2.23.12

Dash: 2 years

Many of you probably remember Dash from his previous two Puppy Package sessions – this handsome boy always shows off so much for the camera that his photos have ended up on the cover of Tails Magazine and in the Friends to the Forlorn and Unexpected Pit Bull calendars! His first session was at four months old, and his second at 11 months. We were planning on scheduling his third session around 18 months, but his mom and dad had a feeling he wasn’t finished filling out.

And they were right – he’s now two years old and I could not believe how big he’d gotten when I saw him again. He has the endearingly huge pibble head now, and is now bigger than both his sisters. He’s still sweet as ever, though – even when he was a puppy his number one priority was getting as much affection and attention as he could. Dash still loves to play, but he is quite the lazy couch potato and is very easily tuckered out.

It was so fun watching you grow up, Dash! Liz and Matt – thank you for allowing me this honor. 🙂

We couldn’t help but sneak in a few of his sisters, Ciel and Sunny:

The classic Dash pose: the upside-down dog!

Filed in:Dogs | Sneak Peeks
comment
email a friend
May 4, 2012 - 1:14 pm

Joyce - Beautiful pictures of a beautiful dog.

May 4, 2012 - 11:58 am

elle - SO sweet!!!!

May 4, 2012 - 11:28 am

Kaylynne Karoly - Beautiful pics of a beautiful boy! My arms ache to get a Pit as soon as I have the proper home and environment. Snuggling with you Pit is so wonderful, so warm, that unique scent and that satiny almost slick coat with the feel of firm muscle…..then the unexpected loving lick and trusting gaze from those eyes that seem to see forever.

Thank you very much!

February 25, 2012 - 4:08 pm

SusieMae - Could they be any cuter?! Beautiful photos!

February 24, 2012 - 9:39 am

Matt - Another fantastic job Leesia! You have such an amazing gift for capturing our dogs’ personalities.

February 23, 2012 - 7:56 pm

illona - what a lovely boy … lucky you to have him in front of your lenses. that last shot is my absolute fave.

February 23, 2012 - 3:21 pm

Liz - The ones with the opposing head tilt stares – love those!! The ones on the couch are gorgeous too – he looks like such the model! 🙂

February 23, 2012 - 3:10 pm

Liz - These are so beautiful! As always 🙂 Thank YOU for taking such wonderful pictures to chronicle our little boy’s life.

2.15.12

Gypsy Rose

Gypsy Rose is a 12-year-old Yorkshire Terrier and probably the tiniest one I have met so far – less than five pounds. She was so quiet when I first walked in that I didn’t even know where she was. As soon as she saw she had a visitor, she turned into a bundle of wiggles! She followed her mom diligently around the house, reminding me of the sweet Edith Wharton quote, “My little dog – a heartbeat at my feet.”

She only barked when she wanted to play, and she has two favorite toys: her pink elephant Dumbo and a little reindeer named Rudy. She tosses them up in the air to play catch with herself and loves to fetch – a rarity in such tiny dogs! I had a wonderful time getting to know Gypsy, and she took to the camera immediately, full of curiosity:

Filed in:Dogs | Sneak Peeks
comment
email a friend
February 18, 2012 - 10:38 pm

Crystal - I love these and her name, Gypsy Rose, is perfect!

February 15, 2012 - 11:41 pm

Joni - I LOVE the photo where she is kissing her mom.

February 15, 2012 - 10:55 pm

admin - Thanks for the comments! Anna – I hope you enjoy perusing the site! 🙂

February 15, 2012 - 8:04 pm

Anna Bettina - Just stumbled across your work..simply stunning! The emotion captured in these photos is palpable! I look forward to seeing more of it as I browse your site!

February 15, 2012 - 2:24 pm

Julie - Oh my gosh, she is just adorable! Nice work!

February 15, 2012 - 11:38 am

Beth - This is a great session, she’s a cutie! My yorkie lived to be seventeen years old, and was one of the greatest loves of my life.

2.10.12

Cassie

Cassie is a beautiful 12-year-old Belgian Sheepdog who has been there for her mom through thick and thin since she was three months old. She is quite the social butterfly – she gets to go to Barking Hound Village every day for daycare and loves to play. She loves ripping the stuffing out of all her toys and sitting on the couch with her mom, nudging her for ear scratches.

When she first arrived as a puppy, no one could figure out why she wasn’t learning in obedience class when this breed is known for their intelligence. But as soon as her mom realized she was deaf, she started using hand signals and she learned amazingly quickly – Cassie knows more commands than most dogs that do have their hearing! As a result, she is incredibly attentive and completely in-tune to every move her mom makes. And because Cassie’s mom didn’t use a trainer and instead created her own hand signals, these two have a unique language that is just between them.

Usually to get an image of a dog running toward the camera, we use toys and play fetch…but this was captured as Cassie ran toward her mom. ♥

She has definitely mastered the classic “please give me that thing in your hand that may or may not be a treat” look:

She also loves to play hide-and-seek in the backyard with her mom – this is one her favorite hideouts:

Filed in:Dogs | Sneak Peeks
comment
email a friend
April 18, 2012 - 4:37 pm

Jill Sherer - What a beautiful set of pictures. They really do capture Cassie’s essence. What a treasure you have in these photos!

February 15, 2012 - 10:57 pm

admin - Steve – as far as I know, deafness is not common for this breed. And I agree, every time I meet a deaf dog it is astounding to see how responsive they are to hand signals and how incredibly well they adapt.

February 11, 2012 - 7:53 pm

Janet - I personally know Cassie and her Mom. These pictures have absolutely captured Cassie’s essence. She is one of the most superior dogs I have ever met. God bless!

February 11, 2012 - 8:00 am

LeeAnn - Beautiful pictures. The ones with Cassie and her mama brought tears to my eyes this morning – you can feel the affection!

February 11, 2012 - 1:29 am

Steve Moore - Awesome Leesia! is this common for this breed? I just photographed a 12 yr old English Setter for breed project with con-genitive deafness….owner was saying it gets about 10% of ESetters. It definitely made the shoot a bit more difficult, didnt realize how much I rely on noise, kept whistling at the dog …..old habits die hard! Owner was also using hand commands – amazing! Anyhow, as usual beautiful composition and pastel color pallets – love it

February 10, 2012 - 8:50 pm

admin - Thank you so much for your kind comments – they totally made my day! Liz, I’m so glad you like these and look forward to sharing the full gallery soon. 🙂

February 10, 2012 - 7:46 pm

Scott - I have the extreme pleasure of knowing Cassie personally and every time I look at these pictures I tear up. The other comment said it all, they SO capture her spirit and you can FEEL the love she has for her mom through the photos. Only true dog lovers know that feeling. GREAT JOB LEESIA!

February 10, 2012 - 5:42 pm

Liz - Here are some comments I received from another Belgian owner after I shared this link:

I have to say I was not only impressed with the photographer’s ability to get all the technical aspects right in photographing a black dog, I couldn’t believe how well she also captured Cassie’s spirit . That’s not such an easy thing to accomplish, as it’s something Belgians tend to show to their loved ones alone. Sure wish the photographer wasn’t located so far away from where I live, I’d hire her in a heartbeat!

February 10, 2012 - 1:03 pm

Deb - These are priceless!

February 10, 2012 - 12:06 pm

Joyce Ann - <3 just so much love in that sweet face! 🙂