Canada Archives - Pet Photography in Toronto by Posh Pets Photography

Spring Forward | Daylight Saving Time Guide for Pets

Mar 8, 2018

daylight saving time tips for dogs and cats

This Saturday evening, in Canada, we will officially begin daylight saving time (DST). Good news: That means Spring is just around the corner!

Now, the bad news: if you are anything like me, being robbed of an hour of my sleep, even just once a year, has me moaning, groaning, and struggling for a few days. At least we know why we are suddenly changing our schedule…what about the dogs and cats in our homes who see us alter our behaviours for no reason at all?

Why Daylight Savings Time affects us all, including pets

Dogs and cats will not be checking the clock, but they will certainly feel the effects. Why? Simply put, it is all about you. After all, a change in your routine, or a hiccup in your schedule, can affect your pets.

Our pets are creatures of habit and their habits keep them happy, calm, and comfortable. Their lives revolve around you; they love you, you are their world. Rising even 60 minutes earlier, where the natural cues of how much morning light is available, tell them something is different. Certainly, receiving breakfast earlier is a sure sign that something is off.

It’s also important to remember that our pets are are incredibly intuitive: your stress is their stress. Just a small amount of frustration or time-change slump can set your poor guy and girl reeling for the rest of the day feeding of your emotions and even thinking that he did something to upset you.

So, the best thing you can do to help your pets make it through daylight savings is to quickly and smoothly adjust your own schedule.

How to make the transition smoother

This is a hard one. Go to bed at least half an hour earlier. It will give you a leg up on the hour you’ll be robbed on Sunday morning. It might cramp your style on Saturday night, but you will be much happier come the next day.
Wake up when your alarm goes off even if you didn’t manage the extra sleep you were hoping for. It is easy to hit the snooze button thinking that it is only Sunday. But, you will only be delaying the pain until Monday morning, and no one wants that.
Eat breakfast and drink some coffee if that is your normal routine. The fuel gets your metabolism and brain going.
Stick to your routine. Even if you feel the drag of that missed hour out of your day, actively think of your pet and how your decisions will affect them.
Get a little exercise. Of course, take your dog for his normal walk. But adding just a few minutes of exercise, will have your heart pumping and energize you for the day ahead.
Go to bed another extra half-hour on Sunday night. That will leave you ready to transition on Monday morning.

So, as appealing as it is to drag through the day blaming it all on that missed hour of sleep, don’t do it! Lace up your walking shoes, grab the pet toys, put a smile on your face. Daylight Saving Time is here…get ready to spring forward!

A Final Trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake | Heritage Session™

Aug 15, 2017

When I first heard from Buddy’s mum it was with a mixture of excitement and sadness. Buddy came all the way from Pennsylvania for what would be his final trip to Canada – a dog bucket list of sorts. He was facing some serious health issues and his mum wanted to enjoy travelling with him one more time. Niagara-on-the-Lake was chosen as the backdrop for this special occasion.

Niagara on the Lake dog bucket list photography session

As you can see above, we took some portraits on what is arguably one of the prettiest streets in the Niagara region.

From there, we moved to enjoy a picnic in the park. Buddy put on his best tie and brought a blanket. They spent some quiet moments together reminiscing about what a great life he had led.

He even brought his best friends to join in the fun!

But a new park is a place to explore and sniff. Even have a little run. But, most of all, times like these are reasons to smile.

Buddy still loved to get his feet wet in the gentle surf, so we spent some time on the little beach.

corgi dog playing in the water in Canada

All too soon it was time to go home. A short while later, I received a note from his mum saying that Buddy was gone. I cried. This beautiful boy who had brought so much joy to his family was no more.

I was even more touched when she ended her note with the following:

“Through all of this my mother and I have said many times we do not know what we would do without your photos. After they were taken, he started to deteriorate rapidly. He looks so wonderful, healthy, and happy in them and that is the way we hope to remember him.

Thank you for everything.”

Run free Buddy. Always.

For more information on Posh Pets Heritage™ Sessions, see below.

POSH PETS® HERITAGE SESSIONS

Celebrating the life, love and legacy of your pet. ™

High-priority sessions are reserved for pets that become ill or are simply elderly. We make every effort to schedule these on short notice and work within their restrictions.
An opportunity to take time out of your busy schedule to spend some quality time together, celebrate the life you have shared and create images you will treasure forever.
Please note: The Creative Fee covers time and talent to photograph a maximum of four (4) subjects, which can be any combination of people and up to two (2) pets who live within the same household. Additional subjects may be photographed for a small additional fee.
More information can be found here.

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An Event for Toronto’s Cat Lovers!

