Here’s the story, of a man named Whyte,
Who was busy with a pitbull of his own,
They were two kids, living together,
Yet they were all alone.

Till the one day when the lady met this fellow
And they knew it was much more than a hunch,
That this group would somehow form a family.
That’s the way they all became the Bennett Whyte bunch.

Until one day when they found two sweet puppies,
Wandering on the street all lost and hurt,
They fed them and worked to find them families,
But little Ghost they could not give up.

So now Ghost and Timber and Bishop,
And Sean and Katie too,
They’re all are one big happy family,
With plenty of things to chew.

I never claimed to be a songwriter/poet.

A reminder that thank Dog. photography gift certificates are available for purchase!  Just think, you’ll be the best gift-giver ever and you won’t even have to leave your home to do it!!

On a different note… I usually do more straightforward processing of the photos, but this one of the adorable Zach seemed to cry out for something else.  So, after applying a slightly retro look, I added a semi-subtle texture to the photo.  I personally think it would look great printed on a linen greeting card.  Anybody else like this look?

First, my close friends, Renee and Adam (and their little girl, Annika), very suddenly and tragically lost their kitty, Argyle (so named for the cute pattern on his leg).  It was their first loss of a pet, and I think it hit both of them even harder than they would have thought.

And another gut punch…

Lilly, the adorable little pocket boxer also passed away suddenly this weekend.  As I mentioned in the previous blog post, Lilly was the first boxer placed by Legacy Boxer Rescue (the outstanding organization that helped me with Cash).  She so charmed her parents that they became active volunteers, adopting the goofy Guenther, and frequently fostering.  They are understandably crushed by the loss of their little girl.

I hope this doesn’t come across as self-serving, but both of these deaths drove home a big reason I do what I do.  I know that some people think that the idea of spending good money on professional photographs of your pets is silly and frivolous – and for some, maybe it is.  But for those of us that consider our pets to be members of our families, having beautiful images that truly capture their personalities is priceless.  Losing a pet hurts.  Badly.  And it hurts even more when you realize you only have a couple glowy-eyed cell phone photos of your pet to remember him by.  When I lost my first dog, Scout, suddenly years ago, the first thing I did was dig up photos of him and make a little book.  I had several photos, but wished I had more – better ones (I was just learning my way around a camera).  Nevertheless, the photos I did have really did help me through the grieving process.  Time faded my grief, but I still look at his photos from time to time, grateful for the time I had with him and the memories I had captured.

And I’m not alone.  Lilly’s mom sent me the following message to let me know the heartbreaking news….

Hi Debbie,

I’m afraid I have some very difficult news to share.  Lilly passed away yesterday.  Jay and I were on our way home from a weekend trip when we received a call from our boarding/vet facility that she collapsed and they were not able to bring her back.  They suspect it was a heart attack; it all happened so quickly.  She wasn’t sick.  The potential loss of her wasn’t even on our radar screen.  We haven’t processed it yet but as I sit in front of her life size canvas picture and cry, I wanted to let you know the news.

We are so thankful we did the pictures when we did and grateful to have found you to do them.  We look at them every day and now for Lilly it has a different meaning to us.  We miss her terribly.  Our little pocket boxer girl is gone.  Life seems cruel as we loved her so much and just wanted her to be with us forever.

Thanks again for capturing her spirit!  I know it is and will be something we cherish always.

Similarly, Renee posted the news about Argyle on facebook…

Lost my first pet yesterday. Made the day seem surreal. Everything continued as it should, but we felt half a pace behind. Searched for pictures of Argyle after the fact, and realized we didn’t have many good ones. Always thought there’d be more time.

I’ve taken many photos of their adorable little girl, Annika, but only had a few snapshots of the cats taken a couple years ago.  Renee and Adam had actually forgotten I’d gotten a few of the kitties during a day spent with Annika, and when I shared what I had with her, the tears started again and I got a grateful “thank you.”

Our pets have a knack for worming their way into our hearts – much further than many of us even recognize until they are gone.  Despite evidence to the contrary, I like to think I’m not a complete and total crazy animal lady, but my animals are, and have always been, my little family.  I know objectively that the day will come when I’ll lose Bear, Belle, and Harley (despite my instructions to them to live forever!), and when the awful time comes, I know I’ll be comforted by the many photographs I have of them.  I hate for others to not have the same.

Rest in peace, Savannah.

If you have an ailing pup that you’d like to have photographed, please don’t hesitate to contact me.  I promise to do my very best to accommodate you.  I can’t guarantee I won’t cry at the session, but I’ll make sure you have some lovely images to remember your best friend.

A first for me — the easiest and fastest way to get Tux’s attention was to say (in a suitably enthusiastic and high pitch), “go potty?  want to go potty?” For some dogs, it’s “treat,” for others it’s “squirrel,” but for Tux… “potty.”  I couldn’t stop giggling.

Schnauzer butts!