cottage life | muskoka, ontario, pet photographer

One of our favourite ways to vacation in the summer is to rent a cottage in the beautiful Muskoka region of Ontario. It is so relaxing to have morning coffee on the dock, and spend the afternoon with a book and a drink, listening to the birds and crickets (check out my earlier post to see how Chloe likes to spend her vacation!). It's also fun to explore, and that's how we stumbled upon a gorgeous field down a dirt road while walking the dogs. Of course I had my camera. And of course I took photos. Here's Chloe and her friend Lucy enjoying some off-leash time.

And the best way to wrap up a spontaneous photo shoot? Basking in some sunshine with your feet hanging off the dock of course!

happy birthday chloe!

Today Chloe turns six (although she doesn't act a day over two!). It feels like she's been in our lives forever, but she only became part of our family two years ago when we adopted her from a family that could no longer care for her. We still can't believe how lucky we are. We are actually her third family – it's hard to imagine, but she has been given up twice. Once as a puppy, then again when she came to us at the age of four. We are NEVER giving this monkey up. She is the sweetest, most loyal and exuberant creature, and she truly makes our house a home. Plus, she's super cute.

Chloe is obsessed with tennis balls. So, yesterday we went out for a walk with her trusty "Wilson." It was early evening and I was hoping to get some photos of my Golden during "golden hour" — that time in the evening when the light is warm and magical. But the clouds rolled in making the skies a little overcast. Parts of the path were still pretty though.

Of course, there were lots of things to explore along the way. There were bugs to sniff ...

And grass to eat.

Occasionally she would stop for a few seconds to let me take a picture.

We love you Chloe — happy birthday! Stay tuned to see how Chloe spent her big day!

elly | castleton, ontario, pet photographer

This is Elly, a black lab mix with the shiniest coat and beautiful brown eyes.

She belongs to my brother and sister-in-law, and has been through many changes over her six years. They got Elly when they were a young couple just out of university and today they are married with two kids, plus one on the way. Elly has adjusted to a relatively quiet existence to a household full of, well, chaos ... in a good way. She has handled it all with grace and loyalty.

I have been wanting to get my hands on her for some time to photograph, because although I love my brother and he is good at many things — fatherhood, knowing the lyrics to every single Beatles song, collecting an impressive wardrobe of beer t-shirts from around the world, to name a few — I have yet to see a decent photo of Elly. This is what she typically looks like in family photos:

Yep, pretty sad, right? She kind of looks like a black ink spot (here's a great resource by Marianne Drenthe for more reasons why custom photography is the way to go!). There really is so much more to Elly. She is such a sweet soul with some tricks up her, er, nose.

Elly spends most of her time outdoors and loves to explore her property's forest ... squirrel!

 Through it all, the bond between Elly and her dad has remained strong. Kisses!

abbey | burlington, ontario, pet photographer

Meet Abbey — that's Abbey with an "e." That extra vowel has meaning — her dad is a Beatles fan and named her after the band's Abbey Road album (also in the family is a guinea pig named Eleanor Rigby!). Abbey is a two-year-old lab mix and she is still brimming with puppy energy. She's all legs and flapping tongue, and one of the most smiley dogs I've photographed.

I met Abbey when we borrowed her backyard for a photoshoot with Tiki the chihuahua — you might recognize those cute purple flowers. While we were there, her family asked if I could do a mini session with their girl. How could I say no to this face? Abbey is such a goofy, happy pup!

It was so fun meeting you Abbey — hope your family enjoys your photos!

tiki | burlington, ontario, pet photographer

This is itsy bitsy Tiki (short for Tequila) – isn't she cute?

Tiki is my first chihuahua client. I was a little nervous before this shoot because I've head from other  photographers that chihuahuas can sometimes be tricky to photograph. Not only are they teeny tiny, but they can be a little camera shy. As you can see, Tiki does not fit this stereotype at all! She's very affectionate and took to the camera right away.

The markings on Tiki's face are really pretty. And she has some really great expressions! She was smiling and hamming it up for the camera.

This spunky girl was adopted at 18-months-old from a family who could no longer care for her. She's now four and clearly in love with her new family.

It rained the entire week before our session. Luckily the sun made an appearance just in time for our meeting, and we had some nice foliage and purple flowers to work with.

 Thanks Rhonda for introducing me to your pint-size family member!

rugby | oakville, ontario, pet photographer

This is Rugby - he's a plus-size kitty.

Rugby is a senior cat, who just turned 11. He was adopted from a local shelter and has been in his forever home for several years. Did I mention he's large? He tips the scales at 28 lb - that's a whole lotta cat!

When I arrived, Rugby was a little unsure about the black box I kept pointing in his face. But that didn't stop him from approaching for lots of pets. He received plenty of reassurance from his owner Cathryn.

And he was posing like a pro in no time!

Of course there were lots of trips to the food bowl between shots. And there was no shortage of playing for this big boy - he is impressively agile for his size.

You can tell that Rugby is so loved - he has Cathryn wrapped around his chubby paw!

I love the no-leg look.

It's a lot of work being a top model, and Rugby made it clear the shoot was over when he promptly fell asleep. So cute!