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!
Feb 1, 2014
Last week, the Posh Pets‘ family got to the see sun! Getting away to enjoy sunny days, blue skies and sandy beaches is reason enough to go, but this time we had an extra special reason – my sister-in-law’s wedding in the Dominican Republic. Las Terrenas de Samana, to be exact, and just so you all know I am not kidding when I say it is gorgeous, here is what you see as you drive from the airport.
Now, at this point, you would expect me to be sharing with you wedding photos. But nope, I’ve done a count – I have 51 images from the wedding and over 300 images of various dogs and cats! (You know you are a pet photographer when…) So instead, let me introduce you to Bella, Maya and Windy, 3 “siblings” that make their home in the Dominican Republic along with their humans. First up, was lovely Windy, who has a “sad puppy” face that melts your heart.
But, then she was quite accommodating and willing to pose like a super model.
Beautiful Bella who won me over with her quiet spirit.
And then I met Maya who made me laugh…her papa was a mastiff and the result is that her head looks like it is too big for the rest of her body. But, she can certainly do the head tilt!
However, the goal of this session was to capture a family portrait of all of them together. I was told that they really, really, really wanted this image, and to tell you the truth, I had no idea if we could get it. During my short time on the island, it quickly became apparent that Dominican dogs are very different from Canadian dogs. Their entire lifestyle is different – they live outside where they can come and go as they like and are usually employed in protecting the property and their family. In short, they don’t play with toys, they don’t do tricks, they easily block out any noises that would assist you in getting their attention, and they are not accustomed to being ‘posed’ in any sort of fashion. But, it was a challenge we were going to take up.
I wish I had the space to share with you all of the ‘outtakes’ that happened before this image was finally created. We had tongues sticking out, faces turned away, doggie bums toward the camera and one fall into a very thorny bush (ouch!). But, in the end, my camera tells me that it took only 1/200 of a second to get this. Makes it sound easy-peasy, right? 😉
We ended the high energy session in the blazing sun (read: very HOT) with this…a beautiful statement on the relationship the three dogs share with their people.
Would you like to immortalize your ‘pack’ in a family portrait? We can do that in Canada too! See our Investment page for your options and then contact Posh Pets Photography here. Hope to welcome you to the Posh Pets family soon!
Jan 17, 2014
We at Posh Pets love senior pets! There is something about the senior furry faces amongst us that is so endearing. It’s the maturity and calmness that comes from having seen it all before that allows them to slow down and enjoy the moment. The loyalty, trust and love they have for their human family and the fondness they have for routine. Somehow, they have made peace with the world and are happy with their place in it.
On a gorgeous fall afternoon last year (I am a little behind on blogging client sessions!), I had the privilege of travelling to Picton, Ontario to photograph two beautiful ladies. It was the halfway point between Toronto and their home in Ottawa. I am somewhat ashamed to say that I have lived in Southern Ontario almost all of my life and driven the highway to Quebec more times than I can remember, but I have never gotten off the highway and explored Prince Edward County. It is absolutely stunning and I will definitely be going back!
Amidst all of that beauty, I met Kona and Finn who are 11 and 13 years old respectively. Age is never kind to people or dogs, and their mom had warned me of the challenges that lie ahead. Kona has a bit of an obsession over shadows and reflections…anything that flickers can hold her attention for long periods of time and it can be difficult to break it. Finn is almost deaf and has a combination of a heart murmur and weak legs which meant we needed to take our time and go at her pace. Truthfully, their mom was worried we would have a hard time getting any sort of decent images.
As is often the case with pets, they prove us wrong – Kona and Finn were amazing. We were out on the water for some of the session, and while the afternoon sun hitting the water caught Kona’s attention a couple of times, it was nothing we couldn’t manage. And Finn was a trooper, showing off her best smile for the world to see. Come see some of the beautiful images that now grace their home…
We started on the dock and you Kona’s personality shone through – she is such a ham! I think she is actually smirking at me in this image.
