Furrie Fotographie

Sneak Peek with Angus!

2011-12-29T21:29:00.003-05:00

Angus is a sweet, 8 year old Great Dane who I had the honor of meeting (and photographing) just before Christmas!

Isn't he striking?!

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. Angus only has three legs. He just had to have one of them amputated this fall. But that doesn't stop him one bit! I know these two photos aren't perfect... however, I wanted to show how much fun Angus still has romping about!

Angus gets up close and personal!

Crazy tongue face!

Hi Angy! : )

Getting some scratches... Mmmm... scraaaatches... Who doesn't love a good scratchin'!?

Hanging out with Mom!

Love!

Headin' out of Alpine Groves after an exciting afternoon!

Thank you Angus for spending some time with me. You are in my thoughts!

Ziggy's Sneak Peek!

2011-12-06T16:52:00.005-05:00

I had so much fun playing with and photographing Ziggy last weekend! He's a 6 month old black lab/great dane mix with such a happy face! Everyone who meets Ziggy instantly falls in love... including his mom who adopted him when he was just a wee thing!

Ziggy wasn't entirely sure about the camera at first... but then I tempted him out with some yummy treats!

Ziggy loves to play "eat the leaves"!

"Catch me if you can!"

I love this one... with the sun shining right on Ziggy! : )

PLAY!

And relaxing for just a minute!

I bet he slept well that evening! : )

Kaylob's Sneak Peek

2011-12-04T13:16:00.002-05:00

Kaylob is a five year old puggle who loves the beach... but not the water! He just loves the squishy sand between his toes! I got to meet Kaylob and his mom for a photo session last weekend. Here they are!

Kaylob stole Santa's hat!! Wonder what he'll be getting in his stocking this year? ; )

Enjoying a walk!

More beach time!

Apparently, Kaylob likes the feel of sand on his nose too!

Kisses for mom... even if he has to do acrobatics!

Berkley's Sneak Peek!

2011-11-28T21:50:00.003-05:00

I got to spend Saturday afternoon with Berkley and his pawrents this weekend! Berkley is a lively and fun 2 year old black lab whose mom and dad love him very much! He's also very handsome as you can see!

I think he was a little excited about treats! Or maybe it was a ball...

I think it was treats! : )

Posing for the camera!

Gettin' some love from mom!

The whole family!

We sat around in the grass, relaxing. It was a gorgeous day!

Another family photo!

Berkley likes football!

It was a fun day and I bet Berkley slept well later that night!

Flopsy and Mopsy's Sneak Peek!

2011-11-25T16:19:00.003-05:00

I had a second photo session last weekend, Flopsy and Mopsy! They are seriously adorable and there were so many cute photos! Here are a few of my favorites!

Meet Flopsy!

And Mopsy!

Flopsy had a fun hairdo!

Mopsy loooooves belly rubs!

Run Flopsy, run!

Love his "snaggle tooth" on the right here...

Mopsy hangs out...

With their pawrents!

My favorite breed

2011-11-23T10:12:00.002-05:00

is Rescued.

Working for the National Park Service, I see a lot of abandoned pets. Many of us here have pets that were found within the park. I have found homes for others. And yet others wind up in shelters or who knows what else considering that there is an abundance of wildlife in this area including rattlesnakes, hawks, foxes, etc.

Last night someone tied this little guy up to the entrance gate and left him.

LOOK at that face! He is a total sweetheart too! One of my coworkers took him in to the vet where he got a pill to take care of the plethora of fleas eating him up. And he is going to take him home with the hope that his girlfriend will let "Rosco" become their third dog (one of who came from here as well). Good thing... or I might have been tempted myself. He looks like baby Max! Max came from the park too...

Seriously, I wish people would love and take care of their pets. I really don't understand dumping. If you can't take care of your animal, then at the very least, take them to a shelter where they will be safe and have a chance of finding a home.
I know I'm preaching to the choir...

Titan's Sneak Peek!

2011-11-22T13:28:00.008-05:00

Titan is a gorgeous (almost) 3 year old Doberman who I got to meet and photograph this weekend. I had never been to Alpine Groves Park in Switzerland but it definitely lived up to the wonderful things I had heard about it!

Introducing Titan!

What's that you say? He doesn't look like any Dobie you've ever seen? That's because he's an albino Doberman, which is very rare... but quite beautiful in my opinion!

Titan is such a good boy with his new little sister. She's only 3 months old and already has her own pony/dog!

Nose to nose!

Titan was amazing! He is like a squirrel, climbing up on trees and posing!

Look at that majestic stance! His dad said this was a magazine cover shot... I think so too! : )

Gorgeous!

And just so you don't think we spent the whole time posing... we did some playing and treat eating too!

I have to close with my favorite kind of shot... the nose! Titan has that fabulous pink nose and he wants to show me!

My husband always says that someday he wants a Dobie... now I want one that looks like Titan! : )

Maybelle's Sneak Peek

2011-09-13T19:15:00.003-04:00

I had the honor of meeting Maybelle this past weekend. She is gorgeous and super sweet as well! I truly had a hard time picking just a few photos for her sneak peek...

This was her "spot". A sandy patch in the driveway... I'm sure it was nice and cool there. She certainly looks comfy!

But then she looks pretty comfy out in the yard too!

Maybelle goes lizard hunting!

After a bit, we walked just one door down to a creek with frogs! What a beautiful area to live near... and what fun for Maybelle to look for frogs too!
LOVE the happy face she is making here on the left! : D

Sitting pretty.

After the creek, and a water break at home, we drove over to Fishweir Park.
She seemed to enjoy the ride!

The park was nice with wide open spaces and big trees! Maybelle definitely had a nice time there too!

And finally home again, to relax on the couch after a long morning of modeling!

Foxy Roxy and Razzle Dazzle

2011-08-13T12:53:00.006-04:00

Rox and Raz are beautiful kitties who came into their mom's life when she needed them most and they needed her as well! They actually live in Tennessee but spend summers with mom and their grandparents in Jacksonville.

Mom is a vegan and the kitties normally also follow the rules but their grandparents like to spoil them (of course!). Here we see Roxy's reaction to the opened can of salmon and shrimp wet cat food!

And posing pretty. I love her beautiful tortoiseshell coloring!

Raz liked to be petted but was not thrilled with my camera. We hung out for awhile and she finally relaxed enough to let me get this pretty shot of her looking out the screened patio. Check out the tufts of fur on the tips of her ears... fabulous!

She is really a gorgeous kitty, like her sister!

I enjoyed my afternoon with Rox and Raz! Hope you enjoy the photos! : )

Belated

2011-08-13T12:44:00.003-04:00

Violet has joined the world!
Born May 30, 2011 at 7:50 am. Weighing 6 pounds, 4 ounces and 19 inches long.
Photos by Bliss Photography!

Before:

And at 8 days old:

First hat knitted by mommy

One wall of her amazing bedroom, drawn and painted by my talented husband!

Sneak Peek With Elby!

2011-05-28T11:37:00.005-04:00

Elby, the adorable, is a Lhasa Apso rescue! He is quite the charming man and he loves wrestling with his Boxer girlfriend, Raisin. : )

Elby stops to enjoy the flowers...

Look at that darling nose!

No... they aren't actually wrestling here. Elby and Raisin either were camera shy or it was a little too hot out for them. We really tried to get them to do their usual but no luck. They sure are cute together though!

"What do you mean you want me to go back out into the yard to play? It's HOT out there!"

"See? This is much better... nice and cool on the couch!"

The many faces of Elby!

Jackson and Cali's Sneak Peek

2011-04-21T18:44:00.007-04:00

Sunday was a gorgeous morning and I got to spend time with Jackson, an adorable three year old puggle, and Cali, a gorgeous four year old boston/beagle mix. Not only are they best buds and inseparable but they also brought their mom and dad together too! What a perfect lil family!

We started off at Mickler Beach and it was so much fun to watch the pups frolic about.
Cali:

Jackson:

Cali wants her ball... love how her tongue is just poking out!

And Jackson wants my squeaky dino cuz. Everyone loves a cuz!

Jackson poses pretty:

LOVE Cali's ears!

After the beach, we headed over to the doggie park to continue the fun!
Jackson bringing in a tennis ball:

And still wanting the dino cuz!

Cali sitting pretty!

And the two pups hanging out before the day was over. I bet those two had a nice nap when they got home! : )

Nala's Sneak Peek!

2011-03-20T19:16:00.002-04:00

Nala is a gorgeous, fun-loving two year old chocolate lab. Her dad's birthday was this week (Happy Birthday, Dad!!) so her mom wanted to get photos taken for him. I took a ton and it was hard to pick just a few for the blog!

Pretty girl:

Nala love, love, LOVES her ball! I think she'd do just about anything if you'd just throw it for her...

I'm such a sucker for the happy puppy, nose in the camera shot. I'm pretty sure she was chasing me for her ball! : )

More grinning pup shots!

Nala was my supermodel in the afternoon and it has been heating up here lately... so we finally decided it would be okay for her to cool off a little.

Look at that leap!!

I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek as much as I enjoyed my time with Nala and her mom!

Good News and Bad News

2011-03-20T12:52:00.006-04:00

So... I'll start with the bad... that way we end on a happy note! : )

The reason my blog has fallen so terribly behind and there have been no posts in ages is because I have been sick. Sick in bed for several months... no working, no knitting, no reading. Not even any watching tv. That's how sick I was. I lost a lot of weight and even ended up in the hospital one night for dehydration.

Good news? I'm not quite so sick anymore. I am still on a couple meds for nausea but I have now put back on the weight I lost and have gained an additional 30 more! What?! 30 pounds??
It's all because I'm carrying around a BABY!

Soon Chris and I will be adding Violet Carlin Pellicer to our furrie family! I am due June 7th... although I'm sure she'll decide herself when she's ready to come out and play. Chester is either getting her excited with all his barking or freaking her out!

And more good news! I will have a sneak peek ready by tonight for you to see. Nala the chocolate lab was my first photo shoot since I've been back on my feet! Boy, oh boy were my legs sore for a couple days! She's gorgeous though and lots of fun and I can't wait to share! So stay tuned...

And because a blog post isn't complete without a photo, may I present Miss Violet at a checkup last month!

Charlie and Archie's Day Out!

2010-10-04T19:30:00.005-04:00

I've been a terrible blogger lately and I know I owe you all lots of photos!
Today I have a story with a happy ending to share along with the pictures!

This is Charlie:

And this is Charlie's brother, Archie:

Charlie, who is a 14 year old bichon, was out on his daily walk with his dad and Archie when he seemed to trip and fall. Unfortunately it wasn't just Charlie being clumsy; he had a stroke. But Charlie (and his dad) were determined and even though Charlie was completely paralyzed on one side, they worked on physical therapy for him. Soon enough, he was walking again but the tops of his little feet would get twisted around so he was walking on them. With a little protection on his feet, shoes that kept the tops from getting scraped up, he was back to short walks with dad and Archie.

When I saw him a few days before our photo shoot, I was amazed at how well he's getting around! He's not quite back to 100% and he seems to get tired after a bit but he's walking right and even trotting some when he sees something that gets him excited!

Charlie and Archie, happy at the dog park!

And not to leave Archie out of the story, Archie was a rescue that his dad found in our neighborhood. I hate that people dump their pets but Archie got a great dad out of the deal!

