Daisy and Autumn are two very sweet little pups. They are both gentle, friendly, and loving. Along with Debby and Keith, they traveled a bit of a distance for their session. It was another beautiful evening with gorgeous light. I LOVE how Debby coordinated their clothing and Daisy and Autumn’s leashes.

Here’s a little collage for their first look!

When I blog the sneak peaks or first looks, I tend to post my favorite images from the sessions. Often times, my clients have totally different favorites! It’s always fun to see what they will choose and to hear why they love certain images so much! I always say that I tend to look at different things than they, when I view their photos. As a result, I probably show my clients way more images than necessary, but I love to allow them to find their favorites, and not just see mine!

Here is a look at Pita’s “mom and dad’s” favorites!

This one, is another of my favorites that I just had to post!

Pita is still a puppy. When I first met her, Pita’s personality came through loud and clear. She is a Viszla, so by nature, she is extremely smart, athletic, sensitive, and stubborn. It’s weird. When you look at her, you can almost see that she is thinking. I grew up with a weimeraner, and was so often taken by just how smart she was. I felt the same way when I met Pita.

Pita is also quite stunning to look at. She is sleek and elegant and her color is gorgeous!

Monica, Chris, Pita and I had great fun the evening of our session. They took me to the most beautiful rose garden. It was perfect…the roses, the sunlight, and the company. Thanks so much, Monica and Chris. I had a wonderful time!

I posted bits and pieces of Tucker, but never really did one post with lots of photos! Tucker was a pleasure to photograph. He is eager to play, pose, and more importantly….fetch. He’s a great dog who’s adored by his family! Can you tell?

Pheona is just a tiny little thing. She’s no bigger than a hiccup. Don’t be fooled, however, by her tiny exterior. Pheona is quite the little spitfire. She is in charge, and do not try to tell her otherwise.

I have to say, it was a bit of a challenge photographing little Pheona. She was not at all happy with me telling her what to do. My saving grace, however, was that Pheona really likes her treats! One minute she would be scolding me for coming too close, and the next she’d be gently taking a treat from my fingertips! That’s a woman for you! She knows what she wants, and she is in charge!!

The other really great thing is that Pheona loves Caitlin. And they make quite the gorgeous pair!

Some of my favorites….

When I first started my Cool Pets business it was strictly black and white film photography. No color, and definitely no digital color. Of course, now I do include digital color in my sittings, and I love the variety it offers. But, when I look at all of the “strictly black and white” sessions I have done I am reminded of the charm and basic “coolness” of black and white film.

Midnight and Maui were one of those sessions. Melissa and Kevin, Midnight and Maui. I remember it like it was yesterday. The weather was strange…overcast and foreboding. We weren’t sure if the sky was going to open up at any minute, but we persevered. Eryn was along with me as we photographed the Mauribers, and created some great memories. I still smile when I look at these images.

I recently connected with Melissa through my facebook fan page and found out that Midnight passed away last spring. He was a wonderful friend to Kevin and Melissa and I am honored to have met him and spent that afternoon with all of them.

Here’s a tribute to Midnight, and a storyboard of some great moments from our session.

I first met Dewey a few months ago. You may remember his adorable “Friday Face” a few posts back. Dewey is one of the most beautiful shepherds I have ever seen. His body is huge, his fur is gorgeous, and he is just the happiest most enthusiastic guy! When we did our sitting, Tracey, Dewey’s human mom was expecting. We had a wonderful time in the park creating some “before baby” photos and capturing Dewey’s sweet personality.

That was then.

On January 11, Tracey, Dave and Dewey welcomed into the world precious, beautiful Gabriel James…and their lives forever changed, but in an awesomely, wonderful way. Dewey is so cool, he is adjusting like a champ. Dave and Tracey still give Dewey all the attention he deserves, and with the addition of a beautiful human brother, Dewey just has more reasons to be happy!

Welcome Gabriel James.

And now, Dewey is resting. After all, it’s a lot of work watching over a new baby!

All images ©Susan Dodd

While driving my daughter to school the other day, I saw an old dog.  It was a cold, brisk morning….with temperatures in the teens.  My daughter missed the bus, not because we were late, but because sometimes, for no apparent reason, her bus arrives unexpectedly early.  I was a bit annoyed, but in the end grateful for the early morning jaunt, and the heart warming site of the old dog.

We were on a little side street, heading up the steep hill towards the school.  I glanced over to see an elderly woman slowly walking her old dog.  It was as if they were taking baby steps.  They moved at  a snail’s pace, and if you glanced quickly, they seemed not to be moving at all.  It was so cold I could see the woman’s breath floating through the air as she moved ever so calmly up the hill; her lovely old dog right by her side.

In my work photographing dogs and their owners, I am always aware of the strong bonds that form between human and canine.  I have heard so many wonderful stories of how dogs essentially saved their owners lives just by being there.  I wondered about this old woman and her dog.  Is it just the two of them?  Do they walk every morning together, slowly up the hill?  How long have they been together?  Did the woman rescue this dog…or get him as a pup?  Did she save the dog’s life?  Or has the dog saved hers?

Of course, I will probably never know the answers.  But, I do know that the warm feeling I got from the peaceful site of them on their morning walk will stay with me for a very long time.

Old dogs have such charm.  Their lives are short, but the effects of their warmth and unconditional love last forever.

Cocoa is one of those old dogs. She has a face that shows such wisdom and peace. Cocoa is a gentle, beautiful, old soul.

Cocoa loves to fetch. She may be old, but her inner puppy definitely comes out when there is fetching involved.

All images ©Susan Dodd

I have oodles and oodles of sittings to blog about! I wish I could share them all with you right now, but these darned blog posts take so much time! This was a crazy holiday season for me for sure, and I am working step by step to catch up. I want to thank all of my wonderfully understanding clients who are so supportive of my being a bit overwhelmingly busy!!

Needless to say, this post is one that I am very excited to be {finally} blogging about. Remember Cosmo? He was the Friday Face a few weeks back. Well, here he is with his whole family….Abby the bulldog, and the awesome Shiena and Jason. Who would have thought that taking an African Grey parrot and a stocky bulldog to a very public place for photographs could be so relaxing. It truly was! I have to say, it was an afternoon of complete enjoyment.

Shiena and Jason were winners of one of my expo contests, and I am so grateful to have met them…Abby and Cosmo. Thanks so much for a wonderful afternoon!

All images ©Susan Dodd