Jul 26, 2015
If you read my art blog posts, you know that I recently wrote all about finding both the bitter AND the sweet in every situation. The bitter truth is that Darcy had to say goodbye to her old girl, Ruffles AKA The Queen, and then, quite suddenly, a rare genetic disease took Spike away too, leaving two holes in her heart.
It’s obvious there is always room in Darcy’s heart for more love, but when Ruffles and Spike passed away they left her with more room in her home too. Darcy invited me over to meet her two newbies, Baron and Daisy. Two more dogs have been rescued, and that’s the sweet part that runs alongside the bitter pain of loss.
Congrats on your new bundles of fur, Darcy, they are lucky to have you, as were Ruffles and Spike <3 I hope you enjoy your sneak peek.
Left: Baron being a perfect gentleman – he acts far older than his mere 18 months! Right: Daisy being an adorable goof!
Left: Holly Right: Pooh bear – It was so nice to finally get a new background behind these pups – two separate snow storms swept through the day before both of our previous sessions!
Left: Daisy relaxing after a romp around the yard with the community ball. Right: Rocky caught mid-kiss, he’s so silly!
Left: Ruffles Right: Spike RIP sweet angels <3
Jun 24, 2015
The sky was threatening as I drove towards Alice and Fred’s home a couple of weeks ago. Every turn I made seemed to point me towards even darker clouds, and I hoped that a sudden downpour wouldn’t cut our photo session short. Although overcast skies are always welcome on photo session days, there’s always a chance the weather will turn ugly with little notice.
I was greeted with happy faces, wagging tails, and knowledgable noses that sought the chopped hot dogs I carried on my hip. Maddie, Lexie, and Allie were just as thrilled to see me as I was to meet them. Gotta love the simplicity of a dog’s happiness!
Once I had my hands buried in soft, golden retriever fur, I totally forgot about the weather. Luckily, not a single drop of rain fell, and we had my favorite kind of outdoor light: steady and soft.
Here is a sneak peek of some of my favorite photos from the day:
Every family has at least one photobomber. Thank you Allie, for this adorable shot!
Left: Lexie Right: Maddie These two girls are sisters, twins, as Fred called them.
Here’s a better look at Allie’s adorable face. She’s the spunky youngin in the trio.
Feb 8, 2015
I barely had my toe in the door before Luna attacked me with puppy hugs and kisses. If she could talk, I’m sure she’d have been saying, “Ohmygod, ohmygod, YOU’RE HERE! I don’t really know you, but YOU’RE FINALLY HERE!”
Luna Strikes the pose, indoors and out!
This is why I love dogs. It’s the unfiltered joy they show, and their ability to fully love a complete stranger just because they’re there. It’s a contagious kind of happiness that makes it impossible not to smile.
Luna running with her newly captured squeaky as her proud Mom looks on.
After our long hello, we headed out to play in the fresh snow. Luna Romped around, chasing her new squeaky toy, and catching the snowballs I threw into the air. Then we headed indoors for a few studio style shots.
Luna, I think this is when she started tuckering out.
Her energy may have seemed endless, but she was quick to tire out. In fact, here’s some photo proof from her Mom, taken about an hour after I left.
A snapshot 1 hour after our photo session, courtesy of Mom, this is one pooped pup!
I thought you’d like that! Hey dog modeling is not easy… the sitting, the staying, the excitement, and with all those extra treats it’s like doggie Thanksgiving; the food coma is inevitable.
As a side note, Luna’s Mom has the funniest potty-training device I’ve ever seen. It’s actually a toy meant to train human babies to learn the alphabet, but it works well for Luna too, and will most likely send any visitors into a giggle fit.
You may have heard of hanging bells on your doorknob to show your dog how to make some noise when they need to go out, well this is a new take on that. The electronic toy hangs on the door, pre-loaded with the “P” block, and when Luna nose-pokes the block the toy says “Pee, Pee!”
I think I might have to head on over to Toys R Us… I’ll catch you all later!
Dec 3, 2014 |
He was wide-eyed, his mouth opened a tad more than necessary to express his disbelief, and I was thinking if there was a strait jacket nearby, he would gladly wrap me up in it and deliver me to the nearest asylum. He was the new manager at my friend’s condo development and he was trying to sell me on a lease.
“Sorry, I couldn’t move here,” I said, “you don’t allow pets.”