Archie wants a treat!

Charlie! Look at that grin!

I love Charlie's cotton fur that looks like the clouds in the sky!

Archie, worn out after playing with the other doggies:

And after a nice cool drink. Love the drool... and his muddy legs! Archie got right in there with the big dogs, playing in the muck by the pond!

Charlie wants to know if the camera is tasty!

And I couldn't resist... this is our bichon, Professor, with Charlie! They are buddies!

Video coming soon!

2010-07-30T21:44:00.004-04:00

I designed and ordered a Flip Slide!!

That means I'll be able to shoot and share video soon! Yay!!

I know I'm way behind on posting photos... promise to get some up asap! I went to NYC earlier this month and got to shoot pugs! Weeee! : )

I also found a home for Bella, a doggie I found at the national park where I work and brought home. I'll have to tell you her whole story soon too!

“Saving just one animal won’t change the world, but it surely will change the world for that one animal.” Richard C. Call

2010-06-17T13:19:00.004-04:00

Founded in 2008, Friends of Jacksonville Animals is an amazing organization. I have had first hand experience with their "adoption promotion" with Chester but they do much more as well, from giving medical supplies to the shelters and helping families who would like to adopt an animal who needs heartworm treatments to providing beds and toys for the animals. They are like my favorite character, The Lorax, in that they truly speak for the animals.

So when Glenys, a rescue advocate as well, approached me and asked if I would be willing to donate a gift certificate for a fundraiser at her office benefiting FOJA I was more than happy to oblige! I love any opportunity to help out my furrie friends and I knew any money raised for FOJA was going to do just that. The fundraiser was yesterday and today I received a wonderful email from Glenys!

I want you to know that all 9 dogs that FOJA brought here were adopted yesterday along with one (super cute) orange/white fluffy kitty. We raised about $3145 for them via the raffles and silent auction. They said that this was their most successful event ever as they normally only bring 6 dogs and if 2 get adopted, they felt that they did well. Well, we set a new bar for them! Thank you sooooo much for your donation. You will have to post the picture of the pet that won your wonderful gift certificate at the silent auction!

I saw photos of one of the pups up for adoption (I think Glenys was trying to get me to bring home a 5th dog!!) and he was seriously CUH-UTE! Black and white and just a baby at 6 months old. Thank goodness he found a home and I didn't have to go get him myself. Whew!

Now I wait in anticipation to meet the lucky winner of my gift certificate and his/her people!

Sneak Peek of Sadie, Basco, Charlie, and Skye!

2010-05-25T21:34:00.007-04:00

Sunday morning I met the most wonderful family: two caring humans and four, yes that's right FOUR, doggies!

I knew the day was going to go well when this was my very first shot:

This angle might not be everyone's cup o' tea but I LOVE the "I have a big head and a teeny body" look!

The whole fabulous family from left to right: Dad, Skye, Sadie, Mom, Charlie, and Basco.

Sadie's mom told me she was her first dog. She was working in a store, the kind with automatic doors, and one day in walked Sadie. By the end of the day she was still there so off she went to her new furever home! Who could ever leave a face like this??

This is Basco. BAsco. Not BOsco. Basco's daddy likes tobasco sauce... hence the super fun name! Basco was left by his previous owner in his mom's grandmother's neighborhood. After being fed for a few days, he finally allowed his new pawrents to take him home. He is such a sweetie pie - I just can't imagine how anyone could ever abandon any pet... but their loss was his gain!

Next we have Charlie. Charlie the chihuahua was named after Charlie in "All Dogs Go To Heaven"! He's just a tiny bit smaller than his namesake but just as loved as Charlie was by Anne-Marie! ; )

Boy was Charlie fast! I won him over with peanut butter treats and he'd let me pet him too but every time I pulled out the camera and blinked, he'd be gone! He finally slowed down enough to hang out with the 'rents!

And the newest member of the family, 7 month old Skye! Skye is a gorgeous and super playful blue-nosed pitbull. She has so much energy and loves to run, jump, chase toys, play in the sprinkler, and much more! I think we *almost* wore her out but she still held on to the chicken I brought for her! I promise it wasn't muddy when I gave it to her! hee hee...

This was so crazy to watch! Skye's dad has a rubber ring toy that Skye will grab and then her dad can swing her around and around! It's too bad I can't put this all in the corners of a book and flip the pages. So funny!

And I'll leave you with a "blooper". Skye doesn't hold on to the rubber rings forever... and you get a lot of momentum going when you are swinging around like that!

Oops! No puppies were harmed in the taking of these photographs...
: )

Newest Family Member

2010-05-07T20:31:00.007-04:00

On Saturday April 10, 2010 Fate intervened.

Just the day before I received my usual emails about local dogs/cats in need of homes. I've been on a couple mailing lists of that sort for awhile now. One of the emails included a flier showing 6 dogs at animal control, 3 of whom only had 48 hours to live. Friends of Jacksonville Animals was going to be showing the dogs at the Southside Petsmart the next day, hoping to find them homes. I admit to looking at the doggies, closing the email, and proceding to work the rest of that Friday. After all, I already had three dogs and two cats.

Saturday I had an eye appointment in the Town Center. I planned, still not thinking about the dogs awaiting death, to stop at the PetSmart there to pick up a few items for my photo shoot the next morning. However, I also had a hair appointment the same day and ended up not having enough time to run into PetSmart. After my hair appointment, my brain went on autopilot and I was halfway home before I remembered that I needed dog treats for the photo shoot! But I decided to come on home, gather up Max, and take him with me to the store. He loves to go for car rides!

I'm sure you can guess which PetSmart just happens to be closest to my house. Yes, Southside.

As we walked up, I actually saw a dog being adopted. I remembered the email about now and so I asked if she was one of the dogs in danger. Sure enough! Yay for that puppy! Max and I continued into the store and the woman whom I had asked about the pup asked if I was there to adopt one myself. I explained how many animals I already had and she quite understood! I went into the store and picked out my treats. But then I saw the dogs so I had to at least go give them a scratch behind the ear. One particular puppy was out and wearing a little cape that read, "Please adopt me". He was very sweet and seemed to like Max and was literally a puppy at about 10-ish months old. I still managed to go make my purchases and get in the car and start my drive home.

About halfway home, something in me snapped and I began to cry. Those puppies were so young and hadn't had a chance to live and they were going to be put down the next day! I called my husband, who is just as big a softie as I am, and he listened to me blabber on about the dogs. I got home and even opened the email with the flier again. It said the group would be there from 10 am until 2 pm. It was already 2:15.

I called the store and the person who answered thought the group might already be gone but he was kind enough to check for me. They were still there and planning to stay until 3! So, yes, I got back in my car and sped off to the store. I got there at 2:45. Jones, who we have named Chester after that Looney Tunes cartoon with Spike the Bulldog and Chester who always wanted to play, was still there. He was one of the three in danger, only one who had been adopted so far. I didn't have to think twice. I began filling out the paperwork to take him home with me. And thank goodness the other dog in danger was adopted out right then too or I might have had even more dogs in the house!

Anyway... meet Chester!
The first day I brought him home, playing with Max in the backyard:

Sniffin' things with the boys:

The next day... on the way to the dog park for the first time (at least that we know of):

Following Max around. We like to joke that *I* didn't get a new dog... Max got a new dog!

First bath after getting dirty at the park!

Worn out

Me and Chester!

Can you blame me for loving this face??

Chessy's butt... but it's such a pretty brindle bootie!

We discovered that Chester likes to "attack" water while trying to clean off the dog tracks all over the patio! The photos don't do it justice... hilarious!

Play time!

He loooooves his rope toy!

And, goodness, he can JUMP!

A rare moment caught on camera!

So... no more sending me emails of homeless animals. I just can't bring any more home but neither can I just let be. And I don't think I'm allowed at PetSmart on adoption days anymore (that just happens to be where we got both our cats from Lucky Cat Adoptions too)! But I love Chester even when he's driving me bonkers and I am soooo super happy that we saved him! I definitely recommend adoption if you are looking for a new furrie friend... plus if you adopt from a shelter and mention this blog post I'll give you a free 8x10 with your photo session! : )

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Sneak Peek for Kona and Sugar!

2010-05-07T17:41:00.005-04:00

Sugar and Kona are two very lucky labs!
Kona was adopted by her family just last year... as a puppy. And Sugar was brought home just a few weeks ago... at the mature age of 10! Both girls were from Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida (glancing at website and running away before I'm tempted to add a 5th dog to my own furrie family). They now belong to a fabulous furever family and have three kiddos to run and play with all day long! Yay!!

And now to introduce.... the girls!!

Look at those happy faces! I bet you can't even tell which is Kona the pup and which is Sugar the elder. I'll go ahead and tell you... Kona is the chocolate lab (although she might be mixed with a bit of weimaraner with those gorgeous eyes) and Sugar is the beautiful yellow lab!

Kona certainly has tons of energy. She had a great time with this kitty kuz!

I love tongue photos!

And apparently Kona is a burier... her mom had been wondering where all the bones she had given her went! She decided to share her secret hiding place while I was there:

Sugar is just like her name... sweet! Who could resist that adorable face?!

The girls' mom told me that the pups are "the heart of the family" and you can tell that each and every one of them loves Kona and Sugar so much!! Although Kona is getting a bath in that last shot... : )

And last... one of my favorites... Hugs!

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Gordo's Sneak Peek

2010-04-24T19:01:00.005-04:00

Last weekend I met ~~Morris~~ Gordo the cat!
Gordo was a bit on the shy side and even after petting him, giving him a handknit catnip mouse, and even feeding him some treats he still wanted to squish himself under the entertainment center like this:

But with more time and coaxing, Gordo decided maybe I was kinda okay enough to go into his tube. These tubes are fabulous! I know my two kitties love their tube too. Gordo's even matches his gorgeous fur!

Here Gordo gives me a pensive look. Or at least I think he looks pensive... maybe he looks like he is plotting!

"At last! The windowsill! The perfect place to be protected... sandwiched between the couch and the window. No one will bother me here... wait! Is that beeping black thing back?!!?"

And definitely one of my favorites... Gordo gets up the gumption to almost sniff the lens!

Hopefully Gordo is back to his relaxed self and is enjoying the capnip mousie I made to complement his beautiful orange fur! Thanks Gordo for letting me come spend some time with you! : )

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Oscar's Sneak Peek!

2010-04-14T19:39:00.005-04:00

Oscar Dill La Renta is a well-traveled two year old Corgi mix best known for his perfect first position (that's ballerina speak for his turned out toes)!

I actually met Oscar back in August at Citigate's Bark Park Grand Opening. I definitely noticed his cuteness and his ballet moves back then so when I got an email from his mom about doing a photo session, I was excited! And then when she said she'd like to try going to the beach for it, I was ecstatic! This was to be my first time shooting at the beach! Weeee!

We went bright and early because pups aren't allowed between 9 am and 5 pm but the light was beautiful and Oscar had so much fun playing in the sand and jumping through the water! Here are a few of my favorites from Sunday!

Posing for the camera:

Jumping for joy through the water:

Oscar says it's manly to turn out your toes!

And the whole family enjoying the gorgeous day at Neptune Beach. What a fabulous morning!

Catching Up...

