushing against my legs and exploring my bags. Their shy big sister is Ebbie, a beautiful Persian girl who remained elusive for much of our session. These three elegant beauties were wonderful subjects, and it was a pleasure to see them in their element, balancing on their favorite ledges and patrolling their backyard for chipmunks and birds.
Chihuahuas Kanga & Roo are a brother and sister pair who were both born without front legs. Of course, don’t tell them they’re missing anything, as they have no idea! They are truly the best of friends – they have their own special way of playing and are always wrestling or snuggling together. Kanga is the brother, the lighter fawn boy with the giant ears. Roo is equally sweet but a little more reserved, and her ears have their own special way of flopping. Their story is such an inspiration, proof that no matter our beginnings or limitations, a full and joyful life is still within our reach.
After being rescued from a situation where they weren’t receiving the care they needed, they found their perfect forever home last year and are now three years old. Their amazing mom and dad shower them with more love and care than you could ever imagine. They’ve had wheelchairs made for Kanga and Roo, although when they’re around the house they scoot around without them just fine – they either wear little white sock-like sweaters to protect the skin on their chests and shoulders as they move around, or they play on the bed or a big cushioned play area so they can get around comfortably.
Kanga and Roo mostly scoot on their chests and use their back legs to propel them, but when they’re very excited (i.e. when treats, toys, or new people arrive!), they hop on their back legs and can actually get pretty far on those powerful back legs. Their mom and dad feed them a vitamin-rich diet to keep their joints strengthened, and they love to eat fruits and vegetables. The treat of choice for our session were tiny slices of fresh apple!
If any of you are familiar with chihuahuas, you know they’re lovable but can also be a bit finicky about who they like and don’t like (I have a chihuahua mix myself!)…that is not the case with Kanga and Roo. Even though they started out the beginning of their life confined to a bathroom, you would never know it by how social and outgoing they are. They’ve never met a stranger and they wiggle from head to toe with excitement when they anticipate affection, and are so gentle and loving. They’ll curl up on your chest or against your neck like cats when they’re all tuckered out.
I could go on all day about these two, but I’m sure you’re dying to see the photos! Meet Kanga and Roo:On their play mat:
Our own Ellie is a certified therapy dog through Therapy Dogs International, so over the years we’ve met a lot of amazing dogs. Danny, a blond terrier mix, is the one of the chapter’s newer dogs and belongs to our awesome chapter president Cindy. There is something about Danny’s wide smile and goofy ears that just gets me (of course Ellie loves him too!), so I was super-excited to be able to photograph him and meet him in his own element, along with the rest of his pack. Ruby and Hope (shih tzu and border collie mixes, respectively) are also certified through TDI, and are absolute sweethearts as well. Ruby is a mama’s girl and is always by her side. Hope also loves to be wherever the humans are, and is quite the talker. Somehow when he’s on therapy visits, though, he’s the opposite as if he knows he’s at work!
Loretta is a beautiful seven-month-old kitten who just joined the pack this month, and is getting along wonderfully with everyone, including Wanda, who was rescued as a feral kitten last year. She is gorgeous, but also very elusive so I didn’t get to see her much…Mayor and April are equally shy. They are super sweet, but just didn’t know what do to with this stranger invading their home! When they did pop out for brief appearances, though, they were quite the stars and gave the camera the cutest expressions.
To this adorable pack’s mom and dad: thank you, Cindy and Kyle, for all the hard work you put into TDI Chapter #193! Ellie and I can’t thank you enough.
Ruby is the oldest and smallest of the dogs, making her the queen bee!
Sweet girl April:
Handsome Mayor:
I love it when cats stop mid-pose for an impromptu bath…ha!
Floofalicious Wanda!
Claire Ranwell - wow – these photos are amazing. Sooooooooooooo cute!!! <3
Valerie Taylor Addington - Wow!! These pics are simply stunning!! So happy for these sweet babies!!!
Jen Lev - I love this sweet family! Thank you for EVERYTHING you continue to do for our precious babies!
Lari Hamlin - We love Kanga and Roo! What special little puppies!!!
Tara Lynn - OH MY GOSH! These two pups are just too cute! Chihuahuas are slowing growing on me, but I’d scoop these two up and steal them in a minute! Makes me cry just to see all that sweet joy on their faces! Thanks to their mom and dad for loving them and giving them such an amazing life! It kills me to hear some of the stories I do with the rescues I work with, but then these are the stories that makes us all keep on doing what we do! Such deserving animals and amazing humans! Yahoo!
Louise Stewart - Simply adorable!!!!
Sara Garrett - This is just the best. The best! Hats off to those parents – we need more like them in the world!
Samantha Nhan - Simply beautiful.
Wendy Cooper - love love love it!
Tracy Jones - Amazing. Just beautiful little friends. This made me cry tears of joy.
Therese - THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CAPTURING THE SPIRIT OF OUR BABIES!!!!!
We are so in love with Kanga & Roo, and these photos really showcase their fun-loving and sweet personalities! We truly appreciate all of the time that you spent playing with them & getting to know them. We absolutely LOVE this sneak peek and can’t wait to see more!!!!!
You are truly the BEST Leesia!!!!
~Therese & Duc =)
katie - How precious are they!!! Such fantastic photos! I know their parents will be obsessed with them.