“Oh, well we’re going to be changing that policy soon,” he replied with a big smile, “what kind of pet do you have?”
“Two cats, a bird, and a dog.” I said, and that’s when I got the ‘ooo-kkkkay crazy lady’ look and that was the end of that conversation.
If you have 3 or more pets I’m sure someone has given you that look before. It’s the same look I give people when they tell me they have 3 or more kids, ha ha, we all judge based on our own level of tolerance.
I can’t imagine how many times Darcy has gotten this look, even I was guilty of the same shock when she booked her first photo session with me last year. Now, I have to publicly apologize because this lady takes better care of her furbabies than most people do of their 2-legged children!
Walking into Darcy’s immaculate house sends a different kind of shock pulsing through me; I am a total friggin’ slob, I think, there are 3x as many pets here but I could eat off of this floor!
Ruffles was the star of our photo session. Just look at the smile on her face as she looks up at her mommy – it’s beyond obvious that she adores Darcy. At 11 years old she still has the energy to run across the ginormous yard at top speed.
Left: Ruffles with a big ole smile Right: Ruffles running to her favorite person
Holly the ham never frowns at my camera, she always gives me that happy grin… I’m sure the treats don’t hurt though!
Holly hamming it up for the camera.
Candy and Spike, the shepherd siblings, are always face-first in the snow. These two really crack me up! While Candy is busy circling trees, Spike is bouncing around the yard like a jackrabbit. Until you throw Spike’s “baby,” then it’s a race through the snow and an invitation to play.
Left: Candy poses with Darcy Right: Spike stops his snow sniffing for a cookie
Pooh Bear is Darcy’s constant companion – wherever she is, he better be able to follow! Even if the snow is taller than he is, he. will. make it.
Last, but certainly not least, is Rocky. He’s the handsome shorty with all the muscles. This boy has a mouth like a manatee; you wouldn’t even know he has teeth when you give him a treat. Squeezing those cheeks again is high on my list of priorities!
Left: Rocky patiently waiting for his next cookie Right: Pooh Bear treks through snow taller than him
(Oh and P.S. all of these dogs are rescued, even the “purebreds.” So I don’t want to hear any more excuses about why you bought your pet, k? Darcy, you are my hero.)
Nov 12, 2014 |
When I first arrived at Danielle and Joe’s house for our doggie photo session, Moose greeted me just like they told me he would. With a full-body wiggle propelled by his tail, Moose trotted back and forth from the front door to the bottom of the steps just outside the entryway. When he disappeared down the steps again, I peeked around the corner and there he was, with a loafer in his mouth, proudly standing over a small pile of shoes. “Hi new hoooman,” his goofy grin said, “look what I made for you!”
Left: Moose with a big smile Right: Sadie striking the pose
Moose’s little sister, Sadie, was adopted about a year and a half ago after about 5 years of rehabilitation in a foster home. She is more on the cautious side with strangers, and she is especially wary of men. In fact, it was only a few months ago that she finally warmed up enough to her new Daddy that she was comfortable enough to give him a bit of couch cuddling. “This was a big event in our house,” Danielle said, “and a very happy one!”
That’s why we were all surprised when Sadie came over and greeted me before the bribery cookies even came out of the jar. She made me feel like a very special girl in that moment. I’m a sap for any and all rescue stories and Sadie sure has made it into the happily-ever-after category.
Moose is proud of his family
It was the perfect fall day: crisp and cool with the sun poking in and out. Moose and Sadie chased balls around the yard and eagerly awaited the inevitable shower of treats their parents held nearby. The treats were well-deserved rewards for being such good pups on photo day.
Nov 3, 2013
I met Aimee Cunningham at Pets Alive last year when I first started photographing the adoptable dogs. She brought Lexi to the 1st Annual Tail Wagger Dog Walk, and when they stopped by my booth for photos I could tell they were totally in love with each other. I think this photo speaks on my behalf =)
I also had the wonderful opportunity to photograph both Lexi, and her brother Ivan some months later. I’m particularly drawn to pit bull rescues, simply because they always seem to be overpopulating the “urgent” lists, and Lexi is the perfect ambassador for her breed. So, naturally, I’m just thrilled that Aimee agreed to share her story with us!