2010-04-13T17:52:00.005-04:00

I've been a busy bee lately and I have lots to share... but once again, there's not enough time to tell it all at once. So I'll keep you partly in antici...

...pation.

A few fun shots from my second photo session with Toby and Lola. They were kind enough to help me with my PBS piece and let me return to get some footage for 9 to 5. If you missed the video, this is it.

And the photos:

I also had a photo shoot recently with Molly the coon hound! It was her paw's birthday so her paw's un-furrie daughter decided to get a photo session for him! Get it? Paw? Pa? Yes... I'm a dork...
I loved chasing Molly around and playing with the bad cuz with her... she loved it! So much so that she taught me that I shouldn't tell people they are indestructible. Not that she really did anything major... she just ate one of his horns! : )

One of my favorites EVER!

This one was actually an accident... I had my macro on and got too close to Molly. But really, I love it! Look at that adorable nose!

Soon to come... shots of my first beach session... with Oscar! And photos of Chester, the newest addition of my own family!

I'm FAMOUS!!

2010-03-30T18:32:00.002-04:00

Okay... maybe not quite butI did an interview with Stephen Jones who produces a show called 9 to 5 for our local PBS station. I got an email today and although the piece isn't up yet on the PBS site, it IS up on his YouTube page.

You can see it HERE!

I'm a big dork but he did a great job with it... and the animals are all adorable of course!!! : )

New cards!

2010-03-28T16:37:00.012-04:00

I've had my business for about a year and a half now and I created doggie business cards and kitty business cards at the begining. I recently ran out of the dog cards but realized I had lots of cat cards. For some reason more people seem to want pictures of their pooches! If you have a kitty, don't forget to give them some love too!!

Anyway, I decided to create new cards that could be for ALL the animals. Besides, I've shot dogs, cats, bunnies, horses... and I'm willing to tackle taking photos of ANY pet! I looooove my new cards and must show them off to you!

This is the front. I admit, that's Max's nose. : )

And the back with a variety of pets!

Yay for new cards! Soon I plan to do some updating of the website too... so keep an eye out for the changes!

Paradise for Pets...

2010-03-28T15:52:00.004-04:00

A couple weekends ago I had the honor of shooting for Pet Paradise! It was a beautiful Saturday and they had over 80 dogs there that day! Here are a few of my favorite shots of the pups...

I would love to know the people who own all the pups on the left... what a fun group! A newfie, a lab, and a beagle!

This lab cracked me up! I threw one tennis ball... and off he went to get it. Then I threw another tennis ball... and off he went again but with the first ball still "protected" from the other pups in his mouth. I thought for sure the first ball would be left behind when he got to the second but nope. He came back with both! Then I threw that yellow squeaky toy and he ran after it... once again with the other balls still in his mouth. He came back with ALL three!! I know you can only see two here... but that's because the third was jammed way in the back. Thank goodness he didn't choke! : )

All the pups were insanely cute and soooo much fun! Pet Paradise does a great job with them... their kennels are indoor/outdoor and they all get playtime throughout the day. And pool time in the awesome bone shaped pool if they want it!!

They also take kitties... photos of a few of them to come soon! As well as a sneak peek of my session with a fabulous coon hound named Molly!!

GoD and DoG

2010-02-02T17:41:00.001-05:00

Things have been busy lately and I'll soon have more photos to share...
In the meantime, my mom sent me this via email and I thought some of you would like it as well.
It's a song/animated video so make sure you are able to hear it!

Dogwood Park

2010-01-18T16:41:00.005-05:00

I joined a few of my friends on an afternoon outing to Dogwood Park yesterday. It had finally warmed up a bit here despite being super windy. Of course I had to take the new 10-22mm lens out to see what I could get!

The very first shot of the day was Indie who has recently found a super mommy! Indie was abused in her former home but once she warms up to you a bit, she is such a sweetie!

Indie loves pinecones. I attempted to pick it up and throw it for her a couple times... I don't know how she was carrying it around - it was sharp!

On the left is Lucky, Jr. He's Professor's godson... you may remember when he was just a pup. Not anymore!
And on the right is a doggie I don't know... but she was so cute! This was the first time I saw her put that bumper down so I threw it for her (after I got the shot first of course) and ended up with mud splattered all over my face. Never go to the dogpark and expect to leave clean! : )

I kept seeing Bruiser the bulldog throughout the afternoon. Here is he chillin' on a chair with his ball!

As we were leaving I made some new friends! On the left is the schnauzer puppy I wanted to grab up and run away with (and my feet). She was soooo cute! She's on the right too with her mom and dad in the background. They have 17 doggies at home... and she's a pet photographer too!

And I leave you with three of the 17 siblings (only four were at the park yesterday)... they are walkin' like they should be in a movie! This shot totally reminds me of a scene from Reservoir Dogs... and a similar scene in Swingers too!

Tee hee hee

2009-12-31T07:25:00.001-05:00

I was going to wait until I had more of the photos from this session ready to share... but I'm antsy... so you will probably see more of Larry and Lola later too!

I rented the Canon 10-22 mm lens from Borrowlenses.com before I flew to Kansas City for Christmas. I LOVE this lens! Now I must have my own!! It's soooo much fun!

Anyway. Larry and Lola belong to one of my knitting friends. Yes, I knit. If you have a cat and I've worked with you recently, you probably have a very special knitted by moi catnip mousie! ; )
I love both puppies! Their mom says they were on their best behaviour for me but I can't imagine them being naughty!

Larry, who I kept wanting to call Lester which is odd because even when I can't remember people names I always remember furrie names, has the BEST ears! I'm a sucker for ears!

He also has a lion-like mane... naturally! His puppy side came out for this photo of him frolicking in the yard! What a great pup!

Lola, sweetie pie, is my new bestest friend. Don't tell Apple!
And this is yet another reason I love the wide angle lens... I can take self portraits!!

There will definitely be more from this series... Larry and Lola like lettuce!
I love, love, love that Lola's tongue is already peeking out in anticipation here!

So that's it for right now... I'll share more soon! And I have photos from Kansas City as well! Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for the doggies) it waited until two days after my photo shoot with Cecelia and Darby to snow. I had wanted to shoot in the snow for the first time! Ah well...

Happy Holidays!!

2009-12-25T14:53:00.004-05:00

Toby and Lola's Sneak Peek

2009-11-24T17:28:00.005-05:00

Meet Toby (left) and Lola (right):

Lola is a 4 month old black lab bundle of fun!

And Toby, Lola's 3 1/2 year old yellow lab big brother, may look calm here... but you should see him when his mom mentions squirrels!

Speaking of mom... here's the lucky lady with her pups! I love the look on Toby's face... he's looking for squirrels! : )

Aren't they the most adorable family ever?? I had such a great time meeting them all!

Bella

2009-11-23T21:18:00.002-05:00

in June:

and on Sunday:

Bella belongs to my former co-worker at the park and now my neighbor! When he and his wife went on a cruise... guess who got to have her visit?!!? More photos to come later!

ps. I didn't want to give her back this morning. Apple always sleeps on one side of me and Bella was sleeping on the other. It'll be weird to not have her around tonight!

More Dogtoberfest!

2009-10-27T15:32:00.003-04:00

On the way to the park... Amanda and I sat in the backseat with Zoe and Chloe.

Once we were there we ran into our neighbor and his two pups, Charlie (the bichon on the right) and Archie (the cocker spaniel on the left). They had been there awhile and it was about a million degrees out so they were a little hot and ready to go home!

Billie Jean and her un-lover Michael Jackson were at Dogtoberfest this year!

And a few more pups in costumes for your enjoyment!

We didn't stay nearly as long this year because it was just too hot... but it was fun anyway and I'm sure we'll be there again next year!! : )

Sitting in the office...

2009-10-27T14:09:00.002-04:00

with nothing to do. We are having tile put in the living room and have to keep the animals away from the area. So the kitties are in the bedroom and I'm sitting in the office with the three pups. I've read some, played on Facebook and Twitter, and ate a jillion pancakes. Now I'm posting photos from my trip to Kansas City back in July. I have a ton of shots from my sister's amazing garden but those will come in a later post. For now...

This is my sister. Behind her camera. Taking photos with me in her garden. She's a Nikon girl and I'm a Canon girl... lol! Notice the fabu Trendy Strap she's wearing too. I'm such a nice sister. I won it last year and gave it to her so she could have a fun camera strap too!

And this is my sister and her husband and me... at IHOP for breakfast! : )

And last but never, ever least in my world...
My nephew Qwerty and my niece Macintosha!
Qwerty:

Mac:

Mac on the left and Q on the right:

These two are crazy at night (just like my two) so they aren't allowed in Joni and Justin's bedroom. They were allowed in mine! : )

And I leave you with a teaser for the upcoming garden photos...

Today's Pet of the Day is...

2009-10-21T12:06:00.002-04:00

Professor!!
Check it out HERE!!

Arrrrgh!

2009-10-10T14:26:00.001-04:00

Shiver Me Timbers! It's the Dread Pirate Professor!

More Dogtoberfest 2009 photos to come! We didn't stay nearly as long this year as last year because it was a jillion degrees out and the pups were melting... not to mention us humans too. But I still managed to get a few fun photos of the doggies! Stay tuned!

MacFarland's Sneak Peek

2009-10-02T18:01:00.006-04:00

MacFarland, who gave me permission to call him Mac, is a 3 (almost four!) year old West Highland Terrier who loves lizards, cheese, and long walks on the golf course at Grandpa's house. He already has a girlfriend (of course - he's adorable!) so don't think this is a personal ad... even though it might sound like one. Mac also has a nemesis... or two. What?!?! How could a face THAT cute have a nemesis??

I know I said earlier that Mac loves lizards. I guess I should have clarified. Mac loves to chase lizards! Seriously. Loves it. In fact, we had to leave the area with lots of bushes because it's hard to get photos of a pup with their face down in the ground. But they made for a cute lil collage:

So we went to Mac's Uncles' house. Mac was okay with that. He loves car rides! In fact, he gets to go to work with his mom every day!

Even at their house, there were lizards though! But not so many bushes. : )

Okay... I'll move on from the lizards...

So I know I said Mac has a nemesis or two. The other one, Zeke, can definitely stand up for herself. Therefore Mac doesn't chase her. Or at least he didn't while I was looking! Zeke gives an infamous "evil eye"! But as you can see by the photo on the right, she's also a fabulous model!

What? You are curious as to what amazing beauty could capture the heart of the valiant and brave MacFarland?
This one:

Now we're off to hunt lizards! Have a wooftastic weekend!

Sugar and Spike and everything...

2009-09-24T19:33:00.005-04:00

Nice!
This shih tzu and kitty duo certainly live up to their names and more! They were sweet and playful and fun...
It's not very often that people call me to have their kitty photographed but I love cats (we have two of them to go along with the three pups) so I was really looking forward to meeting Sugar! Spike I had met briefly once before at the Bark Park grand opening but I knew it would be even better without the distraction of a million dogs running about. And I definitely couldn't wait to see these two buds playing together!

I brought along one of my knitted catnip mice which Sugar immediately claimed as her own...

... even though Spike did his best to steal it from her!

I think Spike has a lot in common with my pooch, Apple. They both really like cat toys... and "torturing" their kitty sisters! The bottom photo of these two cracks me up! The look on Sugar's face is priceless!

