Cooper is a 7 month silver lab, still in that awkward puppy phase and I had so much fun hanging out with him and his family, Jennifer and Ryan. It was so cute to see the relationship between Cooper and Ryan. They really are going to be the best of friends. Cooper always had his eye on Ryan, looking after him. It was so sweet! Oh, and shhhh! This was a secret session as it is going to be a father’s day gift for Ryan and Cooper’s father. Hope he enjoys the photos!
The very first time I met my Minnie, I felt a strong connection to her. I’ll never forget the day I went to her foster mom’s house to take her adoption photo. Her eyes were so amazing. There was just so much behind them, and it all seemed so familiar to me. I just wanted to take her home with me right then and there. A month or two later I couldn’t get her of my mind so I decided she had to come home with me. It’s been a year since Minnie came into my life and she has been the most awesome dog. I said it here a year ago and I still feel the same. Her eyes are so soulful and I always felt she was a spirit of someone or something I have known before. I know, I sound crazy. Well, my dad recently found this old photo that makes me think maybe I am not crazy after all. It’s me when I was a baby, with my grandparent’s dog Queenie. I do not remember this dog as I was very little when she passed. Queenie was a Rat Terrier, just like Minnie. In fact she looks a lot like Minnie! Maybe this is the connection I felt with Minnie. Maybe I couldn’t remember Queenie, but maybe she was in my subconscious…. or maybe…… Minnie is Queenie! Crazy?
My Google Reader is growing like a weed! I follow way too many blogs (while neglecting my own!) There are just so many great blogs out there and so much information I am going to start a favorite feature and share some of my favorite items for the week. Enjoy!
~Modern Dog Mansions
~Adorable puppy/kitten video
~I just love checking out Monday’s Pets on Furniture blog post on the awesome Desire to Inspire Blog. Check it out!
~Laurie Anderson to play a recital for dogs at Sydney’s Opera House in Sydney Australia. Sounds interesting! Wish I was in Sydney!
~Ok, this video is just too weird for words…
~Think I’m going to make this Parmesan roasted asparagus this weekend, yum!
~This cat is so cool!
~If you have a sweet tooth like I do, you have to check out these root beer float cupcakes!
~Who says your dog can’t tweet? Check out this new device that will tweet your dogs every move!! What a great way to see what your dog is up to when you aren’t around!!
~Cakes that look too amazing to eat!
~Check out this gadget! Pretty cool!
~If you’re thinking about doing some remodeling or moving your furniture around, check out this free web tool
~If you’re into neon colors, you’ll like this
~Facts you probably didn’t know about Facebook
~One of these days I will attend this yard sale! It’s on my bucket list!
I am super excited and honored to be shooting a 16 month 2011 calendar for Mayday Pit Bull Rescue. I am so anxious to meet all the rescued dogs and their families!
I have a HUGE soft spot for these dogs. No dog should be judged by their breed, just as no person should be judged by their ethnicity. Pit bulls make great companions for responsible owners and don’t deserve their bad reputation. If you think that the name ‘Pit Bull’ automatically makes a dog a killer, than I challenge you to get educated on this breed. Media hysteria and bad owners have greatly damaged the pit bull reputation. Too many pit bulls and pit bull mixes die just because of their breed. How would you like to receive a death sentence because you resemble a certain ethnic group? In fact, many dogs that attack are often misidentified as pit bulls. Play this game and see if you can identify the Pit Bull.
Did you know, out of the 49 pit bulls that were seized from Michael Vick, only one was deemed too aggressive to be rehabilitated, 45 were rehabilitated and many have been adopted? Sadly, three died because of severe injuries and illness.
Check out some of the Vick dogs in the video below and then listen to the Pit Bull Blues, a great video and catchy song!!
This is Hope, a pit bull and 100% sweetheart.
…and this is Hurley, a sweet baby who is currently looking for his forever home.
Oh boy, here comes the sun! The blazing Phoenix heat will be here soon so I suggest you book your sessions now!
We couldn’t have had better weather here in Phoenix last weekend for a shoot. Saturday I had the pleasure of working with Heather and her four furry family members, Ozzy a 2 1/2 yr old Australian Cattle dog, Athena a 1 1/2 yr old Swiss Mountain dog, Bubbles a 10yr old Tortoise Shell cat and Gandalf a 10yr old Russian Blue cat. Ozzy was a fun, ball-obsessed little guy. He loved his ball and he loved to give kisses. He was so sweet and made me laugh as I fell victim to a few of his kissing attacks. Athena was just as sweet and very playful. She was a big bundle of energy. Heather tells me that Athena is a chow hound and I got to witness that first-hand as she munched on a bone and then started chomping on a bush! I guess she decided she needed some greens to go with the bone! Bubbles was a very social cat. She was very playful and loved hanging out. She was the total opposite of Gandalf who likes to hide out under the bed. It was so great to share the portrait experience with Heather and her awesome, lovable pack! I had a great time!
