May 29, 2014
Another week, another group of furry little ones in front of the Posh Pets‘ lens! It truly is a highlight of my week to go into the shelter and see their lovely little faces. But, it is even better when I find out that those I photographed during the previous weeks are now loving life with their new families. You will notice that these are all new boys and girls…except for Chewy. If you compare this week’s image with last week’s post, you will see that he has had a little make-over! Take a look and see which one you like better 🙂
All of these cuties are available through Toronto Animal Services and would love to meet you in person. Contact TAS directly for more information and to arrange an introduction.
Thanks for following the Posh Pets‘ blog each week – I am so happy to help these dogs and cats find their forever homes!
May 22, 2014
What beautiful weather it was in Posh Pets land this week! And so many gorgeous furry faces to meet and photograph and images to share with you!
This group is available from Toronto Animal Services – North Region and you can arrange a meeting by contacting them directly. We’ll also be featuring their beautiful images on the Posh Pets Facebook page and via our other social media channels. Thanks so much for sharing them around!
May 2, 2014
Hi there! Posh Pets is back with another large group of dogs and cats from Toronto Animal Services! Some of these furry faces have already been adopted, so be sure to contact TAS directly to get a status update before you go. But, I wanted you to see their cute faces (and the fact that we now have green grass to sit on) so I am sharing their images anyway. See you next week!
Apr 21, 2014
They say the camera does not lie. And yet, I look at this photo of Lady Jane taken just yesterday, and I am stunned by how good she looks. She was always a pretty kitty and even at 17 years old, Lady Jane was a beautiful old girl. But, what this image doesn’t show is the sadness that surrounds it. For, it was taken during the brief space of 5 minutes yesterday when she had stopped vomiting, we had already contacted the emergency vet to say we were coming and were about to place her in her carrier for her final car ride. I got her to relax on our bed (truly one of her favourite places) and took a few final pictures. Within 10 minutes of this image, we were on our way.
Lady Jane was a wonderful girl and such a trooper. Cats often are. She had been diagnosed in early October with Chronic Renal Failure and her vet had warned us not to expect more than a couple of months. We were understandably shocked and it took us some time to process the information. We knew she had been losing weight, but I don’t think either my husband, Dean, or I were prepared for the severity of the issue. But our vet kindly answered all of our questions, sent us home with lots of information and medication to stabilize her, and we determined to simply cherish the time we had left.
And you know, we got into a rhythm with giving her her medication and ensuring that she ate properly. It was at that point that we realized that Lady Jane had probably been feeling unwell for some time, because the medication helped her to rally. In the 6 months since her diagnosis, Lady Jane has done things and explored area she had never done before. She learned how to climb onto the desk in my husband’s office so that she could sit on the windowsill and watch the world go by. She no longer used the stool beside our bed which had been placed there to help her old bones get up more easily – she bounded from the floor and back off again. And then sometimes, she leaped from the bed onto the dresser. Her greatest success was when she propelled herself from the couch onto our dining table. Most of these things would certainly would have been unacceptable in our house (no getting up on the dining table!), but the fact that she had the desire and the ability to do it astounded us. For a cat who had lived most of her life on one level (she had been a little portly in her younger years), it was a joy to see her enjoy herself.
And then there was her personality. When we adopted her brother Baxter 18 months ago as a companion to Lady Jane, we could not have picked a better boy. Baxter has confidence, without a hint of aggressiveness. His patient encouragement combined with her feeling much better, and Lady Jane had come out of her shell. She travelled easily and adapted to new environments. She greeted visitors when they came into our home. She stepped outside onto the balcony and felt the sun on her face. It was like she had a bucket list of things to do and we had the joy of seeing her cross things off the list.