Finn took her professional portrait session very seriously, showing me how gorgeous she is.
Nothing quite like feeling the sun on your face, eh Finn?
Then it was Kona’s turn for a professional portrait…with a little lean just to make it more ‘her’.
They have a beautiful relationship with each other. At this age, you have to cherish the moment and take in the beauty of the world around you.
The splendour of Fall!
Finn showed us her best smile…
…while Kona decided to mix it up and make sure I got a full show of her best howl.
And, finally, this beautiful black and white art piece of Kona showing the world that THIS is how you run.
One final note – I have a lot of clients who want images when Southern Ontario bursts into full colour, usually during a small window of time in late September and October. As a result, those Sessions dates are popular and are booked quickly. If you are thinking of a Fall Portrait Session for your furry faces, now is the time to contact Posh Pets and reserve your date. I look forward to meeting you all!
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 10, 2014
This week’s Project 52 theme was Joy. And, we at Posh Pets believe that there is probably nothing more joyous than a dog enjoying the wind in his hair, running around with his beloved ball! Plus, this image shows green grass and beautiful sun – given the past few weeks we have endured in Toronto, it brings me great joy to just see something other than ice, snow and cold! I hope it brings you some joy too!
As you may already know, this is a blog circle where each pet photographer interprets the given theme in their own way. Next in the blog circle is Emily Fuss Photography in Sarasota, Florida. Please click through to see what joy she found this week!
Dec 31, 2013
Brrrrrr! It was cold out there in Posh Pets‘ land yesterday. Add to that, the ice and snow everywhere and we had a recipe for wiggly butts (human and animal)! But, we had beautiful sunlight from the setting sun which lit up the small area where we photographed all of the available and up-and-coming adoptables this week. What a way to end our last session of 2013!
These beautiful guys and girls are all available from Toronto Animal Services – North Region and would love to meet you. The cat adoption room was hopping with people yesterday (always a good thing!), so we didn’t have an opportunity to photograph any of our precious felines this week. We’ll be back though…
See you all next year!
Dec 23, 2013
It’s on the lips of everyone you meet today – questions about this weekend’s Ice Storm. “Did you lose power? Have you got back your power? Did you see the trees? How is your car?” It certainly caused havoc, inconvenience and for some who are still waiting for the lights to come back on, at this point, it is far beyond that. To all of the crews who are working feverishly around the clock to get everyone back on the grid and all of those who are still affected and patiently waiting, thank you! (Toronto Hydro is updating their twitter feed regularly as the work progresses. You can follow them here.)
Here at Posh Pets‘ HQ, we lost power for approximately 6 hours yesterday. We consider ourselves one of the fortunate ones. In that time (during daylight hours), our home became uncomfortably cool. We can only imagine what it is like for the people and pets in the homes across the city where they are still without power and have had to go through 2 nights in darkness, no heat and not even the opportunity for a warm cup of tea or a hot meal. We sincerely hope that friends and family have opened their doors and that everyone is safe!
Venturing outside yesterday for about 20 minutes was enough to convince us that we needed to stay inside. Trees were creaking, power lines sparking, branches falling…it was hard to even walk without risking a nasty tumble. However, we did find some beauty amidst the chaos.
The first thing we noticed were the blades of grass poking out from under the snow were each covered in ice. Individually. It made for a very dimpled surface on the grassy areas.
The sheer weight of having every branch, every acorn, every leaf covered in a thick layer of ice was causing trees to split and branches to sheer off. The sound when they fell was incredible!
Nothing was exempt. These railings can take their time to melt and lose their icicles, but people’s cars cannot.
The sight of ice glistening in the daylight does have its own beauty.
Even the animals had to learn to cope. This little guy had only a frozen dinner for supper last night.
As bad as the weather outside might be, our pets still have to go. This beautiful senior (she’s 13!) and her human were being extra careful on the slippery sidewalks and ‘grass’.