Through a Dog’s Eyes is a documentary premiering on PBS next Tuesday, April 21st, narrated by Neil Patrick Harris. Based on the book by the same title by Jennifer Arnold, it follows several individuals being matched with and receiving their very first service dogs. It will change the way you feel about your own dog.
You can read more about this film here and watch the preview below. It’s amazing to watch the process these dogs go through to be a service dog, but the most touching part to me is the bonding process and the new life these dogs provide to their companions. I’ll be tuning in!
I had the extreme pleasure of spending time with Michelle and her family last weekend. Karma (the Dalmatian) and Loosey (the little mix) (and her name is not spelled like that because she’s easy, she just used to be a little escape artist!), both 12years old and were so sweet. Karma is a brain cancer survivor and wears her pink proudly…
Alivia and Shane were little angels and I think they really had a blast being in front of the camera!
Michelle, Clay, Alivia, Shane, Karma and Loosey….thank you for such a fun day! I had a great time! Hope you enjoy the photos!
Seriously. After two decades of working in the corporate world, I have decided to move out on my own. I can tell you there are people in my life who think I am crazy to leave a job with steady pay and great benefits when we are in the midst of this economic crisis. While the practical side of me might agree with them, my heart is telling me (very loudly) that it’s time. Time to follow my dream, my passion and take a risk. I have been running Modern Pet Furtography as a side job for the last year. More and more, my heart was going into my business and I found it very hard to focus on my 9-5. As a very humble person, I can tell you one thing I know for sure, I have always been a hard worker with a great work ethic. I am also a perfectionist when it comes to my work. I was spreading myself very thin and not being able to focus ALL of my energy on my business was just killing me. So here I am. I am super excited to start this new chapter in my life and because it’s been soooo long since I’ve taken a risk…I have to admit I am a little scared. Most of all I feel free and am so excited that I will be focusing all of my energy into something I absolutely love and feel extreme passion for.
Why did I start Modern Pet Furtography? It combines my two passions- photography and animals. I have always been a HUGE animal lover. Unfortunately, growing up, my dad never let us have a pet. Not because he didn’t like animals, he loves animals and he has a huge heart. His heart was the problem. He felt so bad when his childhood dog had to be put to sleep, he never got over the heartache and he never wanted us to feel that pain. Believe me, I tried my hardest to have a pet. I would bring home strays and play on my parents sympathy. My parents were stubborn! My mom had five kids to take care of and really wasn’t enthusiastic about taking care of an animal. So, since the time I moved out of the house at 17, I have always had a pet. While my dad is right, that losing a furry family member hurts, I would never give up the time I spent with them because of it. There are too many animals who need a loving home. So many are being neglected, abused and put down for lack of space at the shelters. If you can’t tell, I am passionate about rescue. I thought, if I can combine my passion for photography and my passion for animals, maybe in a small way, I can help save some animals from an untimely demise. I have trained shelter workers how to take better photos in order to find homes faster for these poor animals. I also take photos of adoptable pets for rescue groups. I know the difference a photo can make when trying to find homes for these animals. It was because of a photo, that I adopted Minnie. Minnie was up for adoption and I took her photo for the Animal Guardian Network to post on Petfinder. There was something in her eyes and every time I looked at this photo I fell in love with her.
As long as I can remember, I loved photography. I would take photos when I was just a little kid, I studied it in high school then it was my major in college. I have always loved to use my camera to tell stories. Here is an example of one of those stories…this was 1980, the models were my sisters and brother and I was using a point and shoot 110 film camera. These photos crack me up. I dressed and made up my siblings, put blue food color in the water…not quite sure what was going through my 14 year old mind but I’m pretty sure there is a story here. Put the photos in any order and you can create your own story! While technically I had no idea what I was doing, I just knew it was something I loved to do…
With Modern Pet Furtography I love nothing more than the fact that I get to witness and record with my camera- the pet’s story and the love they share with their family. So, today I combine my passions and will begin this new journey. I am excited for all the dogs and cats and animals I will meet along the way, their humans and their stories.
You know, my dad was right about one thing, our furry family members are not with us long enough. I can’t think of a better way to keep their memory alive than scheduling a session with Modern Pet Furtography. 
Let’s work together to create memories that will last fur ever!
Please follow me on Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to my blog for information about upcoming specials and events and one very special announcement that I will be making shortly!
Dog Bless!
Andrea
Sharon Montrose is an AMAZING photographer and one of my inspirations. She photographs pets and sells a series of baby animal photos on etsy. She recently photographed Stanley the baby giraffe and created a behind the scenes video. Stanley is so adorable! Check out the video and see the print here.