Aimee writes:
I began volunteering at Pets Alive in November 2010, basically to fill my need to love and get love from dogs. My husband is in the K9 unit for our city’s police department and while our K9, Ivan, is a wonderful, protective and very obedient dog, he is not a cuddly, snuggly dog so I decided to volunteer in order to get that loving and cuddling.
I had no intention of adopting. But it didn’t take long for me to want to bring another dog into our lives and home. I love Pets Alive, but every weekend when I would go and walk dogs and then leave, a little piece of my heart would break. So a few months later, we made the decision that we would adopt.
I was still getting to know the dogs there and wasn’t sure what dog would be a good fit for our family so I asked one of the more seasoned volunteers if she had any suggestions. She immediately said “Snoopy.” I knew who Snoopy was but never really interacted with her because at Pets Alive she was paired up with Bonesy, a dog who had some trust issues and was weary of strangers, so it didn’t make it easy to interact with Snoopy. Despite that when I would go to Pets Alive, I would have one of the staff get Snoopy out for me so I could spend time with her. I would go out there late nights to do the same.
Finally one weekend I had my husband come with me to meet her and his impression was that “she’s a pretty cool dog.” We decided to do an intro with Ivan the following weekend. It went ok, but not as good as I had hoped. Snoopy seemed scared, Ivan seemed grouchy, and I was upset.
My husband told me, “it will take some time, this doesn’t happen overnight.” So for the next 4 to 5 weekends we brought Ivan and spent time with Snoopy. Finally the staff joked with me “WHAT is it going to take for you to take her overnight???” So we did.
I went and picked Snoopy up on a Thursday for an overnight. The first few minutes at home were nerve racking for me but the dogs did well together. We all had a great night. I was getting ready to bring her back the next day when my husband said “What do we have to do to keep her overnight again?”
I made a phone call to Pets Alive and they told me sure keep her one more night. The second night was way better than the first and the next question I got was, “Soooo what do we have to do to just adopt this dog?” So I made another phone call and later that Saturday brought Snoopy back to Pets Alive to make her adoption official. I always joke she’s the dog we brought home for a night and never brought back!
The past 2 1/2 years with Snoopy, now renamed Lexi, have been spectacular. She has taught us ALL about unconditional love, how to enjoy life and how to be yourself. She was originally rescued from Pets Alive from a hoarder in West Virginia where she lived tied to a chain outside with no bed and food literally thrown on the ground. When I think about the life she had it makes me so sad, but when I think about the life she now has it makes me so happy.
The staff and volunteers at Pets Alive were nothing short of amazing helping to shape Lexi into the dog she is today and with their patience and understanding of us while we were trying things out. It may sound silly to say but other dog lovers will understand, I can’t imagine my life without this dog in it.
As a side note, after we adopted Lexi, I became “friends” with her former roommate Bonesy, we ended up having a wonderful bond.
You can find out more about the wonderful organization that brought Aimee and Lexi together on the Pets Alive website and don’t forget to like Pets Alive on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
If you have a rescue story you’d like to share as a guest on my blog please email your story to BekahAura@gmail.com for consideration.
Oct 18, 2013
I’m super excited to be doing Halloween photos for Pets Alive West this year! Join us with your dogs on Oct. 26th to get a fun photo of your dog and support a terrific cause. Gracie Lou (my stunning model) and I had a fun pre-halloween photo session and we thought you would like to see what we have in store for you this howl-o-ween.
You can come anytime between 12pm and 4pm on October 26th to get your dog’s photos taken. A small donation of $10 will get you 1 high resolution digital file, $18 will get you 2, or get the most bang for your buck and donate $25 to get 3 fun photos! You will be able to print your photos and share online, and Pets Alive will be able to help more animals– it’s a win-win if you ask me!
Get directions to Pets Alive West in Elmsford, NY. I hope to see you and your pets there!
Aug 16, 2013 |
I didn’t really plan to do my caption contest for so long, but here I am a year (and one month!) later with 13 silly and cute animal photos made even sillier and cuter by your awesome captions!
I figured you would get a kick out of seeing these again and I wanted to share some of the stories behind my pet photography. Kitties, and doggies, and birdies oh my!
This is my cat George. He loves all things shiny, but he is particularly attracted to bottle caps. Whenever he hears the hiss of a freshly opened bottle he comes running, and you better throw that bottle cap so he can chase it. Then he will grab it, carry it right into the bathroom, into the tub, and proceed to bat that thing around until his paws get tired. I call it kitty air hockey. Anyway, I caught him in the tub one day and got this photo.
