I love this video. I wish I could have seen the shoot - it HAD to have been an entertaining day.

Raindog Photography has been nominated for the Best of Western Washington again! Click on the badge below to vote for your favorite pet photographer in Seattle. Thanks!

It just wouldn't be a Raindog blog without a Rain photo every once in a while! Last week I rented a fun new lens for a gallery shoot and we spent a little time at the park with it. Rain and I spend an inordinate amount of time at Discovery Park; running, playing, walking or just sitting in the grass and daydreaming. It's a perfect setting for shoots because of the variety of landscapes and backgrounds it affords. It's our happy place.

Oh boy, do I ever have a soft spot for the pitbulls! How could you not love a smile like this!? This beauty is Lily and she's ALL enthusiasm and kisses. She lives with her new buddy JoJo, who is a rescue from Ginger's Pet Rescue, which means he was VERY close to being euthanized when he was rescued. Ginger specializes in "death row dogs" and the dogs she saves are very lucky indeed. Lily and JoJo are a wonderful fit and it was so fun to see them play together. JoJo acts like a big dog, though he's about a third of Lily's size, and Lily really moderates her play to accommodate him. We spent a lovely sunny afternoon together and got some great shots.

Roxy. Cutest little thing in all of Sammamish. Small in stature (although big for her breed) but HUGE in personality. Can jump 4+ feet straight into the air. Can charm you right out of a pocketful of treats. Seems to understand every word you say. Completely irresistible!

Every once in a while I have a shoot where I wish I could do just a little more, be just a little better at my job and have just a little more time. This shoot with sweet Lily was one of those. At the time of the shoot, Lily was suffering from lung cancer and while she was getting around okay and enjoying treats and love and the sunshine, she was very easily tired and mostly just wanted to be in her comfy spot resting. She was so tolerant of me clicking away at her and she tried so hard to do what we wanted her to do, it was heartbreaking. She made me want to be a better photographer so I could do justice to her generous spirit and give her owners something beautiful to remember her by.

I double-dog dare you not to fall in love with this squishy face! This is Lucy and she's a 3 1/2 month old Shar Pei puppy. I can't tell you how excited I am that her people are doing a puppy package and getting 2 more shoots as she grows up! She's really one of a kind. She's very relaxed, curious, independent, loves people and other dogs and luckily she doesn't seem to mind having that amazing face pulled on because when you meet her, that's ALL you want to do!
Check out those tiny cute ears.

It's very hard for me to believe it's August already! This has been a great and busy summer and I hate to see it start to draw to a close. One of the best things about my summer is that I have become fully self-employed at last! I'm pleased to announce that I have started my very own pet sitting business, Raindog Pet Services, in addition to continuing to grow my pet photography business. Some of you may know that I worked for a local pet sitting company for years and years. It was a great job that got me outside, kept me fit and sustained me during slow photography months. When it closed it's doors I was able to take over my client base and keep on walking! I've struck a wonderful balance between mornings with my longtime canine friends and afternoons and weekends photographing NEW canine and feline friends! I'm taking on a few new clients at the moment with limited weekday spots available - so if you're in need of a few dog walks, let me know!

This totally adorable little lady is Penelope and she is what we in the biz refer to as a BALL FREAK. She will do anything to get you to throw that ball one more time and she will go past mere tiredness into exhaustion and beyond for the love of running after it. She'd be a fantastic working dog! And she's just as sweet and lovable as she looks. She's one of those rescue dogs that make you wonder how on earth a person could ever have given her up.

Billie here is also as sweet and lovable as she looks and she's Penelope's buddy. Her favorite activity is to chase the little light from the laser pointer and she does it with almost as much single-minded determination as Penelope does with her ball. She cracked me up during our shoot because she spent probably 60% of her time looking at the ground in anticipation of seeing and chasing that tiny red dot!

Last Sunday I said something very, very bad ... something along the lines of "I'm glad it's raining - now I can get some work done!". I didn't mean it! I KNOW it's perverse to say things like that and I won't do it again until at least October.
As usual, I have lots to catch up on, so here are a few highlights from the last couple of months!

