Morgan and Sam

Morgan and Sam are quite the special pair. They are the two oldest pups in a pack of five - yes, five! They are buddies and love to chill together while the other three "kids" do their young-dog thing. Sam, the oldest, has an *adorable* gray face (I'm a sucker) while Morgan is a super cozy, fluffy, black fur-ball. Back in August, these two had a surprise session for their mom's birthday/Christmas gift. She was away for the summer working on a ranch in Jackson, WY (my favorite place in the world) and missed her pups dearly. This gave us a wonderful opportunity to sneak in a session without her knowing.

Their dad *might* not have been able to wait till those special holidays to unveil the surprise though. ;) Well, now that the secret is out, I'm happy to share their beautiful faces with the world. Sorry I made their mom cry when she saw the pictures but I hope she cherishes them forever. <3

Morgan is such a sweetie pie with the cutest smile and to-die-for ears. Is this not a face that gets what it wants?Like I mentioned, I am a sucker for gray faces. So when I saw Sam for the first time, I melted a little on the inside. I heart older dogs! We had our session at Latta Plantation and spent most of the shoot along the lakefront. Morgan was, um, a little obsessed with the water and stared longingly at it... Just the thought of going near the lake got her super excited...And then she was pooped...

I just want to grab her and cuddle with her fluffy fur!Now Sam wasn't as excited about the water as Morgan was. However, he agreed to pose his handsome face in front of the lake for me!Sam was much happier hanging out where there wasn't risk of him falling in the water. He was all smiles on the dock.I just want to give his little face kisses!Thank you for such a wonderful session! I'm so glad I got to spend an evening making some wonderful memories for Morgan and Sam's mom! {{{HUGS}}}!

Maya & Gabby - Furfriends 4 Life

I apologize in advance because this is quite a long post. I just couldn't narrow down the images for the sneak peek! I have a feeling you won't mind. Once you cast your eyes on these two BFF's, you will want to see more! ;) Maya, an Australian Shepherd, and Gabby, a black Chow mix, quickly bonded when they met. That was good news because their moms have been best friends for years and their furkids needed to get along! Now they have fun play dates and even get to hang out at Lucky Dog in Cornelius. So of course, when Gabby and Maya's moms decided to do a photo shoot, they had to be together!

These two were amazing for the camera and really made it hard for me to cull out the "bad" images (hence the large sneak peek). I hope you enjoy...

Maya is full of energy and absolutely loves to play. Like most Australian Shepherds, she was very attentive, smart and responded well to treats and toys. I could just melt in her eyes.Gabby is gorgeous. That's all I can say. Not really, but look at her cute face!Gabby is full of energy just like Maya. She had a blast exploring the fields at Fisher Farm and protected us from hikers and joggers. :)Love this of the two of them together. Gabby's head tilt makes it!And even more of these two buddies...It's beginning to look a lot like Fall!And I'll finish with one of my favs! Many thanks to Gabby and Maya's moms! I hope you enjoy your sneak peek! There is A LOT more to come! ;)

Manchester - A Golden Boy

Manchester is one of the fluffiest orange boys I have ever seen! This handsome fellow is a Chow/Golden Retriever mix with some hair to spare. :) He is certainly one to cuddle up with on a cold winter night. This gorgeous pup has been by his mom's side for everything - moving, vet school and so much more. However, this past year has been a very trying year on Manchester (and his mom). At the end of December, he was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer. He went through chemo and certainly didn't feel like himself. He lost his precious sparkle but managed to come out cancer-free in the end. He remained cancer-free for 8 months. When the cancer recently made it's ugly return, he was put back on chemo. This time, Manchester is having oral treatments instead of IV. Fortunately, the oral route has left him feeling much more like himself and he is even smiling again! This is such great news because he has such a fabulous smile!!!

I don't know if I love this image because of the light or Manchester's smile or a combination of the two. I think the golden light of the sun symbolizes the gorgeous light that is still shining within Manchester. He doesn't want his mom to worry about him. I know that's what he's thinking right here as he glances back at her...Manchester's mom was worried he wouldn't be too active for his pictures. Well, he must have been saving his energy because he had quite a lot of spunk! This is Manchester's impression of a fluffy orange bear!Manchester's mom joined in for a few images. I was thrilled to capture these two together. Evidently, so was Manchester... :)The epitome of love...In the image on the left, Manchester is sporting his bandana from Upstate Veterinary Specialists. Everyone that worked with Manchester during his treatment signed it and wrote him well wishes.

Of course Manchester gets lots of goodies since dealing with his cancer. One treat his has always loved is licking out a finished jar of peanut butter. Don't judge...it's reduced fat...Yum!Back home, Manchester has a couple feline friends to keep him company. First there is Winston...and also Madison... They are just as gorgeous as Manchester!

Best of luck to Manchester and his mom during his battle. I hope his spirits stay up and he keeps that golden light in his eyes and a huge smile on his face! {{hugs!}}

Barkley - The Fluff Ball

Two weeks before Barkley's photo shoot, he celebrated his "13th" birthday. I put that in quotes because I think Barkley has his family fooled! Haha! This fluffy guys has bad hips and can get a little lethargic but he was totally playing it off when I came over. He was jumping after bees, wrestling, crawling, and being goofy! He told me to keep it a secret but I'm a horrible liar! Sorry Barkley...your secret is out. Barkley's parents were kind enough to build him a ramp over the steps to his front porch. He looks so appreciative!He is sooooo cute! I just want to squeeze his little doggy cheeks!!!I love Barkley's paws...they are as big as my hands!Every day, Barkley is helped into the truck and goes to work with his parents. He LOVES having the wind blow through his hair!There's nothing like a good roll in the grass...Barkley is very proud of his family!Barkley, you and your family were a pleasure to photograph and you guys had me laughing the whole time! Can't wait to see you again soon - maybe shaved this time?!