This is Amiga, a Blue and Gold Macaw at Wilton Parrot Rescue. This was the first day I started volunteering my photography to animal rescues. The founder of Wilton Parrot, Liz, was telling me how Amiga had this really silly habit of scratching her head. “I wish she would do it,” Liz said as she walked away. Not 5 minutes later Amiga was doing it! She was quite an animated character and I’m happy to report that she has just recently been adopted! Go Amiga!!!
I was taking some before and after photos Shay’s beautiful work at Flawless Paws Grooming salon. Gizmo had just been beautified and Shay asked me if I wouldn’t mind trying to capture her Great Dane next to the little Pekingese. Well it didn’t end up being a best friends type of portrait, but Gizmo sure did show this boy who’s boss haha!
This is Caesar, one of the first few dogs I photographed at Pets Alive in Middletown. He was the only one I could get to even look at this ball. Who would have thought he would be giving it the nah-nah nah-nah tongue? He really made me laugh. Caesar has long since found his forever home =).
Tracey, a wonderful volunteer at Pets Alive in Middletown, brought her foster puppies to the facility for the first time ever to show them off to potential adopters. This is Randy, one of six pibble puppies. I tried to wake him up, believe me! Finally I gave up, and Anna, one of Pets Alive’s youngest volunteers, decided the toy would make a cute prop and popped it in between his paws. I’ll have to hire her as a my stylist when she’s all grown up!
Rajah is one of the most tolerant cats I’ve ever met. I got several santa hat shots of this boy, but this was the best choice for a square crop. I tried to dress up my cats, George and Callie, with this hat and an elf hat and they were just not having it! Yes he is definitely glaring at me in this photo… I’m pretty sure I woke him up :-O
Treats are my main source of attention grabbing for dogs, but sometimes a treat turns into a prop and a tool for getting silly shots of cross-eyed German Shepherd puppies. Kodiak had had enough sitting and staying in his little ADD, 4-month old body and he was ready to get the reward he so rightfully deserved. NOM!
These are my 3 all time favorite birds from Wilton Parrot Rescue. They were around the first time I visited the rescue, and they were adopted soon after. Then, a few months later, they were returned. I couldn’t believe it, I don’t even remember the reason, but I remember feeling so lucky that I would get to hang with them again! From left to right this is Baby, Applejack, and Petrie, the friendliest trio of parrots I ever had the opportunity to meet. In fact, they were so friendly that I had to constantly stop to pick them up and catch them because they kept flying to me when I would back away. Of course they found a home before I got a chance to return.
Kuna, now known as June in her wonderful forever home, was being an awesome Valentine’s Day model the day I photographed this. She was posing with hearts, X’s and O’s, and little pink pillows with lovey dovey phrases embroidered on them. She had had enough probably 20 shots before I caught her yawning on camera. I can’t help it, I just want to capture every moment I can with my foster babies. This caption was a perfect match for this photo.
Shadow was my 1st foster kitten. He was with us for about 6 weeks, and he was one of the hardest fosters to let go of. It’s just so different when you know your foster is going into a great home; in Shadow’s case he didn’t get adopted while I had him, so once he was big enough to be neutered, back to the shelter he went. I don’t know for sure how long it took for him to get adopted, but I do know that kittens go fast. This little munchkin was literally my shadow. He would climb up my jeans just to be closer to me, crawl into my lap, and take a nap. He was my baby :*)
I have no idea what this boy’s name is, but I do remember that every time he was in the ring at Stockade Agility he was barking his head off at his dad. He sure did run like the wind though! This was a true outtake that I didn’t see until much later, when I was processing images. This was the caption that made me laugh the most this year, so thanks Debbie!
Little Munchie was hanging with his mom at Benmarl Winery during Woof N Wine this past April. He was such a well behaved little guy. Thanks for posing for me Munchie!
Riley was on a walk with one of the volunteers at Pets Alive West the first day I was there. There were so many volunteers walking dogs that day that I hopped from dog to dog the whole time I was there. This big fluffy teddy bear is still up for adoption, if you want to find out more or fill out an adoption application you can do it on his Petfinder Profile. (UPDATE – Riley was adopted!!!)