And a collage of the day!

Who's a big winner?!*

2009-09-21T17:13:00.003-04:00

I am!

I won postcards from fabulous pet artist Aimee! They are so cute!
Look at this squishy face!

If you want an amazing portait of your furrie friend, you should definitely check out Aimee HERE!

Thanks for the postcards, Aimee! You too can try to win postcards from Aimee by following her on Twitter.
And you can follow me too!

*A reference to one of my most favoritest movies, Swingers.

Angel and Luke - Sneak Peek

2009-09-02T17:46:00.004-04:00

I got to make two new friends this weekend! Angel and Luke are a bit introverted but Luke came right out of his shell once he discovered there were treats in my bag. Angel took a little more time to warm up to my camera. She liked me but wasn't entirely sure about the beeping object I kept pointing her way!

Both pups are totally beautiful! I've always had a soft spot for German Shepherds; they are pretty, smart, and fun! Angel and Luke were no exception... even if Angel *is* the smarter one who likes to trick Luke!

This is Luke. Apparently Angel is usually the fetcher in the family but Luke was ga-ga over the bad cuz I brought along!
Taking a break from running back and forth:

Angel on the left, Luke on the right. Angel is letting me know she would like the toy thrown, please!

And Angel... warming up more to the camera.

And I leave you with Luke's big brown eyes! Who could resist that face?!

Bark Park Peek

2009-08-20T19:03:00.008-04:00

Citigate's Bark Park had their grand opening this past Monday! What a fantastic amenity for an apartment community... I really wish the apartments we lived in before we bought our house in March (weeee!) had had something like that!

Lots of fabulous dogs and their pawrents came out for the event... and I did my best to remember everyone's names but some I don't think I ever found out. Next time I'll bring some paper! : )

This is Oscar:

And this is Emma... I think Oscar like liked Emma! ; )
She was cracking me up... Emma loves to chase the ball... but when she gets hot, watch out for those teefs!!

This is a pup whose name I don't know... I think I was too busy squeeee-ing over those ears! I have a severe weakness for puppy ears!

Isn't Phoebe the cutest thing ever?? I can't tell you how tempting it was to scoop her up and stick her in my shootsac!

This is Oscar... not the same Oscar obviously! This Oscar has beautiful turned out feet... I think he was a ballerina in a former life!

I love this sequence... it shows how a lot of dogs react to my big camera, including Nala...
1. "What's that? Eeeeck!"
2. "Maybe I should see what it is..."
3. "Oh... look, that girl looooves me and wants to peeeet me!"

Hee hee hee... Ruma!! 'Nuff said! He's another one I'd like to scoop up and take home... although, really, I don't think I've ever met a dog I haven't thought that about! Even the giant ones that I can't really "scoop"!

Olivia... I admire her mom soooo much. This beauty only has three legs but you'd never know it in a million years. I swear she runs faster than the four legged pups! And her furrie sister Phoebe, also gorgeous with one blue eye and one brown, is deaf. I kept forgetting and chatting at her anyway... although she probably didn't mind!

And the last photos for the blog because dinner awaits me...
Streudel! He was a bit shy when he was hanging out on the big dog side of the park but once he found the small dog area, he was mister model!!

I posted the rest of the photos in a gallery. It can be accessed via my website if you'd like to see all the adorable pups...
Go to www.furriefotographie.com
Click Enter Website.
Chose the Online Ordering option from the toolbar on the left.
Then click on Dog Park Fotos.

I truly enjoyed my evening with these pups! I love my job!! : )

I caved.

2009-08-15T08:49:00.002-04:00

I didn't really think I'd ever join Twitter... but I finally caved and joined last week! I'm still figuring it all out and trying to find people/vendors I know. It's actually kinda fun to see the little updates!
You can follow me here: http://twitter.com/filmgirlie
Furrie Fotographie wouldn't fit but I've been filmgirlie on everything since... well, since undergrad. So a long time!

And just so I don't post without a foto! And because my dad wanted to see it:

Not so furrie...

2009-08-09T20:00:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to share a few photos from my patio!
I've posted a green gecko, a pair of skinks, and a bicycle thief but I still can never resist a good lizard photo op. And now that I have my 60mm macro lens... oooh weee!

And I got this guy with the macro too. He's enjoying a sunny afternoon on my aloe vera plant. I don't know if he is the same one that I usually see but the dragonflies seem to really like my patio! Aren't they good luck or something? : )

Professor's Godson!

2009-08-01T17:12:00.004-04:00

Our dear friends Traci and Cole just got a second dog to join Mr. Big... his name is Lucky Junior! And he is Professor Plum's godson...
I'm sure you can tell why with these photos!

LJ loved the backyard! Look at that grin!

Pining for the outdoors... or not. It was a bit hot for him!

Worn out...

And the Godson/Godfather duo!

I have a ton more to edit but I wanted to get a few up... LJ is growing like a weed!! We actually think LJ is going to be even bigger than 'fessor!

Sneak Peek!

2009-07-22T21:18:00.004-04:00

I had the wonderful opportunity to take photos of Flemish Giant Bunnies this weekend... little did I know how many furrie friends I would really get to meet! I just hope I remembered everyone! ; )

When I first drove up I was greeted by Sheba, a 12 year old Schipperke who loved being rubbed but did NOT like the big black beeping camera! I managed to get a couple shots of the cutie pie anyway:

Left... I love her cute little teeth! Right... talkin' to her daddy!

Then we went in the house where I met the sweetest long haired tuxedo kitty. I loved her fluffy boots on her back legs! Boots is 19 years old and a total love bug not to mention a model! She even has a beauty mark!

On to the reason for my visit... the Flemish Giant Bunnies. There are four in this family! Smokey is just over a year old. He's the only one who is full grown right now... and weighs in at 22 pounds! Smokey was allowed out in the yard but he never went far from the pen with his girls!

To give you a better idea of his size:

Nosey and Sugar are only four months old and have lots of growing to do. Their mom told me that they will be even bigger than Smokey eventually!

And the last of the FGB family is Shebit! Shebit got her name because Sheba has decided she is HER baby! Shebit is just under two months old and the most adorable black bunny ever! I liked to tease her that she had the 80's side ponytail going on... one of her ears flops over! She will most likely grow into her ears but I loved it!

After all that time with the bunnies, I was told there was yet another recently purchased calico bunny out in the barn. Of course I wanted to see her!

And guess what? That calico bunny is a new momma! She had just one baby four days earlier! Baby bun is soooo tiny and still has her eyes shut!

As I oogled the baby and her mom, the door behind me was opened to show off more babies! When I told my husband about them and he saw these photos, he wanted to know why I didn't stick one in my Shootsac to bring home!

And of course if you are going to have a dog and a cat and bunnies and chickens... you might as well throw in some horses for good measure!

This fella didn't belong to this family but he wanted some attention. I couldn't stop laughing at his baying barks so I ran over to the fence to give him a pat on the head!

EDIT: I was wrong! The beautiful basset BoBo IS part of the family. He is their son's dog... so their grand-doggie!

People think I live in a zoo with just the three dogs and two cats... but this family is AWESOME! I hope someday I can have as many animals around me as they do! : D

Charity Dog Wash

2009-07-16T06:51:00.000-04:00

This Saturday from 9 am - noon at the Native Sun in Mandarin.
Read about it here.

Lil Miss Bella Puppy

2009-07-14T19:33:00.002-04:00

One of my former coworkers kept telling me he and his wife wanted a puppy... and now they finally have her! Bella is a shitzu/poodle mix and she is the cutest little furball with the tiniest little woof! I'm so excited that I just happen to live in the same neighborhood... I hope to see lots of Bella as she gets bigger!!

Look at her run! The grass is taller than her... hee hee!

She's so fluffy... even in the drizzle.

Later this week I hope to have more puppy fun up for you! Professor is a "Godfatha"!!

ARTunleashed

2009-07-10T07:19:00.001-04:00

is tonight!!

I added it to my list of "Furrie Events" on the Furrie Fotographie website awhile back but if you didn't see it, here's a bit of information!

ARTunleashed is an annual fundraiser now in its fourth year! It benefits First Coast No More Homeless Pets (FCNMHP). The mission of FCNMHP is to eliminate the killing of dogs and cats in our community through free and low-cost spay and neuter programs. As more surgeries occur, the shelter and euthanasia rates decrease.

So tonight from 7-10pm, join animal lovers (and ME!) for Jacksonville's most fabulous juried art show and silent auction. A night of fun featuring fine art by local and regional artists, a unique animal inspired silent auction, fabulous food, cocktails, and live music! You can even place a bid on a gift certificate for a photo session and a free 8x10 courtesy of Furrie Fotographie!

ps. Event to be held at Bella Sera of Catering by Liz
919 King Street
Jacksonville, FL 32204

Helping Hand

2009-07-02T09:35:00.002-04:00

One of my friends sent me THIS link today. Apparently the Safe Animal Shelter in Middleburg (a no-kill facility!) is running out of food for their animals. According to the article, they are down to a two-week supply. I went to their website and saw that they prefer Purina Brand Dry Food, Dog Chow, Puppy Chow, Cat Chow & Kitten Chow. If anyone is interested in getting a few bags of food together, I'd be happy to make the drive and take it in. Just let me know!

Ruger's Sneak Peek!

2009-06-25T22:13:00.002-04:00

Before our session, Ruger told me that his pawrents call him Pretty Boy and I can totally see why! He is so handsome! It was hard to pick just a few shots for his sneak peek...
I brought Ruger a red tennis ball to play with rather than my usual orange bad cuz and that turned out to be well received. He loves to run and play!

This is a "Throw that ball!" face...

"What?!? I see that ball... I'll even point it out for you! Come on... throw it!"

We wore him out... but just for a minute. I think he looks like a puppy in the shot on the left! And I love his dirty tongue on the right!

The community where Ruger lives has a dog park! If we hadn't just bought a house, I'd want to live there! We walked over to play there for a bit and Ruger, smartie pants that he is, can actually open the gate all by himself! How cool!

Here we see Ruger "spinning" for the ball... or maybe it was a rock. He likes rocks too and there are lots in the park! : )

The worst part about summer shoots, especially with active dogs, is that it is sooooo hot! Thank goodness there was a way to attempt to cool Ruger off. He looks so funny getting all splashed!

Ruger's mom even let him jump in the pond for a minute. Although then he had to endure a bath later...

After the bath though, it was treat time! I wish my dogs were so patient...

See the goober treat? On Ruger's paw?!?!?

Apple would have bit my hand off for the peanut butter treat if I was waving it around in the air. Ruger makes some hilarious faces and waves his paw around and even rolls over... but waits until he is told it's okay!

And now I leave you with a couple close shots of this sweet boy's beautiful face!

Yuki's Sneak Peek

2009-06-22T21:41:00.004-04:00

Yuki's family brought her home when she was only five weeks old and hand fed her special milk. It is now 13 years later and I think she still has a puppy face!

Her name means courageous and she most certainly is... she is still sporting a shaved leg, which makes her look a little like she is wearing an Ugg boot, from a recent surgery to have her infected uterus removed. She's still quite active though and so obviously loves her "pawrents".

A Day in the Life of Yuki:
Take family for a walk in the park.

Stop and sniff all the pretty flowers and plants along the way.

"Run"! Sorta...