We almost convinced ourselves that she would be with us a long time. Our friends would ask how she was doing and we would answer that she was doing remarkably well. Deep down, we knew the disease would eventually get the better of her, but given her newfound love of life and adventure, it seemed a long way off. And, we were not prepared for how quickly it would happen. It seems like on Friday the medication stopped working which translated into Lady Jane being extremely picky over her food. We had been very fortunate that throughout everything she was a great drinker – bowls and bowls of water helped flush her ailing kidneys and kept her happy. But, by yesterday morning, she had stopped drinking, stopped eating and begun almost non-stop vomiting. She also found it very difficult to use the litter box. I gave her her medication to help with the vomiting and offered her her favourite ‘treats’ – chicken and lactose-free milk. She refused the chicken, but lapped up the milk. Only to bring it all up within 10 minutes. It was as if her digestive system was shutting down.
Seeing her suffer this way helped us making a heart-wrenching decision. Of course, not only was it a Sunday but it was a holiday and therefore her regular vet was closed. Which led us to the wonderful people at Vaughn-Richmond Hill VEC who helped her pass, surrounded by the people who loved her most. I got to hold her and I hope that she felt me stroking her and that the last thing she heard was me telling her how much I loved her.
Seventeen years is a long time. A small furry kitten originally from Brampton Animal Shelter left her mark on our lives and on our hearts. She made us smile. She made us laugh. There is now only a gaping hole that she used to inhabit.
Lady Jane, our little furry face. You were loved. Please know, we love you still.
“You’re the one that I love, and I’m saying good-bye…” ~A Great Big World (Say Something)
Apr 8, 2014
Well, the snow has melted, the sun is shining and temperatures are rising in Posh Pets land! After a very hard winter, even the dogs at Toronto Animal Services show such a relief that it is not freezing outside, and take their time to sniff their surroundings before settling in for their photography session. We haven’t exactly got beautiful green grass yet, but the fact that we see the grass is good enough for us!
This week we photographed a very cute group of doggies. Not many cats are currently at the shelter, but we know ‘kitten season’ is coming…it always happens in the spring. It would seem that spring is just delayed on all fronts this year.
If there is someone here that you would like to get to know better, please contact TAS directly to get an update and arrange an introduction. I will be featuring these little and big ones throughout the week via the Posh Pets Photography social media channels. If you like, follow us here or here or here …
Mar 7, 2014
Yesterday was a glorious day (for pet photography and otherwise) in Toronto! We finally had some bearable temperatures, beautiful blue skies, sun and fresh, clean snow. The dogs were excited to finally get outside and not freeze their paws and bums off and, quite honestly, we were too. It was such a pleasure to photograph these adoptables and give them a chance to shine.
Each of them are available at Toronto Animal Services – North Region. If you are interested in adoption, be sure to call ahead and make sure that your intended is still available. You’ll also see their adorable furry faces on the Posh Pets Photography Facebook page. For now, take a look!
Feb 26, 2014
As a pet photographer who loves to photograph dogs outside, I have asked myself (along with the many who make their home in Toronto) many times in the last few weeks, “Will this cold weather never end?” And again on Monday, this was the basis of my conversation with each of these furry faces during the brief moments that we could stand being out in the elements. I promised them that the nicer weather (and a forever home!) were just around the corner if they just held on a little longer. To ensure that my promises were not in vain, please share their images far and wide so that they have as good an opportunity as possible to be seen by the special person looking to bring them home. I, and each of them, thank you!
I’ve never photographed as many puppies in one week as I did during my time on Monday. Kaya and Duncan are both only about 15 weeks old, and Morty is still a young boy at 9 months old. On the other end of the spectrum is Clarence who is a lovely 9 year old guy. Along with their feline friends Thor, Amos, Luchio, Ameira and shy-girl Veronica, they have lots of love to give.
Each of their images will be posted on the Toronto Animal Services website as well as be featured on the Posh Pets Photography Facebook page during the week. Questions about anyone in particular? Please contact TAS directly who can give you the latest updates on their statuses.
Thanks for stopping by and we’ll see you all back here next week!
