Don't Wait: Why Your Dog Deserves Professional Photos Now
Recently, a client and friend called and asked could I come photograph her German Shepherd—not next week as we had scheduled, but right now. He would be euthanized later that day.
I dropped everything and rushed over.
It wasn't supposed to happen like that. She had booked the following week to celebrate his 13th birthday with fun portraits—balloons, a doggie cake, plenty of treats and toys. But the poor guy just couldn't hang on, and it was time. So instead, I photographed him in his last few hours on this earth, his end-of-life session when we should have been celebrating his birthday.
I wish she had more. More photos of him as a pup, or running and playing in his prime. As I drove home, the tears came—full-on ugly cries.
You Don't Need to Wait
You don't need to wait until your pup is reaching the end of their life, trained, or well-behaved to have a photo session. What if your young dog gets an unexpected diagnosis? What if you think you still have plenty of time with them, like my friend did, but it turns out you don't? Does it help if they're trained? Of course, but with my years of experience, lots of tricks up my sleeve, and five crazy dogs of my own, I got you! Never mind the fact that I also photograph toddlers, so I'm used to chaos, lol!
The Ideal Timeline
Ideally, your best friend should have three sessions in their lifetime: as a puppy, middle-aged, and as a senior.
What would make it even more special is if you were in it with them.
My Biggest Regret
One of my biggest regrets is never taking the time to do portraits of myself and my soul/heart dog. Being a photographer, I thought I had plenty of time, but she got sick at the age of 13, almost 14, and just a few weeks later I lost her. I was too busy running back and forth to vet appointments 3-4 days a week, making her comfortable, and just the sheer sadness of knowing she wouldn't be with me anymore was overwhelming. When she died, a part of me died that day too. She was with me through some of the darkest and happiest times in my entire life and went with me everywhere until April 2019.
And yes, I still miss her. Every. Single. Day.
Don't Wait Until It's Too Late
Time with our dogs is precious and way too short. Don't make the same mistake I did, my friend did, and so many others do, and assume you'll always have time. There is no perfect time, no perfect season, only perfect dogs. He won't be a puppy forever, she won't be young and healthy forever, and when they're gone I don't want you to have the same regrets that I do. Book a session now, while they're still vibrant, tail-wagging, kiss-stealing, and do-anything-for-treats goofballs. Trust me, you'll never regret having their portraits made—you'll want to remember all of it! Their story deserves to be told, your bond deserves to be remembered, and you deserve to have these memories forever.