Enjoy the view.

Mmmm... a new favorite treat, Arby's roast beef sandwich!

Walk the maze... an empty fountain.

WATER! So hot outside!

Thank mom and dad for being such great pawrents!

Un-Furrie

2009-06-14T15:15:00.004-04:00

I wanted to show a few shots of this plant in my backyard to see if anyone happens to know what it is. It was just barely alive when we moved in and I think Chris might have mowed over it at first too but now it has been thriving! It especially loves all the rain we've been getting... even if I don't!

Wonky Apple

2009-06-12T17:33:00.002-04:00

You'd be all wonky too if you had one of these:

It's a "splint" on her little back leg... when I let all three monsters out after work yesterday, Apple was her usual crazy self running all over the yard like a mad woman! But when we came back in and I sat down to watch some tv I noticed she was laying next to the couch funny. So I called her over to me and saw she was favoring that leg, not wanting to put it on the floor. I picked her up and she was twitching so I called my husband (who was at work) in a bit of a panic since one of my neighbors once told me his dog was bit by a water moccasin and I was afraid something like that had happened!
Fortunately we have an awesome vet... go San Jose Beauclerc Animal Hospital!... who was nice enough to stay and see Apple. They close at 6 and I got there at 6:05 but they knew I was coming.
They think poor Apple tore some ligaments. So they shaved her leg and wrapped it up tight in the green bandage you see there. And she's supposed to relax... no running and playing. Yeah... today she's already barking out the back door at the birds and jumping up on the bed...
But she goes back in a week to be checked and they said it could take 3-6 weeks to heal. Keep your fingers crossed that it heals properly or they will have to refer us to a surgeon!

Thinking of Splash

2009-06-05T20:16:00.003-04:00

A request from Splash and Freckle's mom:
Keep Splash in your prayers. He has Lymphoma and with the breed he is, chemo is not an option. Splash will be 7 on Halloween. Freckles will be 4 on July 8th. Splash and Freckles are blood related, cousins. At my house, they are "brothers". I can say, "Freckles where is brother Splash?" and he will go look for him :) Luv them so....

My heart goes out to Splash's "paw-rents" and his brother Freckles. I will definitely keep your beautiful boy in my prayers. I only met him the one afternoon but he was so sweet and happy. I don't know what the options are for you but I will keep hope!

Falling behind...

2009-06-02T17:54:00.002-04:00

I have so many photos that I'm excited to share yet I find it is hard to come home after spending the whole day in front of a computer to sit down and spend the whole evening in front of it too.
I'm going to start trying to do it more though because I can't wait for you to see the neat things that have been going on around here!

We recently got a lot of rain. Seriously. A lot.
Like it rained every day for more than a week. And not just a shower in the afternoon which tends to be typical of Florida. Major rain.
And the rain brought out these guys:

This one is on our front door. At night. I found him when I got home from knitting group so I left on the patio light and cranked my ISO.

They are so cute... but the bad part is that Apple, our yorkie, seems to think they might taste good. And then she foams at the mouth and I have to grab her, put her in the tub, and pour water all over her face and attempt to wash out her mouth. She hates it.
But she doesn't learn.
She just keeps doing it!
She likes the toads that congregate on the back porch too. I caught her carrying one around just the other day. Ugh!
At least she doesn't kill them.

And the other animal that has been hanging around our backyard... ever since we moved in!

Thank goodness the bunny is fast because although I'm really good about turning on all the lights and making sure he's not there (or banging on the door until he runs), Chris isn't always so good about it. And I'm just waiting for Max to catch him.
Double ugh!
Once Max went running like MAD after the bunny and was right on his tail when he squeezed under the fence. Guess who ran head first into the fence because he was unable to stop?
Yeah, Max is our big doofus!
: )

Enjoy these for now... and stay tuned for some holiday BBQ photos and my very favorite photo of Clementine...

Splash and Freckles

2009-06-01T18:02:00.004-04:00

If there is a dog running about and I have my camera... well, there are going to be photos! : )
Splash and Freckles live with Stargazer and Starlight, the two horses seen in the two previous posts. They are absolutely gorgeous Australian Shepherds with crazy thick fur and the sweetest personalities! I'm hoping their mom and dad let me come visit again and take more pictures of them out in their endless fields. I think we could get amazing shots!

This is Splash!

And Freckles!

And the two together... trying to get cool in the shade.

I actually saw two 8 week old Australian Shepherds at PetSmart the other day when I was picking up Professor, who now looks like a fluffy cotton ball. They were adorable and made me think of Splash and Freckles. These dogs are soooo pretty!

More of the horsies!

2009-05-21T20:07:00.004-04:00

And this one is the mom of the above horse (the same one from the previous post with the story references)... she has big blue eyes!!

Horsies!

2009-05-21T17:32:00.002-04:00

There's a first time for everything...
I've been around horses before... and have even ridden a few... but I've never photographed them so when my friend Traci told me she was going to her coworker's home to see the horses... well, I jumped at the chance to invite myself too! : )
Here are a couple to tide you over until I can finish editing.

insert excited squeal here

2009-05-18T06:25:00.001-04:00

My new Canon 40D and 60mm macro lens!

I bought them from another photographer last week... so they are new to me! I went to take photos of horses and two Australian Shepherds this weekend with a friend so of course I had to take my new stuff!

I think I broke my neck though... two cameras might have been too much for me.

An Apple A Day...

2009-05-06T16:53:00.006-04:00

So I realized (while at the chiropractor... and mine's the best! We ARE going to fix my 80 year old bendy neck!) that Max gets a lot of attention on my blog... and Professor's face is all over my office (he's so darn happy!) and even the cats, Uni and Clementine, have been getting quite a bit of face time on here lately...
Poor Apple.
She's been left out... but just photo wise. She's the one who gets to sleep next to me at night!

Without further ado, heeeeeere's Apple!

Oh... and me. : )
Facebook style... you know, holding out the camera and snapping the photo of oneself? It's actually really hard to do with my camera... it's heavy (but I love my battery grip) and I don't have a macro lens (yet!) so it's hard to focus so close.
At least I didn't take it in a mirror...

Let there be Cupcake!

2009-05-04T21:49:00.003-04:00

I had been looking forward to my session with Cupcake, a 10 month old Chinese Crested, for two weeks when I finally got to meet her. She definitely lived up to my expectations... she is SOOOO cute!
I absolutely LOVE her fluffy white head o' hair, and her freckly neck, and that TAIL!
See for yourself:

I can never resist a furrie grin! And big ears are my serious weakness...

Cupcake let her mom put this cute bow in her hair... but it didn't last long. I think she's probably a pretty tough cupcake under all that pink! ; )

Cupcake has a cupcake squeaky toy that she doesn't get to see too often these days because she likes to eat the stuffing out of the hole she tore in it's side. But the stuffed cupcake had to come out to play Saturday morning and boy was she excited to see it!

And last... what I think is a really neat "oopsie" moment:

Enjoy Cupcake!

This is

2009-04-27T18:28:00.013-04:00

Mattie.

And this is her frisbee face. The "come on... you know you want to throw it!!" face!

And this... this is her exasperated face... the one where she's wondering why Noah (who is actually her nephew) keeps trying to steal the frisbee all the time.

Noah! Noah is such a giant teddy bear! I got to see puppy pictures of him... what a little roly poly he was! Even now I just want to jiggle his face. Is that weird? I have a friend who loves babies... and is always oogling their little fat thighs and wanting to squeeze them. That is how I feel about Noah's big squishy face!

Meet Callie the kitty too. She goes on walks with the dogs! I wish my cats were that cool! : )

Now I'll leave you with a laugh. I always take a cuz or two on shoots... I find they get attention every time. Seriously. Every time. I have yet to meet an uninterested dog. Noah definitely didn't disappoint. This really cracks me up!

EDIT:
I want to share this one of sleepy Mattie too! I just can't get enough... I could keep adding photos all night! I suppose I should get some sleep myself soon though...

Happy 'fessor

2009-04-15T20:44:00.003-04:00

I was working on some photos for my dad's office this evening and it just so happened there were a bunch of photos of Professor in the same folder... I saw this one and it made me smile so I had to share!

Sometimes I can't believe how far he's come since we got him from Animal Control. He's such a happy, good lil guy! : )

My apologies

2009-03-31T20:37:00.002-04:00

I'm so sorry I've been away so long. Things have been very stressful in my personal life... but now we are finally in our first home!! I have a few photos of the monsters in our new BACKYARD but I haven't done anything with them yet.
In the meantime, here are a couple shots.
Max at the dog park down the street from the HOUSE!
And Clem playing possum on the chair in the new living room!!

If you want to see the latest knitting projects, you'll have to go see my other blog. : )

By request...

2009-03-01T16:42:00.004-05:00

Hannah likes my Clementine!
I have more photos on my camera from today... Clem enjoys burying herself under the blankets so when I slide in trying to keep warm while reading my book, she's there to attack those moving legs! I haven't uploaded those just yet but in the meantime, here are a couple more photos I took of the new kitty!

She thought she was safe on the table...

But Uni knows how to climb too...

Please note that these two are now getting along famously! They chase each other and wrestle and play... and sleep next to each other on the couch! : )

Queen of the Table!!

Chris, the husband, and I made a quick trip to the Jacksonville Zoo yesterday morning. They were having a members only preview of the new Asian Gardens and the KOMODO Dragon!! I took photos... of course! And I'll try to get them up this week! The garden is gorgeous and the KD's are neat!

Meet Clementine...

2009-02-14T18:36:00.003-05:00

my Valentine!

Chris and I got her from Lucky Cat, a rescue group here in Jacksonville. It's the same organization from which I adopted Uni too! She's our V-Day present to each other. : )
Isn't she pretty?!?!
I just hope Uni stops hissing at her soon...

Clementine says Happy Valentine's Day!!

I will miss this place...

2009-02-06T15:59:00.002-05:00

We currently have a fantastic pond behind our apartment. I see all kinds of wildlife all the time... egrets, more egrets, nutria, ducks (okay so this one was at a different apartment but we have even MORE ducks here!), and now...
an OTTER!
Yes, seriously!

Last weekend, I had run down with Max so he could go potty with the intention of running back up and back to bed. I always stop at the railing on the second floor and look out at the pond before heading to the third floor. This time instead of seeing either a few ducks or other bird types... I saw something swimming. First I thought it might be one of those swimming birds, like an anhinga?, but then I thought it was a snake. All of a sudden he popped his little head out of the water, crunching away audibly on what I assume was a tasty fish.

Guess who didn't go back to bed that morning?
lol...
I had to run up and grab my camera but apparently Mister or Ms Otter was a bit shy. I managed to get a couple shots by following the otter across the pond and I'm aware they aren't very good photos but I have to show you anyway!

When we finally get our house, I admit I will miss this pond!

doggie.... sweater?

2009-01-24T21:25:00.003-05:00

Apple wears sweaters... only when it's cold out.
But she likes them. In fact, she needs them! She shivers otherwise...

A couple weeks ago, I found her the cutest sweater at Targe'. Seriously cute... orange and brown with the most darling little owl. So now I must go take a photo for you to see.

Oooooh... look how CUTE she is!!!

My point? I'm learning to knit! Maybe one of these days I'll be able to make Apple a sweater!! My goal is really to get good enough to make toys... but a sweater for Apple would be fun too!

