Should You Include Pets in Family Photos? Absolutely YES. | Chesapeake Photographer

Should you include your pets into your family photo sessions? The answer is absolutely yes. Always yes. So many reasons yes.
Pets play an enormous part in our lives. I'm willing to bet that there aren't many life events that don't have your pets somewhere in the story.
One of the huge perks of a Day in the Life Session or an in home Storytelling Session with me is that your beloved pets can be incorporated into your session absolutely stress free. I am 100% pet friendly and I am always thrilled to get pet cuddles! 
Let's talk about why it's a good idea to include them...

Because they are like family. 
They live with you. They eat with you. They sleep with you. They love you. They cuddle you. They don't judge you. They are always there for you. 
They are a character in the story of life. 

Because you share almost every important life experience with them.
We go through the journey of life with them- births, deaths, a marriage, a bad breakup, raising a family, a new job, losing a job, making a new friend, losing a friend, moving to a new place. There's not much they don't go through right along with us. 

Because you love them.
​“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” – Anatole France

I asked people about their pets, I asked to hear stories about them, and I asked for them to simply share what their pets meant to them. Ask yourself these same questions and I think you'll find the answer is pretty clear. Your pets deserve to be in your family photographs and deep down, you want them in there too! 

This story is about a Cane Corso/ Italian Mastiff (average weight, 100-130lbs) and was sent to me by his owner:
"He was turned into a shelter by his [previous] owner. He had a knee injury and she couldn’t afford to fix it. So her bright idea was to just stop feeding him normal servings of food so he would lose weight and hopefully get around better. In turn he lost all his muscles, stopped walking, resorting to eating rocks and sticks and could only crawl. He was a senior at 6y old. When I got him he was carried inside my house and was 60lb. He would slide across the floor and bark and growl at us. At first, we thought he was being nasty, but it was just how he communicated. He slowly put on weight and he began to walk assisted. He began PT (physical therapy) and eventually after about 6 months could walk on his own. At about a year, he could run a few feet before stumbling. His knees were treated with supplants and pain meds. He became ours quickly and made himself at home. He had an instant connection with my daughters and on a couple unfortunate occasions, he actually protected us with his life by putting himself in front of us. This boy was of sound mind and bullet proof when it came to his temperament. I’ve never in my life had another dog like him. Unfortunately we were only gifted about 3 good years and then supplements no longer curbed the pain. We had to make the decision to let him go. He is and always will be my heart dog who taught us many lessons."

Another story about a sweet pup named Bonny:
"I've always considered myself a "cat person." I had a few dogs as a kid, but mostly cats. My husband and I went to the shelter to "just look" at dogs. They brought out a very energetic lab puppy. He was so cute, but a little too hyper for our lifestyle. Then they brought out this tiny beagle. She was underweight, barely 14 pounds. You could see her ribs. She was sooo shy/passive, but very receptive to attention (especially belly and ear rubs). The shelter seemed to think she was used as a hunting dog that was left behind. We instantly fell in love with sweet Bonny. We've had her for about seven years and now she is a healthy 20 pounds. She doesn't do tricks. She doesn't play with toys. But she's always ready to cuddle. She's my little shadow and always has to be touching me. This little girl has brought so much joy to our lives. Love my Bonny."

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Want to schedule your pet friendly session? Let's do it! Click here or the Contact tab above to send me a message. I'd love to talk with you about what a session could look like for your family- fur babies included.