what got buried | southern ontario pet photographer

Welcome to another edition of What Got Buried! I try to post daily over on the Happy Tails Facebook page, so if you want to have your nose to the ground on all the most up to date news and nonsense, high-tail it over there! It's a fun place and I would love it if you joined the pack.

Here's a quick peek at what's been happening at Happy Tails HQ. What you won't see is all the behind the scenes activity I have going on right now. I have a few special shoots coming up that I'm really excited about and I am mulling over putting together my first ever vendor booth for an upcoming event. It is a lot of work, so I haven't committed ... yet.

Let's kick things off with my Chloe, snoozing on the couch the day after Daylight Savings earlier this month. While the rest of us lost an hour, her marathon napping ability helped her make it through the day with no noticeable side effects. The best bonus about moving the clocks ahead is more time to shoot in the afternoons with the soft, glowing light that I just love! Bring on spring!

I also met sweet Sophie in March. Her furrowed brow just kills me. She might look perpetually worried, but she is a happy little thing.

I think pink is definitely Sophie's colour!

I also spent time photographing adoptable cats at the Burlington Humane Society. It breaks my heart when I have to photograph an animal for a second time like seven-month-old Fernando. He was adopted, declawed (I won't get into my thoughts on this except to say that I don't agree with the practice) and then returned shortly after because he was "misbehaving" likely due to sore paws.

Adopting an animal is a huge commitment! If you know anyone thinking about adding to their family, please share this link to this great article about what to consider before adopting.

I also met Cocoa while I was there. She was happy to be out of her crate and took the opportunity to enjoy some fresh tap water — it's better than bowl water don't you know!

And finally, I dug into the archives to share this photo of scruffy Chloe, a wheaten puppy. The lens I used for this shot gives it a fun look — isn't she adorable?

With the longer days and warmer temperatures, now is the time to book a session if you are considering it! Just drop me an email or give me a call — contact info is available on the Contact tab up at the top there. I would love to meet your furry family member!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Wags,
Stacey

pooch promenade

Over the weekend we took part in the Pooch Promenade, a fundraiser for the Burlington Humane Society — what a fun event! Dogs of all shapes and sizes, and their people, came out to raise money for the shelter. I could have stayed all day and photographed every single pooch. Here's just a small sample of the cute faces that came out for the cause.

And of course, the cutest face of all — Chloe! I'm a little biased of course :)

a soggy strutt

We took part in the Oakville & Milton Humane Society's Mutt Strutt on the weekend - all the funds raised help homeless, abused and neglected animals. Mother Nature, however, was not on board. It was a soggy, booties kind of weather day.

It was nice to see people still come out despite the weather. And there was a short break in the rain early in the afternoon. Chloe was happy to be surrounded by four-legged friends. Aw, smiles!

And there were a few puppies! This little guy was only seven weeks old - so adorable.

There was also an agility demonstration. This border collie was clearly ball motivated, just like Chloe. 

Hopefully there was lots of money raised for such a good cause. We'll be back next year!

mutt strutt

Happy Tails Pet Photography, along with top dog Chloe, will be participating in the Milton Mutt Strutt in May to help raise funds for the local Oakville and Milton Humane Society. Last year's event raised more than $17,000 for homeless, abused and neglected animals in the region. Since Chloe is adopted, this cause has a special place in our hearts.

We'll be doing the 5-km route. This won't be the first charitable event Chloe has taken part in. Each year she enthusiastically paw-ticipates in the Terry Fox Run to raise money for cancer research.

We're looking forward to strutting with all the dogs and their people! For more information about the event, visit the Oakville and Milton Humane Society's website.

facebook

I may be a little late to the social networking party, but I finally created a Facebook page for Happy Tails Pet Photography. I'll still be posting all the latest news and photos to my blog, in addition to my Facebook page. But I'm hoping Facebook will allow me to meet a few more friends of friends ... or dogs of dogs? So, the next time you're online and updating your status, drop by my page and hit the big blue "Like" button! You can find me here: Facebook.

new website!

There's big news at Happy Tails headquarters and everyone is excited, even Chloe who put on her party hat to celebrate! Well, she's not super excited about the funny hat I made her wear, as you can tell from her expression. But I know she's brimming with joy on the inside about the news ... there's a brand spanking new Happy Tails Pet Photography website! Check it out at www.happytailspetphotography.ca! I'm starting small, with one session price, but I'm hoping it goes (or grows!) well.




It was impossible to get Chloe to smile while wearing the hat - she's not one for doggie clothes of any kind. And after a few shots, she made it clear that she was not a willing participant! Jeesh, talk about the saddest expression ever!




I only put her up to it for a few shots and she got lots of treats and pets after - the tail was back to wagging in no time. For lots more animal expressions, swing over to happytailspetphotography.ca!

new addition

My updates have been sorely lacking for the past little while, but I think I have a pretty good excuse. There has been lots of activity at Happy Tails headquarters because I went and did this:

Yep, I had a bouncing baby boy in November and he's been keeping me super busy ever since. If you're wondering what the animals think of this big change, they're curious and a little jealous but adjusting. I think they're still trying to figure out what the heck he is.

My blog posts will be few and far between for the next little while – Happy Tails will be on hiatus until we get on some sort of schedule. But stay tuned for lots of new four-legged pet photography to come in the near future!

the human-animal bond

Anyone who has owned a pet knows the human-animal bond is remarkable. I recently wrote an article about the connection between people and their pets, which was published by a university alumni magazine and by Focus magazine, which is published by the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association.

The article can be viewed here.

it's business time

I ordered some sample business cards from the amazing moo.com and they arrived in the mail the other day - so fun! I'm not sure which photos I'll choose to go with, but seeing all these cute faces looking up at me on business cards with my name on them is so cool.