We just love what we do. And we’re always so pleased when our clients do too!
Recently I received a gift from a client. We met Michelle when we had a session with her “gray dogs,” Hagen & Pearl this summer. She is the owner of Gray Dog Originals.., a pottery company that makes all things whimsical!
I was just so pleasantly surprised by my gift – this delightful wine stopper! Thanks Michelle! And hugs to Hagen & Pearl!
We photographed a slew of dachshunds at the Leesburg Canine Country Club. This feisty fellow found the over-sized frisbee to be no match!
Just 4 short months ago we had the joy of a fall session with two lovely cocker spaniels, Amelie and Beau. The shoot was a special one because both dogs had been adopted late in life by their forever humans, Denise and Lyle.
They came to Denise and Lyle’s home just a short year before our session. Amelie, age 11 at adoption and Beau, age 7, had finally found their forever home. You can read the original post from their session here.
While I generally use my own words to express sympathy on the loss of someone’s pet I feel this time, Amelie’s human Denise, does a far more eloquent and heartfelt job than I could ever do.
On March 15th I received this sad and gracious note from Denise:
Dear Bev & Don
I can’t begin to tell you how much we love our photo session pictures, canvases, and the gorgeous Dream Book! We can’t stop looking at them and remembering what a fun day it was for all of us.
I am so glad we did this, because we now have sad and devastating news to share. Amelie has been diagnosed with cancer. It has already metastisized to her lymph nodes and lungs. At this point, she is still eating, and wagging her tail and the tumors in her lungs haven’t affected her breathing, but we know it’s only time. We have decided to go ahead with 3 courses of mild radiation and chemo to shrink the tumor in her throat and hopefully extend her quality of life, but we know that it is only a question of keeping her comfortable.
Needless to say we are devastated and I have no words to express my sorrow.
I just wanted to thank you both for making the photo session experience a wonderful and memorable one. Don, your enthusiasm during our first meeting all the way through our order pick up was such a delight. Bev, you are an amazing artist, and we had such an amazing time the day of the photo shoot! Because of your talent and vision, we have a gift for life. We will always be so very happy we made the decision to go to the farm and have the incredible photo shoot! We will have those memories forever.
Denise
Just two short weeks later that email was followed by this one:
Dear Bev & Don
We lost our darling girl this morning at 12:20am. She had a wonderful Saturday, but Sunday and Monday were not to be. She became so lethargic, and didn’t want to eat. I wasn’t sure if it was the effects of chemo, but I really knew time was limited. By Monday evening, she was pretty exhausted, just sleeping and then around 10 pm she had either a small seizure, or maybe a mini stroke. It was just seconds, and she came out of it, but we knew it was bad news. It was most likely lack of oxygen to the body/brain or even the tumor having spread to the brain. Her breathing had become labored and we had to take her into the emergency vet and finally let her go. She was in my arms the entire time, and I held her for at least 30 minutes afterwards. I just couldn’t let her go. Finally, I had to . Beau was with us, and when we returned home, he searched the house and whined. It broke my heart.
I have no eloquent words and can’t begin describe the devastation I feel. I know you understand all to well.
Once again, I wanted to thank you for giving us lasting memories of our beautiful Amelie. I will always be so thankful that I decided to go all out and do the farm photo session! The three canvas’ are prominently displayed in our living room, and this morning, I pulled out the Dream Book and realized that I have a magnificent reminder of that beautiful day in November when our girl was at her best. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Love,
Denise
I can only add our heartfelt sympathy and wondrous thanks to these beautiful people who found room in their hearts for two senior dogs. I know Amelie was so deeply loved and is so sadly missed.
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We met Rusty this past weekend when his human brought him for a morning session at Tranquility Farm. Rusty, almost 8, is a very, very typical hound!
Nose to the ground, I think he thought he was in heaven with all the scents my barn studio must offer up to the exquisite canine olfactory apparatus. Especially when that apparatus is at the tip of a scent hound’s nose!
Rusty came to live with his human at 15 months of age after he, all of his litter mates, and his mom, were relinquished to a rescue group by a rabbit hunter who had tired of this particular group of dogs. This practice, of ridding a kennel of unwanted hunters, is not uncommon. In fact it is particularly common in Spain where hunters use “Galgos,” or Spanish greyhounds to hunt each season. Their fate is often a gruesome one should they be deemed unworthy of being kept around until the next season.
Much to Rusty’s delight – he found the mother lode! Much loved and equally adored and pampered, he has been in his forever home for some time now. We love the fact that not only did he find an awesome life and human, he went from being an “accessory dog,” to being such a member of the family that he had his portrait taken!
We usually start our barn sessions with light that is a bit more forgiving as the dog settles into the process. Rusty was a quick study and we were soon shifting to more dramatic light. We started on the barn wood…
Then, after letting Rusty fling himself about the studio for a while…
…we asked him to work again after showing us his “moves” and we moved onto the old braided rug in the studio..
And finally, after a lighting check with our trusty owl, we asked him to really work for a bit of dramatic light.. He did not disappoint. Thanks Rusty for a lovely morning. We loved your beagle spirit!
Join us at the 2010 NBC 4 Health and Fitness Expo, Saturday, January 16th and
Sunday, January 17th from 9am to 5pm each day at the Walter E. Washington
Convention Center. Log onto www.nbcwashington.com for details.
We will be joining our great friends at Nova Dog Magazine in the “Safe & Healthy Pet Pavillion” Booth 2210.
Please stop by and say hi!