And to leave you with another sweetie pie face, this is Chloe the Cairn Terrier. She loves to chase tennis balls! We met her at a new (to us) dog park we tried out last week. It's near the house we are hoping to get! : )

Have a great rest o' the weekend!

Almost...

2009-01-12T07:22:00.002-05:00

For those of you that know me very well, you already know I have issues. For those that don't know me very well, I'm about to explain.

I love animals. Obviously. But sometimes perhaps I try too hard to save them all. There was the time I took a sick raccoon to the vet. And the time I brought home a seagull with a broken wing. Once I managed to actually save an animal... from under the fridge at a friend's house. Not to mention that all of our pets are rescues, either from someone who couldn't take care of them or from a rescue group or from the pound or from being dumped at my park...

So last night we almost ended up with a new pet.

My husband takes Max out on bike rides almost every day. He (Max) has a lot of energy and since we don't have a yard (yet), this is how we try to channel some of that energy. Yesterday they left about 4 pm... and usually they are gone about 45 minutes. This time they weren't gone very long at all.
Their regular bike route takes them down the sidewalk next to a major road and then they turn into a community with lots of houses and a pond and all that. But this time as they were riding next to that major road, Chris spotted an animal on the sidewalk. He stopped the bike but the little guy didn't run from him or Max. He wasn't sure what to do but he knew he couldn't just leave him out there. He was too close to the road and it was going to rain... and he just didn't belong outside. So he picked him up and brought him home.
He opened the front door and, without coming in, asked me to come outside in the hallway because he had a problem. lol...
I went out and what did I see?

A PARAKEET on my husband's shoulder!!!!
A fat little pale green and yellow parakeet!
I'm sure you can guess the first words out of my mouth.
"We have a birdie!"
And this was said with a big grin on my face.
Apparently my husband was relieved. He was afraid he shouldn't have brought him home. But what else was he supposed to do? You can't leave him out there on the road!!

I sent him off to buy a cage and some food and proceeded to steal the birdie so I could schlep around the house with him on my finger.
He promptly went to sleep. Poor little guy was exhausted.

We got him settled in his cage with food, water, and one of those little scrapy beak thingies and we went to a birthday party for a couple hours. When we returned I peeked in on him and he was still asleep. Little kid that I am, I had to stick my fingers in so he could climb on and I could see how he was doing. Unfortunately, that maybe wasn't such a good idea. After I woke him up he had a hard time getting his balance and he kept falling over. Chris began researching online to see if he could find something about what might be wrong while I tried to convince myself he was just worn out from being lost.
Eventually even I could see that there was something not right. So then I began the task of convincing myself that even if he died, at least he died safe in a warm house as opposed to being eaten by a feral cat in the rain.

Chris called an emergency vet and they actually had an avian vet call back. She said that most birds cover illness really well so by the time they are showing symptoms, it tends to be pretty bad. She suggested we bring him in in the morning.

In the meantime, I kept checking on him. He was lying on the bottom of his cage but he was still breathing.

And then he wasn't.

My poor new little parakeet died.

I didn't even know him or have him very long but I am still sad. We wrapped him in tissue paper and dug a hole in the rain out back and buried him (shhh... I don't know if you are allowed to do that kind of thing) and now I'm sad.
Stupid empty cage.

We had said maybe he could be my "office" bird if we got the new house. Maybe I'll have to get one eventually...

tap tap Is this thing on?

2009-01-02T21:11:00.002-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! I'm sorry to have not posted but I was on a vacay... my parents as well as my sister and her husband all came to town for Christmas! It was wonderful to see them all but they kept me busy... so no posts.
But I'm back now!

I borrowed a 60mm macro lens to try out for a few days. It was fun to be able to get up close and still focus. That's a problem I run into with my current lenses. Ideal would be a wide angle, almost fisheye, that allows me to get up close and personal with the furries yet still get lots of background in the shot! Must do research... uhhh... and save up lots of moola!

Anyway, here are some of the playing around and testing the 60mm macro shots.
Maxi Pants' baby browns:

And his sniffer!

Applicious' doe eyes:

And Uni... and her white eyebrow!

I'll post some photos from the family visit later this weekend. Right now I seem to be on my second cold of the season so I'm gonna hit the sack!

Happy 2009!!!

Daisy and Guido!!

2008-12-22T18:29:00.004-05:00

Daisy and Guido (if you click that link, just scroll to the bottom for the sneak peek!) are my neighbor's dogs. I LOVE them! Daisy is a super sweetie pie and Guido is the most energetic ball of fur EVER!
We like to tease Professor and Daisy that they are a couple... hee hee.
And Max and Guido love to chase each other around by the pond... until Max is naughty and runs into the water!

So I ran into Daisy and Guido one afternoon while I was out taking pictures of Professor so of course I had to get some shots of them as well! In fact, Daisy is now on my website. She is the link to enter the photo cart for dogs!

Anyway, these photos are LONG overdue!
I played around with them tonight and practiced leash removal on a few!
The gorgeous Daisy and Guido BEFORE:

AFTER:

Guido BEFORE and AFTER:

And Daisy with her ring!!

This is the look you get from Daisy when she wants you to play with her and the ring...

But this is what happens when you try to oblige!

Ugh! I have a bunch more of Daisy with the ring that I want to share but I have GOT to go finish cleaning the kitchen. My parents arrive in town tomorrow and my sister and her husband fly in on Wednesday! Eeeeck!
So this will have to do for now but I hope you enjoyed Daisy and Guido even a smidgen as much as I do! : )

Happy Holidays!

Taylor, Simba, Bo and Lucy!

2008-12-16T18:27:00.005-05:00

I had the honor of photographing four pups in the same family this weekend! What an amazing mom they have!

Taylor, a yorkie, is 12 years old and such a cutie pie! I loved how she walked around with her tongue out most of the time! See it in the shot on the left??

Simba is a pomeranian/poodle mix. He is 10 years old but so super spunky! He loves, loves, LOVES to chase toys and he spent half the shoot barking and trying to get me or his mom to throw things for him! He has such a puppy face... I couldn't resist! I hope he wasn't too worn out later!

Lucy and Bo are brother and sister... and Simba is their dad! Simba and his mom's sister's dog (did you follow that?) who is a chinese crested had six puppies. They all stayed in the family! I saw baby puppy photos of the group and Bo was the big one in all of them! : )

And Lucy has a bit more of the crested in her look than Bo does. She has such fun grey and white fur that hides her naked skin! And she reminds me a little bit of Dumbledore... I think it's the beard!

A shot of the three:

Thanks Kelly for having me out this weekend! I love your little family!

Ugh!

2008-12-11T21:15:00.002-05:00

I'm so sorry it has been so long since my last post... I promise I wasn't crying in the corner all this time...
I've just been busy. But I still apologize because I'm never too busy for YOU!
And if you are here scouting for photos of your dog from the Civil War Living History event at Fort Caroline, I promise to get those up asap! I had a bit of a head cold and my face was all stuffy so staring at the computer in the evening after staring at it at the park all day didn't sound exciting. But I'm all better now!
For those of you wondering why I have photos of dogs at a Civil War event... I'll explain when I post... so I'm keeping you in suspense for a wee bit. : )

On a happy note...
I had a request for a gift certificate! I'm so excited because I didn't have one designed and this gave me the perfect excuse to do just that!
Isn't Professor the cutest?

So if you know someone with a furrie friend... or feathered or scaled or whatever... you can now give them the fabulous gift of a photo session with ME!

A Sad Day to Remember

2008-11-25T14:35:00.005-05:00

Teresir the giant orange fluff monster was my best friend for many, many years. He showed up on campus in front of my dorm when I was 19. I took it upon myself to buy cat food for TeresA (the dorm was Teresa Hall so everyone called the cat Teresa) rather than watch him waste away... I fed him under the bushes and even brought him in secretly when it would rain. He became MY cat.

When I was informed that Teresa was to be put down by the powers that be on campus, I announced my intentions of taking him with me when I moved to an apartment at the end of the semester. So that's how it came to be that one big orange cat came home with me for Christmas break, only to find out that SHE was a HE. TeresA became TereSIR and he lived with me in many places and in several states until 2 years ago last Sunday, November 23.

Even just typing about the loss of Teresir makes me tear up. He was such a wonderful friend to me... even if he was a grumpy old man most of the time! He was always there for me and I want to post a few photos of him for all of you to see what a gorgeous kitty he was with his long fur and his gianormous eyes!

This is me holding Teresir... I think I must have been somewhere around 24-ish. Remember, the camera adds 10 pounds... and that's a LOT for a cat!

Here is he destroying my blinds. He loved sitting in the window!

The monster on the patio of my first place in Florida!

He really did have wonderful big eyes!

And a few basking in the sunlight, just a few months before he died.

I know Teresir is waiting for me in Heaven! I miss him so much!

A Few Recent Photos

2008-11-15T21:46:00.002-05:00

of my pups...
Max loooooves stuffed animals. He picked up this teddy bear, flopped down onto his bed, and passed out.

Apple goes bonkers over the dino cuz! I squeak it and she makes wookie sounds and jumps around trying to grab it!

And Professor... he got a furcut! We had started thinking that he was gaining weight and he might need to go on a diet... but then they cut off all that insane fur and lo and behold! He's skinny under there!

I want this print SO bad!!

2008-11-14T20:12:00.003-05:00

It's by Dug Nap... I checked out all his stuff HERE and he cracks me up!

Off the subject...

2008-11-12T07:25:00.000-05:00

So it's nothing to do really with furries... but...
Some of you may (or may not) know that I got married in May.
And some of you may (or may not) know that we had our fabulous reception at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens at night!
Well...
I was just interviewed by Heidi of Truly Engaging!! You can read all about my flowers and plants HERE!
Heidi was super nice and I'm so excited that she deemed my story deserving of an entire blog post! If you are engaged or just like to read about decorations and gifts and things of that sort, her blog is definitely the place to go!
And because I can't post without a photo... here is one of my favorite shots of Chris, taken by the fabulous Scarlett Lillian.

And my fun cake/cake topper. The topper was handmade by Debbie Garrity who really listened to what I wanted! I'd totally recommend her too!

Thanks for letting me be all giddy! : )

Sneak Peek

2008-11-04T21:00:00.005-05:00

I had a fun client shoot with three beautiful doggies this weekend! We were originally going to shoot at their community playground where their mom takes them to play on the slides (!!!) but there were a lot of children there having a birthday party so we relocated to their backyard.
The shoot went really well and the pups were very well behaved!
Here is the very first picture of the shoot! This is Bart... he's Roxy and Ryder's big brother. Note that his ears imitate the shape on his chest... cute!!

And here's a shot of all three!

You'll have to wait for more... I have almost 400 photos to sift through for the best, edit, and get in an online gallery! Weeeee!

Uni Says

2008-11-02T09:09:00.004-05:00

Happy Howl-O-Ween!
I know she's a bit late... but she hopes you all had a wonderful one anyway!

Now I am off to worry myself sick about my client shoot this afternoon. Please don't rain, Mother Nature!!
I get so nervous when I have shoots... I hope that will eventually go away someday. I'm such a worrisome sort. I worry that I'll forget something. I worry that I won't get good shots. I worry that the dogs won't like the treats I bring so I bring several different ones.
Ugh.