Everywhere you looked, the City was enveloped in a layer of ice and fog.
So, there you have it – a tiny little summary from our part of the world. We hope that wherever you are and whatever you are doing, things are slowly getting back to normal. Everyone, please stay safe (and snuggle with your furry faces)!
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!
Oct 31, 2013
Are you an animal lover that enjoys a happy ending? Then I have a story for you!
For anyone who follows the Posh Pets‘ blog, it becomes pretty clear that I have a special spot in my heart for rescue and shelter animals. Each of those little furry faces are precious! And so, I volunteer with various organizations, taking pictures of their adoptables in the hopes that someone special will see their beautiful faces and give them a home. Truth is though, although each week many of the animals become someone’s pet, I often do not know what became of them. I choose to believe that they live out their lives in a home surrounded by love, warm, dry beds and full bellies…
So, it really warms my heart when someone reaches out to me and let’s me know how “my” adoptables are doing. That happened this week.
First of all, let me introduce you to this gorgeous guy…
I looked up my records and so I know that I first photographed him on the very last day of 2012, so December 31. As you can see, we had snow on the ground at Toronto Animal Services and I remember that we scooted outside briefly to photograph a lot of different doggies that day. But, just look at that face! He was beautiful and searching for the right home. Well, I am happy to share that he found it.
Sarah, who wrote to me this week, shared this…
Hi! My name is Sarah.
I was browsing your site and was very excited to discover that you actually photographed my dog Washburn (used to be Brock) back in January of this year when he was doing his, I think, first of two stays at TAS.
My heart skipped a beat at seeing his adoptable photo.
It was always in the back of my mind to contact someone that had contact with him about how much he’s changed both mine and my boyfriend’s life. When I saw his picture on your site I kinda clicked the contact button without thinking. We originally saw his picture on the TAS site when we were on our way to an adoption event and had thought he would be too big for our little apartment. (He was listed as a Shar pei/mastiff mix) Little did we know he was more pug than mastiff and a perfect little man. We haven’t looked back since he came into our lives.
I want to thank you for taking the time to give exposure to dogs like our little Wash. Without people like you these special animals would have a harder time finding their forever homes. I doubt I’d be able to do what you do as I would have to take everyone home with me 🙂
You’re simply amazing.
Awwww…Sarah, thank YOU! It was just about the nicest e-mail to receive. Sarah also included some lovely pictures of Washburn to show us how he is doing now. This is one happy furry face!
Photo Credit: © Sarah Sullivan
Image provided by Sarah Sullivan
Know any other animal lovers that could do with a little pick me up? Please share this story with them…you and they will be glad you did!
PS: If any of “my” other adoptables are out there…please feel free to reach out and say hi.
Oct 25, 2013
We returned from Italy last week to my favourite time of year. In case you haven’t noticed, Autumn is clearly upon us here in Southern Ontario and this season’s leaves have been spectacular! Especially, if you can photograph doggies in them. So, I was very excited to learn that our Project 52 theme for this week was “Fall/Autumn”.
What a gorgeous day it was on Sunday when I got to spend time with the beautiful Kona. She had such fun showing me all of her favourite places at the cottage…
She also treated us to her best imitation of a wolf howl (in response to my withholding the treats). Fall is just such a beautiful time of year…I can honestly say that it is my favourite season!
Next in our blog circle is Princeton New Jersey dog photography, Barking Lab Studio. Please travel around the circle and see what Fall looks like in New Jersey!
Oct 23, 2013
Well…the Posh Pets‘ gang is back! After spending 3 weeks in Italy (which was wonderful!), it is soooo nice to be home! In part, because it means that I got to see all of my furry faces at the shelter this week.
These bright, happy furry faces are available for adoption from Toronto Animal Services – North Region. Give them a call if you are interested in a meet-and-greet! Please take a look and share…