These lovely schnauzery ladies are Katie and Cassie. They were so calm and unfazed by my trailing of them with that strange clicking machine I hold to my face. I followed them on their yard-patrol duties and got a few nice shots during their downtime. Their "eyebrows" kill me!

This is Molly and she is SO HAPPY. She was happy to have her picture taken and happy to accept lots of treats for it and happy to be outside and happy to meet me and happy to just be! Best smile in the world.

Molly's best friend Salvador was happy too, but mostly on the inside. Salvador began life as a puppy-mill dog and had a pretty hard time of it. As I remember, his back has been broken and he has a host of physical difficulties of one sort or another. But he's totally the Man About Ballard - he's slow but he gets around fine and does his thing and seems pretty content. He has a GREAT mom who takes very good care of him.

And here are my friends Lucy and Lacy - back for shoot #2 of their Puppy Package in June. I'm LOVING getting to see them grow up! They're still rambunctious and puppy-like but they're starting to get their adult "look". As you'd probably guess with sisters, they're VERY close - they don't like to be apart even for a little while. Their personalities are very distinct and luckily very complimentary and they get along great most of the time. Next shoot they'll be "big girls" - I can't wait!

And this is sweet Kia. If she had been just a little less shy and I'd had just a little more time, I could have snuck some kisses in on those soft little ears. She's irresistable!

Kia reminded me of a subject I've wanted to address for potential clients but haven't found a good way to include in my FAQ. The death of your best friend. When I was first distributing postcards to advertise my business, a lovely lady pet store owner who shall remain unidentified told me that "People only hire pet photographers when their dog is about to die". She was wrong, of course, but I remember thinking at the time "And this is a bad thing?" My job is to help you document and remember your animal friends, whether it's at the beginning of their lives or the end. I am so honored to get to do this for people when their pet is dying. Sure it's sad, but it's LIFE and I find these shoots to be poignant and sweet and a fitting celebration of a well-lived life.

Kia's owner had just received a diagnosis from the vet that didn't leave Kia with very much time. She wanted to get some photos of Kia before she started to look sick or different and I was more than happy to shift my schedule around so we could do it as soon as possible.
I will gladly do this for anyone, anytime. Just ask.

Few photo shoots are as effortless as the one I had with beautiful Miss Sadie here. She was a natural! She hammed it up, posed, romped, rolled and tossed her ball around with a minimum of prompting and a maximum of abandon. This is one very happy dog!
I wish she could somehow transfer a little of her joie de vivre to my dog Rain who is so serious and sensitive ... and more than a little neurotic. Dogs like Sadie are a breath of fresh air and they remind us over and over to savor the moment and just live!

Now, this is something I should have mentioned BEFORE it happened, but better late than never! The Pet Stops Here had a grand opening of their new (and FABULOUS) shop in Bellevue about a week and a half ago and asked me to hang some of my work for the occasion. During the open house I spent some time photographing the dogs that came in and met some really cute new friends. If you find yourself in downtown Bellevue, you have to stop in to the store. They have a really nice boutique up front, a full-service grooming spa in the middle, and a doggy day care in the back. It's pet heaven!

I got the sad news yesterday that sweet Elsa Rose passed away. She was a very special dog.
Elsa, wherever you are, I hope there are bottomless boxes of Milk Bones and all the belly-rubs you could ask for.

Last month I had the good fortune to get to attend and photograph a Ginger's Pet Rescue adoption event at Studio 904, a very nice hair salon on Mercer Island. I love the way these things work - basically the people who are fostering the various dogs bring them out and show them off in the hopes that just the right person will fall in love with them. Most of the dogs at this event were rescued puppy mill dogs on death row who are getting their first chances to be around people and see what the world outside a tiny cage is like. It's a wonderful thing to see a previously shy, neglected dog bloom into a lively, loving friend with the help of their foster "parents". If you are looking for a new buddy to add to your family, please consider adopting a rescued dog!

I think it's about time for an update!

PUPPIES! I did the first of 3 shoots with Lucy and Lacy here last month and they were a BLAST. It's amazing to me how distinct their little personalities are even at such a young age. Lacy (on the left) is pretty laid back and content to watch whatever's going on but Lucy (on the right) is all about participation. I'm so excited to see them grow up!