May 12, 2013
I started fostering Gracie a month ago, and she is just wonderful! She is a master at basic obedience and knows sit, stay, down, shake, leave it, and off. She has great house manners – she’s totally housebroken and doesn’t chew on anything but her own toys. Gracie loves to snuggle and play catch too. I can’t take credit for even half of her training though. Jennifer, her first foster mommy, was the one who pulled Gracie from a shelter at four months old and taught her everything she knows!
Her name really is perfect for her too, even when she gets a case of the zoomies Gracie’s pretty darn graceful about it, doing perfect 180s on the carpet without banging into any walls or nearby furniture. I’m serious, I actually enjoy watching her run around on the rare occasion that she feels the urge – it’s pure entertainment!
Gracie does, however, have anxiety when around unfamiliar dogs and some strangers. She is wonderful on a leash and knows heel, but sometimes her anxiety still gets the best of her. We are working on it every day. She has lived with other dogs – was best buds with her foster brother Andre – and is now living with our two cats. Gracie just needs a little more time to acclimate to her new fur friends.
If you have any questions about Gracie feel free to ask them here or get in touch with me privately at BekahAura (at) gmail (dot) com. If you would like to adopt her please get in touch with Karuna Bully at adopt (at) KarunaBully (dot) org to get an application.
May 7, 2013 |
I’m really ashamed I’ve been so out of touch with this blog! It’s been nearly a year since my last post :-O
In that year I’ve been super busy with pet photography for private clients as well as for a few local rescues that have dogs, cats, and birds up for adoption! I’ve also managed to steal away a few hours to create some more fine art photography. Three more kittens and three more dogs have been through my home since my last post, and today I wanted to share some of their stories.
Mac, Looney, and Gizmo were semi-feral strays that needed socialization very badly. The three brothers were my first and, so far, only experience with such scared babies. For the first few days that I had them they stayed huddled up in the crevice between my tub and sink. They only peeked their heads out when I brought out the food. At every feeding I placed their food farther and farther away from their little cubby hole and closer and closer to me.
Mac was the big boy, he was the bravest, or the hungriest depending on how you looked at it. He was always the first one out to eat, and he was also the first to purr when I touched him.
Gizmo was my personal favorite. He was a tad more shy than his big brother, but he was the next one to come out and eat and play on any given day. They never really played with me directly, but if I rolled a jingly ball around Mac or Gizmo were sure to take chase. Many of you may have already seen this photo of Gizmo – many people assume this is a kitten with its mother, but that’s actually Mac that Gizmo is hiding behind.
Looney was truly terrified of people. When Nick and I discovered that Mac & Gizmo were boys we guessed our third kitten must be a girl, so Looney actually started out as Luna. He only came out to eat at every other feeding and he never played unless I was out of the room. (I would peek under the door when I heard bells and watch their fuzzy, little feet) The day before I had to return them to the shelter Looney purred in my lap, and I was satisfied with that.
The same day I returned the kittens to the SPCA of Westchester, I picked up JoJo. That was the only time I let go of foster pets without crying over them – I had someone else to focus my attention on right away!
JoJo was 1 year old and was suffering from really bad hip dysplasia. She had the ultimate wiggle butt, it was adorable yet sad at the same time. People who met JoJo in my neighborhood thought it was so precious how she would just plop down on the pavement and roll onto her back. I think initially she did this to avoid pain, but when she realized that falling at people’s feet resulted in belly rubs it became her signature move!
This girl has the happiest forever home story ever: JoJo ended up landing a doctor! He wasn’t just any old doctor either, he was the veterinarian who was doing her acupuncture every week. She is currently living happily ever after with Dr. Mike, his wife, and their 3 kids.
That brings me to Kuna. Poor girl was dumped in a shelter with her sister – later on I discovered the very same people abandoned Kuna’s father as well a few weeks later – and Ali Wazmer, a local trainer working in association with Karuna Bully Rescue, got her out of there!
I’m not gonna lie, Kuna was a wild child, plain and simple. It was obvious that her previous owners didn’t spend a minute doing anything with her, and she was just so starved for attention and love. We gave her love and she gave it right back, as you can plainly see!
Stephanie and Jason decided to give Kuna her forever home. She is now known as June and enjoys long hikes with her new mommy and daddy.
Well that brings us up to date on happy endings! Stay tuned for a write-up and photos of my current foster doggie Gracie Lou! In fact, why don’t you subscribe below to be sure you don’t miss out =)
