Orvis Pet Event Charlotte NC

Did you know that the Orvis store in Phillips Place in the Southpark area is pet friendly? It is!

On August 17th and 18th, they’re hosting an event called We Love Dogs. I’ll be there with my camera taking photos.

Go to my photography website, BARKography.com to sign up.

I’ll be there on Saturday and Sunday from 12-3pm. All the details are on the BARKography page.

Your dog will receive complimentary treats and a bandana provided by Orvis while supplies last. Photos are $45 each.

They’ll have a local rescue group on hand for in store pet adoptions and they’ll have a local trainer too.

Would you like to have professional photos taken of your dog? Sign up and you can! Don’t miss out on the fun!

BARK4CLT

View fullsize

I’ve started a new initiative. It’s called BARK 4 CLT ( Bark for Charlotte.) I’m using the hashtag #BARK4CLT on my posts.

This is an idea I’ve been thinking about for a while. I’ve always done some sort of volunteer work helping dogs in need and I want to do more in my local community.

Things I have done in the past:

1. volunteered my time walking an elderly client’s dog because she couldn’t do it herself

2. volunteered my time to photograph rescued dogs up for adoption.

3. volunteered my time with various local rescue groups at events

I want to do more of this. If you know of a rescue who needs photos taken of the dogs available for adoption, I will do it.

The dog pictured here is Grace and she is 10. She was adopted as a puppy from Animal Care and Control. She was returned earlier this year as a 10 year old dog with heartworms.

Elsa's Pride swooped in and saved her and paid for her HW treatment. For months she lived at a boarding kennel because there are never enough foster homes.

In August she moved to a foster home but due to an illness, the foster home has to give her up. A new foster or forever home is needed ASAP. She can be dog agressive but with people she is an absolute sweetheart.

A volunteer from Animal Care and Control reached out to me about photographing her and of course I said yes.

View fullsize

View fullsize

I really hope she doesn't have to go back to boarding. I hope a family will open up their home and heart to her. Everyone deserves a family.

If you are interested in learning more about Grace, contact Elsa’s Pride via email at elsasprideinc@gmail.com.

Brady and Ferguson

View fullsize

These two cuties are Brady and Ferguson. They turned 9 in June which makes me shake my head in disbelief because I've known them since they were 3 months old. Their dad contacted me back in September 2009 and they've been a client ever since. I see them every day while their dad is at work.

Brady on the left in the photo above likes to walk. Fergie on the right loves to be outside (as long as the ground isn't wet) but he doesn't love to walk. He prefers to sit and look around with his nose in the air. His dad and I think that might be because he's had some foot issues.

Every day when I walk into their house, they come running to greet me. Brady usually gets to me first and he jumps up to say hi. Ferguson runs over too, waits for me to pet him and then they go flying to the back door and wait for me to open it. I sometimes think they must sit and look out the back windows watching the squirrels and the birds because they go zooming out and sometimes bark as if to say, "This is my yard, get out!" They're pretty funny and very predictable. 

They live close to me too so I get to see them frequently when their dad is out walking them. One of the best feelings in the world is when they see me and they get all excited. Even though I've most likely just seen them a few hours earlier in the day while their dad was at work, they're still running towards me pulling their dad along to come over and say hi. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I have the best job in the world. 

If you think your dog would enjoy a midday break while you're at work, get in touch. We will take them for a walk, let them roam your backyard or whatever they'd like to do. #bestjobever

Dog Yoga

Dog yoga is apparently a thing. I've heard of yoga with goats before but not with your dog but it's here, in Charlotte.

I know that yoga can improve my posture (and it certainly needs improving) but apparently it can improve your dogs too. I am sure lots of dogs enjoy it too. I would imagine it might make the class a little more interesting and certainly more entertaining than a regular class.

I love yoga. I might even love it more with Moose.

I think Moose would enjoy dog yoga. He might prefer all of the poses on his back though especially if they included a belly rub.

Check out local craft brewery scene to find their yoga class schedules. A lot of them offer it and I'll bet they even offer dog yoga occasionally!

In doing some research for this post, I stumbled across Work for your Beer. Check them out. I'm sure they occasionally have events that include your dog too.

I don't have any dog yoga photos. I'd like to have some but until I do, the one of Moose above will have to do. Can't you tell by the way he is lounging that'd he'd enjoy it? I think he would.

Dog Photography in Charlotte NC

 

Dog Photography is something I have grown to love. I started See Spot Run Dog Walking in 2009 and in 2016 I launched BARKography my dog photography company here in Charlotte. Here is a link to my dog photography website: BARKography.  I write at least one blog post / week on the site.  You can see some of my latest work there and read about my journey to become a dog photographer.

When I got my first camera, I knew next to nothing about dog photography. I actually didn't even realize there was much to learn about photography. Early on I got really frustrated with myself and my camera. I didn't understand why my photos weren't any good and why they were frequently blurry. For those of you who try to take photos of your moving dogs with your phone, you know it's hard. If they're sitting still it's easier (still hard but easier) but when they're moving, it's almost impossible to get a cell phone photo.

Fast forward to today and I am in love with dog photography. I love my camera. I love learning new things about photography and I love trying out new lenses. For my birthday, I got a lens that allows me to take really close up shots that are super sharp and clear. I love those types of photos: close ups of their eyes or their fur. I feel like I can see my dog's soul through his eyes. I know I'll cherish the photos that I'm taking of them forever.

I think cell phone photos are great. They're great for capturing the moment but if you want to ever print out your photos, your cell phone photos aren't going to look very nice. I'm a big advocate for printing your photos. Even before I got into photography, I'd print my photos. I have a zillion photos of my first 2 dogs Sam and Sloan but none of them are very good. I'm so glad that the photos I have of Willow and Moose are nice quality, printable photos.

I saw a stat recently that 20-30 year olds are the most photographed generation ever but their kids and grandkids won't ever see photos of them in their younger years because all the photos are cell phone shots - the ones people never print.  There's a hashtag #printyourphotos (I'm not making that up!)

If you'd like photos of your dog, contact me. Don't wait. Time goes by too fast and you don't want to have any regrets about not having decent photos of your furry kids.

Snow Days

Snow days in Charlotte are a big deal. The famous Charlotte weatherman Brad Panovich has starting making his #snOMG forecasts and that means the bread and milk aisles at the stores are already empty.  The following is a true story and personal testament about keeping your dogs warm when it is so cold outside.

Many of you have read stories about my previous yellow lab Sam. Sam was a dog that loved life. She was always happy, wasn't fearful of much and generally was just a pretty balanced, happy go lucky dog. He LOVED the snow. He'd get the zoomies. If I leashed him and took him for a walk, he'd walk with his nose to the ground. His nose was literally plowing the snow as he walked along.

As he aged, he starting losing his muscle mass and he got skinnier. He reminded me of a frail elder man. He still loved the snow but I'd always put his coat on him whenever we went out because he would shiver. One particular snow day, he zoomed around and then rolled around on his back like he always did. We didn't stay outside too terribly long but it was too long for Sam.

When we got back inside, he wouldn't stop shivering. To the point that it scared me so I called the vet. They said that his internal body temperature had gotten too low and I needed to SLOWLY warm him up. They suggested putting a dry coat or sweater on him (which I had) and wrapping him in blankets. They suggested warming up some water with a little bit of broth in it so he'd drink it.

I did that and it worked but it scared me.

Please be careful with your pets in during snow days or even just in cold weather. They don't know when enough is enough. You need to know that for them. Dry them off. Get any packed snow out of their paws. Clean off their paws if they've been on any salt.

Have fun in the snow but be safe. #dogsincoats