Maybe I'll go have a slice of pumpkin bread that my sister-in-law baked for us. That might take my mind off things! : )

Opinion, please!

2008-10-29T07:18:00.001-04:00

I actually imagine the word opinion to be said in a very Adam Sandler voice... Waterboy-like. : )

This is Frank, the one eyed pug. I met him in Seattle... isn't he a cutie?!!?
My question is which coloration do you like best?

Original:

#1:

#2:

Let me know what you think! Please!

EDIT: And one more... this vintage look is from this site. I first saw it on Sharon Montrose's blog and then again on indie kate. So I had to try it myself. It's fun!

They say it's your birthday!

2008-10-27T20:18:00.003-04:00

We got Professor a year ago today!

We're planning to have a celebration tomorrow after I get home from work but I couldn't resist seeing if 'fessor would let me put one of the hats I got on him!
He let me... but you can see he's not exactly happy about it!

Happy 7th (or 8th) Birthday Big Boy!!

Max and his Mum

2008-10-26T13:00:00.003-04:00

I know it's a bit strange... but I was taking it myself (with my left hand stretched out on the floor). I like the way Max is looking at me though : )
He's such a sweetie.

Canvas!!

2008-10-23T19:33:00.005-04:00

Okay... so the canvas I ordered from Simply Canvas came Tuesday and I immediately ran outside with it and took photos. Sorry it has taken me until now to post them... I've been distracted.

Anyway, back to the canvas!!

I ordered it with a digital stretch because I was curious how it would look. I really like it where there is grass but don't care for Professor's ears being all crazy. Next time I might try the color border. It is also offered as a natural stretch where the photo itself is wrapped around the edges. I really like that idea too but I find that a lot of my work doesn't lend itself to that as well because I enjoy having my subjects way off to one side or another. It may be something I think about on my next shoot.
I'm already looking forward to ordering canvases of Apple, Uni, and Max so I can have a collection of the whole family! I wish it were possible for me to take a photo of all of them and Chris and I as well all in one photo...

And one last shot... from our latest visit to the dog park!
I'll get the rest up from both of our recent trips there asap!

Stop it!

2008-10-21T07:30:00.003-04:00

Not you...
Because if you read my blog you must love animals!
But the people who dump their pets at my park (I work for the National Park Service as well as run Furrie Fotographie) make me see RED!

As most of you know, Max was an abandoned dog that I brought home... goodness, a month ago!?!? I fell in love over the two weeks we had him and then we found him a home. Unfortunately that didn't work out so we now have him again and are planning on keeping him. He needs lots of playtime but I think we can handle it!
Max wasn't the first dog that I ever brought home from the park.
This was:
Pardon the quality but it was taken with Chris' phone...

That dog broke my heart. She was gorgeous and well trained and loved me. Too bad she didn't love other dogs. The journey to finding her a home was long and horrible and I don't want to get into it here but she found a place with a man and his son. The son had been in a horrid accident in which he was kicked in the head by a bucking bronco. He was still in a wheelchair and going through therapy to relearn to walk and talk. His face lit up when he saw the dog though and he was trying so hard to say thank you. I still think about her every day and hope that she is well and that she is doing as much good for her owners as they have done for her.

So yesterday a shih tzu was tied up to Ribault Monument! Tied there and left all day. I suppose the owner thought someone would take him. Ugh!
A visitor reported him in the morning and when he was still there in the afternoon, one of the rangers brought him over to me. Double Ugh!
Can I tell you how cute he is?!?!!? He's all blonde with a dark brown crazy smushed in face! Who could leave that little face out in the wild?? He was scared and grumpy... who wouldn't be? But with some petting and chatting, he came around. He even rolled over to let me pet his belly!
Of course I'm the mushy girl who can't ever resist. My husband says we need a farm... rather than our apartment that already has two dogs and a cat and now Max as well.
I didn't bring him home. I couldn't. I knew it wouldn't be okay.
But one of my coworkers couldn't resist either so he is at the vet today getting shots and all that jazz. He has two little dogs and a cat at home too but in a house with a yard. Keep your fingers crossed for me that it all works out!

Also, while you are thinking good thoughts for Baxter (it has to be a good sign that Jason already named the little guy!)... please keep Ryder in your thoughts too. Ryder is an 8-month old black lab. I was supposed to do a shoot with him and his two other siblings this weekend but he was having leg problems... possibly his knee. : (

Thanks guys!

Egret and Professor and Sneak Peek... OH MY!

2008-10-16T22:12:00.004-04:00

This morning I woke up to fog...
Our apartment is in the back of our complex in the corner... next to lots of trees and a pond. We seriously have the best view ever from our third floor balcony.
So I was getting ready for work and looking out the window to see if my ducks were waiting to be fed and I saw this egret.
You know what I had to do!
Check out this great series!

Then this afternoon when I got home from work, I noticed the light was really warm and pretty. I grabbed Professor since he is the one who will walk with me without a leash and we headed out. This particular shot doesn't really show off the gorgeous orange-y light but it is the one that, when I was flipping through the shots with my husband, made us both immediately say awwwww out loud. I'll share the others later.

And last but DEFINTELY not least, while I was out with Prof... we ran into my neighbor who was out with her two very fun dogs. She was out chatting with another neighbor so we had a mini photo session right then and there. I can't WAIT to show you the rest of the photos... but here's your sneak peek!
Daisy:

Guido:

Another card...

2008-10-15T22:26:00.004-04:00

I know I should probably wait until I have a bunch ready... but I'm the type who gets overly excited and has to show everyone what I'm doing.

So this is a 4x8 flat card...
I used photos from my trip to Seattle for the Cowbelly Workshop!

And if you watched this season's Project Runway, you will get a kick out of what I named the family on the card. : )

Max...

2008-10-14T19:18:00.005-04:00

needs a home.

If you missed my post about Max, it can be seen HERE.

Chris is ready to keep him but we also know our apartment is too small. Plus we already have three other pets and can't really afford a fourth.
He is up to date on all his shots and is fixed. He weighs about 65 pounds and is supposedly, according to the vet, 1 1/2 to 2 years old. He has the energy of a puppy.
Therefore, he ideally needs a home with another big dog or children who actually spend a lot of time in the yard with him. I think for your sanity, and his, he needs a fenced in yard.
He knows commands and listens well. He does get excited and jump so he needs someone who can be firm with him. He also needs lots of exercise.

If you, or someone you know, might be interested, contact me. My husband will probably ask you a thousand questions but if you are right for Max, then we will all be ecstatic.
And know that if you ever need a dogsitter... seriously, I'm all over it!

Plus, your dog is famous! He's all over my business cards! : )

Holiday Cards!

2008-10-13T20:18:00.009-04:00

I've been working on some template designs for holiday cards! These are folded 5x7 cards... The colors and text will be customizable! I'm so exited... now I've just got to figure out a way to get my two dogs and my cat to sit together nicely so I can put together my own order!
I'll be posting more soon but I wanted to show you the first one!

I'll be working on several more later this week so keep checking back!

Dogtoberfest Photos!

2008-10-11T22:19:00.009-04:00

Whew... it's been a long day and I'm exhausted but I'm so excited to show off the fun photos from today's Dogtoberfest event!
Amanda picked me up with Zoe and Chloe. I didn't take Apple because she gets all scared when there are a lot of other dogs around. So instead I helped Amanda so she could bring both her cute pups!

We then headed over to Traci's place to meet up with Mr. Big!
Zoe and Chloe showed off their little witch hats... and Mr. Big was a moose!

And then we picked up Toni and Cubby. Cubby was dressed as a pumpkin! I don't have any shots of Cubby to show off this time though : (
EDIT: There is a shot of Cubby further down... in the cut out shots!

Finally to Metro Park for the dog party fun!!
Some dogs were dressed up and others weren't but every single one was cute as can be! I'm such a sucker for a furrie face...
This was the sight that greeted us:

Check out this Pimp Daddy!

As soon as I saw this Corgi I knew I had to get some photos for my husband. He loves corgis! Although I think he says that about every dog, just like me!

And I love big ears on puppies! I believe this German Shepherd's mom said she (he?) is 10 months old... look at those ears!

Okay, I'll show you some costumes!
Thing 1 and Thing 2 with The Cat in the Hat and The Fish!

These cracked me up... we always say Apple is like a wookie! She kinda looks like one and she sounds like one! I guess someone else thinks their yorkie does too!
And that "lobster" in the pot is a riot!

I love skunks!
And baseball!

This Boston is a doll!

I think this is my favorite trifold of all time!

Awww... gorgeous Chloe:

And Chloe playing with Zoe... these crack me up because Zoe looks like an insane monster when in reality she is totally sweet and calm. She slept/drooled on me every time we got in the car. : )

Here she is calmly meeting another doggie:

This is the effect I have on dogs... or maybe it was the pocket full of treats I had...

Okay... so I went a little insane with this pup. I couldn't resist!
Meet Baxter!!

hee hee... look at his wittle teefs!

He loves sticks! KILL the stick, Baxter!!

On our way toward the exit, we saw these fantastic dogs getting a photo taken in a cut out!

So of course we had to take some too!

As we were leaving, worn out... and the dogs' bellies full of treats... we saw these darling pups in the parking lot:

Pup and Mom

And these two were leaving as well, probably good and ready for a nap!

Speaking of naps, between going to Dogtoberfest and editing all these photos so I could post them asap... I'm ready to hit the sack myself! I had such a great time today though and I could have spent even longer out at the park in the fabulous weather with the even MORE fabulous pups! Jacksonville's dogs ROCK!
'Night!

Dog Park Sneak Peek

2008-10-10T14:06:00.002-04:00

Okay... so there are no photos in this post.
But that's because I made a slideshow! The photos are straight outta the camera but very fun nevertheless. And the slideshow can be found on my WEBSITE!
Go to the website and click on slideshows. It's the only one there so far...
Yay!
And check out the rest of the site while you are there... let me know what you think! : )

And yesterday I attended a webinar for Simply Canvas. The webinar was to teach us newbies how to use their ordering system. I can't wait to place an order to go with my portfolio to show clients. I think canvases are gorgeous!

Dogtoberfest!

2008-10-06T07:32:00.000-04:00

If you have a doggie and you live in the Jacksonville area, you have got to go check out Dogtoberfest this Saturday!

I'll be there with my friends and all our pups! I think I'll drag Apple out because she's so darn cute... and she has a ballerina outfit. I know it's silly but she likes it and it's a Halloween thing!
She gets scared around lots of dogs which means I'll be the girl with the camera in one hand and a yorkie in the other.
Yes, that's right... CAMERA!! Canon fixed the screen and sent it back. I tracked it and it'll be delivered TOMORROW!
I love Canon!! They fixed it so fast!! I didn't expect it for at least another week or two!

And just in case you want to say hi... here's my profile shot, enlarged. I wanted to post a wedding photo but you probably wouldn't recognize me from those! : )

Chloe and Zoe

2008-10-02T19:44:00.002-04:00

Chloe has a new sister!
Chloe, the puggle, had other siblings before Zoe came along... but all three were cats. Now she's got another puppy to play with... a beagle mix no less! And boy, do they have fun...
The wrestle fest with Chloe and Zoe:

Worn out Chloe:

Worn out Zoe:

More rest and relaxation:

Diggin' holes under the patio to cool off...

