"ARF"MAZING RACE SPECIAL!

I'm so excited to have my very first vendor booth at the Burlington Humane Society's "ARF"mazing Race fundraiser this Sunday at Spencer Smith Park in Burlington, Ontario! I have spent many hours figuring out the logistics, how my booth will be organized and most importantly, what it will look like (yes, there will be some pink!). Now I am obsessively watching the Weather Network and keeping my fingers crossed for sunny skies.

If you are in the area, please stop by and say hello! I will have my camera on hand, and when I'm not busy chatting, I will be photographing all the four-legged visitors who wag their way over for a treat.

To celebrate the ARFmazing Race — funds raised during this event will help the shelter care for animals in need — I am offering a special discount on all Happy Tails Pet Photography sessions for THREE DAYS only. Book now to reserve yours!

Wags,

Stacey

weimaraners in the woods | burlington, ontario, pet photographer

It was a perfect spring day when I met up with Buckeye, Zoey and their person Kim. The dogs' glee at being in a new place with paths to explore and fresh grass to sniff was evident as they ran all through the woods and open fields — no trail was left undiscovered!

Buckeye and Zoey are both rescues. Buckeye was adopted at the age of one and is now three. Little sister Zoey is two and was adopted just last November. Even though they have only been together for about seven months, this duo is already bonded and seem like a perfect fit for each other.

Here's big bro Buckeye. He has a beautiful grey coat and likes to make eye contact. It really seems like you could have a conversation with this guy!

Buckeye has a little white patch on his chest that Kim calls his "power patch." Love it!

Zoey is a blue weimaraner and her eyes really pop against her darker fur. She is spirited and always on the lookout. Zoey was found as a puppy living outdoors in a wooden crate with her mom and brother in the middle of winter in Michigan. She was tiny and heartworm positive when she was rescued by Great Lakes Weimaraner Rescue. Kim and her partner Nathan are volunteers for the organization —  they adopted Buckeye from GLWR. After enduring one failed adoption where she wasn't cared for properly, and several foster homes, Zoey was eventually placed with Kim and Nathan — it was supposed to be a temporary arrangement.

Of course her sweet personality and zest for life won them over ... and she moved in permanently!

With these two high-energy goofballs, our session was filled with lots of walking, and lots of treats and playing! Kudos to Kim for her excellent weimaraner-wrangling abilities!

I'm so happy Buckeye and Zoey now have such wonderful lives in a happy home. They LOVE their people!  I imagine life must be tons of fun with these two in it!

Wags,
Stacey

featured on: hair of the dog

I'm so excited to share that I've been featured! Hair of the Dog is a blog for pet photographers that features business tips, interviews and session spotlights of pet photographers from around the world.

I submitted a recent session I had with great pyrenees Charlie and was thrilled when it was accepted! There are some exceptional photographers that have been featured on the blog, so I'm pretty happy.

If you would like to see some fantastic pet photography, head over the the Hair of the Dog blog and check out some of the other session spotlights!

Wags,

Stacey

Balloons and finding balance

Some days just plain get away from me. Those are the days when I feel like the only things I accomplish are getting up in the morning, going to work and going to bed at night. Everything in between is a blur.

I juggle a full-time job, Happy Tails, a toddler, volunteering and all those in-between activities, chores and errands that make up life. It's busy. And it can be overwhelming.

I know I'm not the only one with many balls in the air, and I'm not complaining that my life is full — I wouldn't change a thing. But sometimes I have to remind myself to pause and enjoy the moments. Like when I bring balloons home for my son (he calls them baboos) and I can literally see his face light up — I swear it happens in slow motion. I would spend all the time in the world just watching that happen. He has made me remember the joy of balloons, and how sitting on the floor and swatting them back and forth is time well spent.

I am still trying to find balance — or as close to balance as I can get. I don't want to miss any moments because my focus is somewhere else or because I feel so buried that I can't see them. And I'm still trying to figure out what success means to me, and how I can have the life I want without sacrificing anything too precious.

One thing I do know is that being organized has saved me .... many times. And thankfully, I'm not a procrastinator. When I have a task, I get it done as quickly as possible so it's off my plate and I don't have to think about it. Here are a few things that help me:

1) Make lists. Whether you do this on your iPhone or the old-fashioned way with a pen and paper (yep, that's me), seeing everything I need to do puts things into perspective. And crossing things off is so satisfying! I also swear by my day planner. It has pages for each week and then a monthly overview, so I can see what's coming up immediately and how my entire month is shaping up.

2) Prioritize. If I think of everything that needs to get done at once, I feel paralyzed. That's when I don't get anything accomplished. I like to put things in order, whether by deadline or importance, and then focus on one thing at a time.

3) Just do it! There are tasks that I just don't like to do (picking up dog poop ... anyone?), but having them hanging over my head just drags me down. I prefer to just get those things over with, and then I treat myself with a coffee break (there is usually a doughnut involved too). Or, get someone else to do them. I recently discovered there are businesses that will pick up the poop for you! Is it wierd that I think this would make a great Mother's Day present?

4) Ask for help. I admit, this is hard for me to do. I don't like to think that I can't handle doing something on my own and I don't want to burden anyone else. But I am always so touched and amazed when people come through — and they always do. I'm in the process of organizing my first ever vendor booth (details coming soon), and after submitting my paperwork the scope of what I actually had to do to make it happen started to set in. I emailed friends and family, asking for volunteers and to borrow items. Within 30 minutes I had all the major things covered. It's a great reminder that even when I feel like I'm on my own, I'm not.

I read a quote recently by Diane Ackerman that really resonated with me. She said, "I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well." It's a challenge we all face. I like to think of that quote when I'm feeling caught up in life.

And then I go out and buy some balloons.

Wags,
Stacey

These are the moments I don't want to miss — Sunday morning pj time with the Chloe. Snapped with an iPhone.