Apr 6, 2016

We know that Toronto is a great city of pet lovers. There is no doubt that we have lots of Posh Pups, but did you know that there are more than 25,000 licensed cats in our fair City? That is a whole lot of cat lovers! So, it only makes sense that the national launch of the 2016 CFHS Just for Cats Video Festival happens right here in Toronto. And, it all takes place on Thursday, April 14, 2016.

According the press release for the event, “The CFHS Just for Cats Video Festival was created in 2014 as a national initiative to increase the welfare of Canada’s Cats and enhance the human-cat bond. It is the only series of national festivals exclusively dedicated to cats and their welfare and is set to take place in 16+ locations across Canada in 2016. Since its inception, the Just for Cats Video Festival has raised $210,000 for cat welfare in Canada.”

So, if you love your cat and spend your days watching cute cat videos on the internet, then you should mark April 14, 2016 as a date with lots of other like-minded people in the City. And, just in case you didn’t think it could get any better…

Photo courtesy of www.lilbub.com

Lil BUB will make her first-ever Canadian appearance in Toronto!

VIP headliner this year is none other than Lil BUB who is travelling (with her Dude, Mike Bridavsky) all the way from Indiana to Toronto for her first-ever Canadian appearance to help raise money for shelter animals in Canada. This little lady is one remarkable kitty. She has raised over $400,000 for shelter and rescue animals and has 1.2 million completely smitten followers on Instagram who know it.

Her story is one that needs to be told. Born to a feral mother in rural Indiana, she was diagnosed with dwarfism, which gives her the appearance of being a ‘perma-kitty’. Her lower jaw is smaller than her upper jaw and she has no teeth. She was then diagnosed with the only case of Osteopetrosis in a cat, an extremely rare bone condition. But, she has overcome all of that to be able to tell her story, author two books, star in her own talk show and TV special, participate in ground-breaking genetic research, become a recording artist, and…help her fellow felines!

Photo courtesy of www.lilbub.com

Got Questions? Tell me!

It seems that Lil BUB is pretty excited to be visiting Canada for the first time. The press release quotes her human companion, Mike, as saying,

“BUB and I have been wanting to make a trip to Canada for many years now, and this will be her first international appearance. We are thrilled to finally be able to meet BUB’s Canadian fans, help raise funds to help as many Canadian cats as possible, and of course to watch brilliant cat videos on the big screen.”

I will have the opportunity to meet and interview Lil BUB herself (well, I do expect Mike to do most of the talking). Any burning questions you would want to know the answer to? Leave your questions in the comments below and I’ll do my best to get those answered.

So….do you want a chance to screen some awesome cat videos, meet Lil BUB, take a selfie, and receive some great swag? Then get over here to purchase your VIP Tickets for the main event. There are only 100 tickets available and when they are gone, they are gone! See you all there!

Introducing…Posh Pups in the City™ – Toronto Edition!

Jan 13, 2016

No doubt about it – Posh Pets® Photography loves our home city, Toronto. It’s a great city full of great dogs, cats, and their people. It’s busy and vibrant and boasts an easily identifiable skyline. And, it simply looks spectacular in photographs!

To celebrate our home city, we’ve been working on a project for some time now – finding a way to incorporate that awesome cityscape into images with YOUR dogs. We’ve been quietly scoping out locations and enlisting the help of many urban pups and their intrepid humans.

This has not always been easy. As you know, the Toronto skyline boasts one of the tallest buildings in the world, the CN Tower. Finding a perspective that will allow me to place a sitting dog who is about 12 inches high, in the same frame as a 1,815.4 ft building can be a challenge. Even large breeds are not really all that big when you place them beside architecture.

These images celebrate that truly quintessential urban pup. You know the one…they embrace the city lifestyle. They know their neighbourhood…Uptown, downtown, the Annex, The Beach, Cabbage Town, Liberty Village…you get the idea. Toronto is their home. Or, they lived here at one point and haven’t forgotten their roots.

If you are looking to create a Posh Pups in the City™ image(s) in your Boutique Session, then you are in the right place. You might have a location in mind, or we can research and explore an awesome spot together. We will create something that you will be happy to display on your wall for years to come! Let’s do this…

PS: If you have an urban feline that loves the outdoors, does well on a leash, we would absolutely love to meet them too. Posh Cats in the City™…why not? Me-ow!

Gus – Boutique Session | Toronto Dog Photographer

Dec 14, 2015

Do you have one incredible portrait of your dog or cat? Often when I ask that, the answer to that question is, simply, no.

It is an important question. Most of us have a lot of fun shots documenting everyday life on a smartphone. Those funny, little moments. But, how many of us own an amazing fine art image that showcases your pet’s personality and would be worthy of being displayed on a wall in your home or cottage? Or, one that celebrates the relationship and life you’ve created with your pet at a particular moment of their life? Those images are precious, especially once that phase of your dog’s life (be it puppyhood, the prime of their life, or the senior years) have passed. And, it is what Posh Pets™ Photography specializes in.

