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!
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 =)
May 7, 2012
All of the photos from the Beacon Barks parade and street festival last Saturday are now available on my website. If your dog was photographed you can purchase prints or download the free internet sized copy of the photo(s).
Beacon Barks! 2012 Gallery
Here are a few more favorites from the day:
Aug 6, 2011
Let me introduce you to Ollie and Winnie, two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Ollie is two years old and Winnie just turned six months old on August 3rd.
I met Ollie, Winnie, and their parents at the beautiful Chase Meadows Farm in North Salem for their photo session. These dogs were so well-mannered and incredibly loyal to Mom and Dad. No amount of calling, kissing, or noise-making, on my part, could make Ollie and Winnie take their eyes off their owners and look at the camera.
I learned that these spaniels were originally bred as royal lap dogs, and were used to keep fleas off their people. King Charles Spaniels were also sent with traveling ladies to keep them warm on their winter carriage rides. This history truly explains the mannerisms of these well-behaved and loyal dogs.
Here is a preview of Ollie and Winnie’s photo session. Enjoy!
May 9, 2011
I’d like to introduce you to Smokey, a rottweiler-beagle mix who was just recently adopted from North Shore Animal League. Here he is at 12 weeks old and 23 lbs.
After about 45 minutes of modeling for me, Smokey was so exhausted he decided to take a nap. What’s cuter than a sleeping puppy? A curious puppy of course! Although I think Joe, his daddy, might beg to differ. This is a list of the curiosity casualties from his Facebook status on Friday: “So far 2 boxes of tissues, 2 phone books, a dog book, and 8 rolls of paper towels.”
Feb 16, 2011
Meet Harley, a 7-year-old Rottweiler-Lab mix, and her two Pitbull buddies Dakota and Rocky.
Sadly, Harley was recently diagnosed with cancer and still has several weeks of treatment to go through. It’s amazing to me how well dogs handle sickness; Harley seems perfectly happy and healthy. Yes, that’s Harley charging towards her ball… at top speed… despite all that ice under her!
The vet says it’s possible that she could make it through another year. I don’t believe it, I have high hopes that she’ll reach the ripe old age of 14, just like her friend Rocky.