Feb 8, 2014
It has been a busy few weeks for Posh Pets! And, after some pretty frigid temperatures, a few snow storms and a few days away, I finally got back into the North shelter this week to photograph the adoptables. It was good to be back and I got to meet some beautiful cats and dogs this week.
If you are looking to meet a future family member, please contact TAS directly – they will be happy to set up a ‘meet and greet’ for you and give you all the details they have on any particular cat or dog. They will also be featured on the Posh Pets’ Facebook page, if you would like to follow along. It is so awesome when you share their little faces with any and all and help them find their forever homes!
Jan 12, 2014
I headed out as we at Posh Pets made our weekly visit to photograph the adoptables at Toronto Animal Services – North. We met a lot of furry faces this week! Lots of wiggly dog bums and many happy kitties in the bubble…all awaiting their special someones to show up and give them a forever home.
As you look at their lovely faces, if you see someone you would like to meet, please contact TAS – North directly. They will be able to answer all of your questions and give you a current status on any individual pet. Even if you are not planning on adopting right now, please share this post in the hopes that many, many eyeballs will see it and through the power of the internet, we can help them find their homes!
Jan 3, 2014
Welcome to a new year! For many people the start of a new year is filled with fresh promise, new projects and a chance to start again. And so, it is with Posh Pets Photography and the Beautiful Beasties Project 52 series. Each week, we’ll have a new theme where we try and create an image or images that represent that theme.
The theme for this week was introductions. We’ve been asked to introduce you to the beautiful pets we share our homes with and who will often be the subject of our photographs for Project 52. In our case, if you follow the Posh Pets’ blog, you will already know these two furry faces already. However, here is a chance to meet them again!
This is Lady Jane sitting so regally on my bedside table (where she knows I do not want her to be). She will be 17 years old in March and was diagnosed with chronic renal failure in October 2013. We’ve had a few crises since then and there were times when we were sure she would not see the end of 2013. At her peak, she was 17.3 lbs, but now she weighs a mere 9 lbs., and I reminded of this every time I pick her up. But, she is holding her own. It frightens me when she climbs to places she should not because she is not very steady and I fear for her little bones. But, she is a stubborn little old lady and if Lady Jane wants to sit on the bedside table, then that is where she will sit. You can see a little of that determination in her pose.
And this is Baxter Huntington, our 3 year old rambunctious, friendly, playful, in-your-face-and-give-me-affection cat. He likes to thwart any attempts I make at taking his picture by closing his eyes. (Yes, he has figured that out.) But, he loves us, loves his sister Lady Jane is just so darn cute that I can’t resist taking his portrait whenever I can! He loves to explore and has taught his older sister to go places where she never would have dreamed of venturing before. And at the end of the day, he grooms her and settles down to nap beside her, often with a paw laid gently touching some part of her body.
Both of our kitties originally came from the shelter and are wonderful furry family members. If you are considering welcoming a pet into your home, I wholeheartedly encourage adoption. You’ll be seeing a lot more of these two in the weeks and months to come!
This is a ‘blog circle’ which means that each photographer will interpret the week’s theme. You can start with Denver Pet Photographer, StinkDog Photos and get introduced to her crew. Then, if you like, follow the circle all of the way around until you end up back here with Baxter and Lady Jane.
Dec 13, 2013
It was a cold one out today when I arrived at Toronto Animal Services! So, we explained to all of the dogs that we needed to be quick…and everyone put on their best smile (and we got some crazy, gorgeous ears this week)! There are a few missing from this week’s post because they are not quite available for adoption yet, but we’ll post them soon on the Posh Pets’ Facebook page. Please contact Toronto Animal Services directly if you are interested in meeting any of these furry faces…
Nov 17, 2013
This week was a big week for Posh Pets, with so many furry faces to meet and photograph at Toronto Animal Services – North! Looking for a forever friend? Then, contact TAS directly and arrange a meeting with one of these lovely guys or girls. As always, I will be featuring them each day on the Posh Pets Facebook page along with ID numbers and a little about them. Come and follow along!