It’s how I came to meet Gus on a drizzly afternoon. It had threatened rain all morning, but we decided to go ahead with the session, mostly because Gus was soon going to be moving south to the United States. His human told me later that he looked at a number of pet photographers, but wanted more than just a ‘head shot’…he wanted a portrait of Gus. So, please meet Gus, a beautiful wheaten terrier with a selection of his Autumn portraits.

The leaves had mostly fallen off the trees, but the colours on the ground made Gus’ coat look stunning. We went for a walk in his favourite park – the only strange part to Gus was that we kept stopping to create an image every so often. He was more than happy to do so, as long as there was adequate ‘compensation’ in the form of yummy treats!

He’s such a happy boy, but I was told that Gus’ greatest quality was his loyalty. He loves his family fiercely. It also became apparent that he can strike a pose…I mean, just look at that sexy leg. 😉

And, he can also pull off a great head tilt.

Of course, we ended the session with the requisite ‘head shot’, capturing Gus’ gorgeous eyes.

In the end, Gus’ family purchased two beautiful wall portraits and a gorgeous folio box, filled with art prints. The portraits will take their place beside the portraits of Gus’ predecessor.

Has this whet your appetite to create gorgeous images of your furry family member? If so, and you would like to arrange a session with Posh Pets™ Photography, the place to start is here.

Murphy, Parker & Wally – We Are Family! | Ontario Dog Photographer

Feb 25, 2015

I have a little Posh Pets secret to tell…I love photographing multiple-dog families. There is something about the energy that they bring to a session that is infectious. A dog will always show his or her true self when surrounded by their furry buddies and it is a lovely challenge to capture that for their humans. Family sessions can be high-energy, tiring fun for all involved (I’ve always considered it a successful session when I receive an e-mail or text from the humans indicating that all of the furry faces slept well on the ride back home…), but it creates amazing images!

So, of course, I was thrilled when I found out that I would be meeting Murphy, Parker and Wally. Murphy is a boxer and Parker a boxer puppy. And then there is the awesome Wally, a petit dachshund who, despite the challenges of having much shorter legs, valiantly strives to keep up with his sisters. During our pre-session consultation, we chose a great location full of possibilities and set an early morning date to go have some fun! I am so excited to share some of those images with you today on the Posh Pets blog…

To begin with, here is the image that mom and dad really wanted, but were not sure we could create – all 3 furry faces in a portrait together. It’s safe to say that when they saw the first proofs from their Session, they were so excited to choose this one to enlarge for their wall at home. Once printed BIG, it is truly stunning!

3 dogs on the beach

We got some gorgeous single portraits amongst the splendor that is Autumn in Canada. Look at that yummy back-light!

dachshund on the bridge boxer dog standing on a log boxer dog posing on a log

And we played on the beach and in the water, as everyone was up for it. (This is always an option during a Posh Pets Boutique Session. But it is not a requirement. If your dogs don’t enjoy water, we definitely don’t need to go in. It something we discuss during the pre-session consultation.) This results in happy, but dirty doggies!

dog running on beach dog in lake water two boxer dogs playing on the shoreline puppy running through the water

Finding a stick to share was just a bonus!

toronto-best-dog-photographer toronto-best-pet-photographer

And finally, another beautiful family portrait…

oakville-dog-family-photographer

In the end, Murphy, Parker and Wally have a beautiful Folio Box full of gorgeous fine art matted prints and stunning wall art to call their own. I have it on good authority, that they are rather pleased. 🙂

Thinking of a session for your furry family? Your first step is to contact me here.

National Black Dog Day – Cinder | Canada Shepherd Dog Photographer

Oct 1, 2014

Welcome to October! And, if you haven’t heard, October 1st is National Black Dog Day. Why a day celebrating black dogs? Well, it seems that there are those who feel that dark coloured furry faces are not as beautiful or friendly as their light-coloured counterparts. But, we at Posh Pets know nothing could be further from the truth!

It seems appropriate then to share these lovely images of the gorgeous and aptly-named Cinder. She lives in Yellowknife, NWT, so she is an ‘arctic dog’. She also has the head tilt down pat and it does indeed render the humans powerless. black shepherd with head tilt

Cinder is a fun-loving girl who wants nothing more to than to run and play with you. She is quite young, so she is still learning all of her manners, but she definitely knows her commands (both verbal and hands) and will win you over with her gorgeous smile.

black head shepherd in the fall colours

Throw a stick and Cinder will always bring it back. And look at the beautiful backdrop she has to explore! This is one happy dog!

shepherd dog running

At the end of it all, Cinder will always be happy to pose for you!

shepherd dog portrait So get out there and enjoy the outdoors with whatever colour your furry face is! And if you know any dark-coloured beauties, give them a hug 🙂