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 17, 2012 |
The next round of foster pets has brought me yet another mommy, but this time I have the pleasure of taking care of her kitten too! Trixie is that beautiful calico, and that cute little fluff ball is Shadow. They were both rescued from a kill shelter in NYC. I had no idea animals were being murdered so close to home; how naive am I huh?
Trixie is a very sweet, vocal, and outgoing kitty. She will snuggle up next to anyone willing to pet her. Watching her with Shadow is so relaxing. He’ll latch onto her, ravenous, and then his head bobbles start to slow until he’s face flat in mom’s fur. Moments later he’ll awaken and realize he’s hungry again. I guess warm milk can make you sleepy… it’s a vicious cycle. 😛
Both Trixie and Shadow will be up for adoption soon. In another two weeks the kitten will be weaned and mommy will go to recover until she can be spayed. Please let me know if you are interested in adopting! Even if you can’t adopt you can help by sharing this post with your friends on all your social networks.
Apr 22, 2012 |
When I picked her up from the SPCA of Westchester she looked like a little goat. She was this little black thing with, what looked like, udders ballooning out from under her, dripping drops of milk with every movement she made. I could count her ribs from 10 feet away. I don’t know where they rescued her from… but they better not tell me.
She followed me around the house giving me the sad eyes: head down, eyes up, so you can see the whites underneath. I know you’ve seen them, maybe on a dog that knows they’ve just done something bad, like go through the garbage or crap on the floor. But she never did anything wrong.
The thing was, Mama was a perfect angel. I never expected to be so lucky on my first foster dog. She was totally housebroken, walked on a leash like a show dog, and never chewed up anything… including all the toys I bought for her!
I thought she would be with me for about a month, it’s only been a week and a half and she’s already found her forever home. Then again, I knew she was too good to be true and that she would go like the last Tickle-Me-Elmo on Christmas Eve.
A few days ago I had to go pick up my boyfriend from work, and I thought Mama would like to take a ride. A few of my boyfriend’s co-workers came over to meet her and one guy, Evan, really fell in love with her. I sent him some photos for him to show his fiance. The next thing I knew Aline, his fiance, was contacting me. She told me that Evan hasn’t stopped talking about the dog and that she wants to surprise him by adopting her!
So that’s where I am right now, waiting for Mama Flower to be picked up, and not believing how difficult it’s going to be to let her go. How do you foster parents out there do it?!
Well however sad I may feel, I’m so happy that Mama has finally found her forever home, and I can’t wait to hear how the surprise goes down!
Here are a few photos of one of the best dogs I’ve ever met:
Apr 15, 2012 |
Chimi is a 6-year-old Long Haired Chihuahua who will do almost anything for some cheese. He posed on tree stumps, fences, and rocks for me! We took a stroll through Tarrywile Park… well it may have seemed like a stroll to Pam and I, but I think it must have been miles on Chimi’s teenie tiny legs. I found out later on that he was totally pooped and slept the rest of the day away. Thanks little man, I hope the photos make it all worth it.
Here are a couple of preview shots:
Feb 20, 2012
I would like to introduce you to Dude! He’s an Australian Cattle Dog who just celebrated his 2nd birthday. Happy Birthday Dude!
He is a rescued dog that was born in Mississippi and somehow made his way to the SPCA in Briarcliff Manor. Dude wasn’t there long before his new family discovered him and took him home.
Now he spends most of his time trying to figure out how to get to his girlfriend. Chloe, a Boston Terrier – Beagle mix, lives next door just beyond the electric fence. She sits just out of reach, silently staring at him, teasing him. She makes him go crazy! Ah… such is love.
When Chloe isn’t outside, Dude spends his time running around the yard and trying to figure out how to get more toys in his mouth. That is, until the mailman comes with his daily treat. I haven’t witnessed it, but I’m sure he’ll drop his toys for the mailman.
I had a ton of fun with this little Dude! I hope you enjoy his photos. Here is a preview of what’s to come.
Sep 10, 2011
Meet Abby, a 1-year-old Yorkie. This little cutie is only 4 lbs; I could put two of her in my purse.
Her tiny frame sparked my curiosity, so I turned to Google to find me the smallest dog in history. It turns out it was actually a Yorkshire Terrier named Sylvie that lived in England from 1943-1945. She weighed 4 ounces, stood 2.5 inches tall, and measured 3.5 inches long. This makes Abby seem a whole lot bigger.
Even so, it still took some effort on her part to climb up to my face, a goal she wouldn’t give up on until she’d licked it. She was so sweet and quiet. So quiet that I didn’t hear a peep from her until we were nearing the end of our photo session. When mom withholds treats for too long, Abby can hit notes higher than Mariah Carey! Makes me wonder what Sylvie sounded like…
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!