Zoe's dirty nose!

The sisters together:

And two of the three cats...
Deuce:

And Tigger:

I took these shots the day after Zoe came to live with her new family and she was having issues with her poor little eye. She ended up having surgery on it a few days later but she's doing much better now. Hopefully soon I'll be able to get some more pictures of Miss Zoe. She is such a doll! And watching her come out of her shell with Chloe was so much fun! Yay!

Happy Days!

2008-09-29T18:59:00.002-04:00

Today is a good day... almost.

Max might be going to live with my friend Heather and her husband! We are going to take him to meet them tomorrow. She will be perfect for Max! I do so hope it all works out.

And I heard back about volunteering to take photos of adoptable animals at our Humane Society! They think my photos are "wonderful"! I can't wait to help out more animals that need homes.
I thought about offering at Animal Control but I know I won't be able to handle it. The Humane Society is a no-kill shelter... and the same can't be said for Animal Control. My heart is too mushy and it breaks too easily. I'd REALLY need a huge house/lots o' land if I were to take photos at Animal Control... they'd all be coming home with me!
I know there are other people who handle those things better than I do. If you are one of them, please think about volunteering at a local shelter. The animals love being loved!

And the one thing that makes today not so perfect...
I feel nekkid without my camera.
I have to send it in to Canon to get the screen fixed. Something must have hit it on my trip to Seattle and it cracked. So off it goes for two weeks-ish.
I might cry.

Here's a photo of my Apple, just so I don't post without a photo!

Maximus' Story

2008-09-28T09:14:00.006-04:00

Things we know about Max...
~He's got a gorgeous face.
~He loves to shake paws. So much that if we don't acknowledge it, he'll shake with BOTH paws!
~He's housetrained...
~He gets really excited when you come home from a day at work and sometimes (really it's only happened twice) he pees a little.
~He's great with other dogs. Even our two little ones.
~He ignores cats! Thank goodness... I'd hate for Uni to rip his nose off should he chase her.
~He's fantastic with kids! He lets them pet him and crawl on him and he never gets upset or jumps on them.
~He definitely knows how to work those big brown eyes. He knows that if he lowers his head and looks up at you (me), he'll get whatever he wants.
~He recently discovered the pond at the dogpark. He jumps through it like a deer... it's a riot!
~He needs a home with wonderful people, perhaps another big dog to play with, and a yard.
Please read his story which I will post at the end of the photos...
We aren't in a hurry to find him a home. We want to make sure it is a good one. And we are a bit attached now that we've had him almost a week and a half.

These shots are from our outing last weekend. We took him over to my in-laws' because they have a fenced in yard. I have more photos from around the house and also from the dogpark. I have to send my camera in to Canon to have the screen fixed tomorrow so maybe I can finally catch up on editing rather than just taking more and more photos. I have over 500 from the dogpark!

Max doesn't generally show a lot of interest in balls... but he seemed to be curious about this tennis ball so I threw it a few times. He would run up, sniff it, and then run back... without it. After doing this a few times, he finally decided that he would play along!

Chris' brother and sister in law live behind his parents... they have a big pup named Sam. Here are Max and Sam meeting for the first time:

It appears that Sam decided that Max was okay... I love the look on Max's face!

Isn't Sam gorgeous?!

Here are a few that give you a better idea of Max's size... and he's under a year old by our guess. His feet are huge still!

Max and Malisa and Mary...

Worn out...

And ready to go home!

Okay... so Max's story. I'll try to keep it short-ish.
I work for the National Park Service... definitely the only disadvantage to working there that I know of is the fact that it tends to be a place where people dump animals. Max isn't the first dog I've brought home.
Last Friday, one of the guys on our maintenance staff calls me and informs me that they have a "puppy" over at the shop. I'm a mush ball so I go over to check it out. Said "puppy" is HUGE! And has a collar. And is clean and well behaved...
So I take some pictures of him, make a sign, and we pass it out to the vet down the road and the grocery store in the area... as well as hang it in the park. I'm CERTAIN that he's just lost. But it's Friday at 4 pm and we are about to close up and I can't stand to just leave him out there... so I bring him home.
My husband and I took him to our vet to see if he had a microchip... and he did!! So then I call the microchip company to find his owner.
Well... the owner had a block on his account so the microchip company is only allowed to give his information to shelters or vets... not to individuals. Weird... you'd think they would just want their dog back! But that's okay... the microchip company called the owner to leave a message. Ummm... yeah. The cell phone they have for the owner now has a voicemail with a different name and a company name. They leave a message anyway with our information.
The weekend passes and we hear nothing.
Monday I called again. This time they suggest that we get our vet to call in, get the owner's info, and tell us. They also send the owner an email.
Tuesday we get the owner's name. I'll call him J. We also get his address and his cell phone number.
We looked up his address and it's a condo but there was no unit number for him. So we went there. J wasn't in the directory at the gate but someone let us in and there were no signs hanging around the mailbox for a lost dog or anything.
So then we used his name and address to look up his home number. It was disconnected.
The cell phone was a business cell phone so my husband went to their offices. J used to work there but does not any longer... so when Chris explained why we were looking for him, they pulled his file and called the numbers they had for him too. Disconnected.
My optimism for finding the owner is gone. I think he had something come up so he ditched the dog and left town. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me because Max was so obviously well taken care of. He's fixed, well-mannered, and sweet as can be.

So we still have him. We took him to the dog park with our friends yesterday and he had a great time. We are still saying we want to find him a home with a yard but I guess we aren't in too much of a hurry. He's really SUCH a good dog. I hope we can find him a good home... but it's going to be harder and harder the longer we keep him.
Maybe he can be the Furrie Fotographie mascot!! : )

Business Stuff

2008-09-27T19:12:00.006-04:00

I spent the better part of yesterday morning downtown going from office to office attempting to get my business license. Now at least I have paperwork to fill out... Whew.
And I'm still working on the website but I think you'll all be impressed when I'm finally done... which will hopefully be later this week!
AND last night I worked on business card #1...
This one features Max!

and here's the back too:

I think next I'll make one with Apple... or maybe Uni!

Max sneak peek...

2008-09-23T21:45:00.005-04:00

Look at this FACE!

And that NOSE! And that funny lip thing going on where he's lying on it... hee hee!

Non-furrie fotos...

2008-09-23T21:21:00.006-04:00

Here are some shots from Seattle. No furrie friends... but still fun.
These are from Monday morning before my shuttle came to take me to the airport. I knew I better get over to Pike Place Market or people at work were going to wonder what I did while I was gone. It was only two blocks from my hotel (I'll have photos of it soon too) and Seattle had absolutely gorgeous weather the whole four days I was there! I had forgotten what it was like to not have 200% humidity!

Oooh... and I must tell you. I bought a bag of dark chocolate coco covered pecans... and they are to die for!!! Mmmmmm!
I wish I could have brought back some of those flowers. There were tables and tables and tables of them and they were all so vibrant! And CHEAP! But, alas, I didn't think it would be fun to carry them on the plane...
Maybe next time.

More!!

2008-09-21T16:29:00.003-04:00

So I spent my morning on a photo shoot... I took out Max (I promise to tell his story soon) and then ended up shooting him and Sam as well. It was fun! I really love what I do!
Now I've been spending the last hour listening to Plumb, eating Hot Tamales, and editing so I could get the rest of the Seattle pups up for you to see. Yay!
So here are the last of them... and next I'll work on the shots I just took about town so you can see those too. Plus I have to show you Jamie's dog FERGIE!! Weee... love that pup!

Walter, Diza, and Frank posing pretty and running about.

Frank!!

Diza's so purty!

LOVE her collar! Who can beat a pink spiked collar?!?!

Walter chillin' with his mum.

Arrow (or was the bichon's name Arrow?) getting some lovin'...

Frank in his new backback getting ready to go for a ride!

Hope you guys have as much fun looking at these as I did taking them!! : )

A few more Seattle photos

2008-09-20T17:42:00.005-04:00

I'm exhausted and I haven't quite finished editing the Seattle photos but I thought I'd post a few more anyway.
I also have photos of Zoe, Chloe's new sister.
And I have photos of Max... a long story that I will tell soon.
Anyway...

These two pups showed up at the park where we were having our pug shoot. They were too cute to pass up:

The one caught my attention immediately... he looks like Professor!! I asked and sure enough, he is a bichon too!

Here's the little bichon's new sibling:

I'm pretty sure their mom said this one was recently rescued from Mexico!

Here she is again. I know this photo isn't all that great but the running thing made me laugh:

And now for a few of the pugs!
This is Frank the oh so handsome one eyed pug:

Walter... who can resist that face?!?

Diza is a gorgeous pug too and she has a fantastic pink spiked collar. I promise there will be more photos that include her soon. Here's one with her and the fun polka dotted bowl. I know it's really blown but I kinda like the artsyness of it:

That's it for now but more soon... both of puppies and of Seattle!

Sneak Peek

2008-09-16T21:59:00.006-04:00

just because Corinna asked...
This is Walter the Giant Pug!

More to come soon! Including shots of Frank the One Eyed Pug and Diza...
: )

Furrie Fotographie

Sneak Peek with Angus!

Ziggy's Sneak Peek!

Kaylob's Sneak Peek

Berkley's Sneak Peek!

Flopsy and Mopsy's Sneak Peek!

My favorite breed

Titan's Sneak Peek!

Maybelle's Sneak Peek

Foxy Roxy and Razzle Dazzle

Belated

Sneak Peek With Elby!

Jackson and Cali's Sneak Peek

Nala's Sneak Peek!

Good News and Bad News

Charlie and Archie's Day Out!

Video coming soon!

“Saving just one animal won’t change the world, but it surely will change the world for that one animal.” Richard C. Call

Sneak Peek of Sadie, Basco, Charlie, and Skye!

Newest Family Member

Sneak Peek for Kona and Sugar!

Gordo's Sneak Peek

Oscar's Sneak Peek!

Catching Up...

I'm FAMOUS!!

New cards!

Paradise for Pets...

GoD and DoG

Dogwood Park

Tee hee hee

Happy Holidays!!

Toby and Lola's Sneak Peek

Bella

More Dogtoberfest!

Sitting in the office...

Today's Pet of the Day is...

Arrrrgh!

MacFarland's Sneak Peek

Sugar and Spike and everything...

Who's a big winner?!*

Angel and Luke - Sneak Peek

Bark Park Peek

I caved.

Not so furrie...

Professor's Godson!

Sneak Peek!

Charity Dog Wash

Lil Miss Bella Puppy

ARTunleashed

Helping Hand

Ruger's Sneak Peek!

Yuki's Sneak Peek

Un-Furrie

Wonky Apple

Thinking of Splash

Falling behind...

Splash and Freckles

More of the horsies!

Horsies!

*insert excited squeal here*

An Apple A Day...

Let there be Cupcake!

This is

Happy 'fessor

My apologies

By request...

Meet Clementine...

I will miss this place...

doggie.... sweater?

Almost...

*tap tap* Is this thing on?

Daisy and Guido!!

Taylor, Simba, Bo and Lucy!

Ugh!

A Sad Day to Remember

A Few Recent Photos

I want this print SO bad!!

Off the subject...

Sneak Peek

Uni Says

insert excited squeal here

tap tap Is this thing on?