Most everyone knows just how much I love dogs. To preface, dogs have always been a huge part of my life. Growing up, we had Bernese Mountain dogs so I’ve always been drawn to the big goofy + furry type. In some ways, I feel that having dogs in my life has made me a better person. Before my husband and I got married we decided to rescue our first dog, Yukio. We were SO excited and did a ton of research to determine what kind of dog would be a good fit for us. Once we decided we wanted to look at huskies, we drove out to Indiana to the Northern Lights Sled Dog rescue and fell in love with the most timid pup. They told us that they’d never seen him take to anyone the way he took to us. So, we knew it was meant to be.
Fast forward two weeks later, we weren’t able to leave the house with out Yukio having extreme separation anxiety. Long story short, we tried all of the tricks in the book and nothing was working. He was miserable once we walked out the door. Back to browsing the internet adoption pages and along came Miles! We hadn’t even considered having two dogs but we had this idea that if Yukio just had a friend that he’d be fine! And low and behold, Miles was ultimately the cure to Yukio’s extreme anxiety! Which now meant we had a Siberian Husky mix and a 90 lb. Bernese Mountain dog. What were we thinking?! No, they are great — well, most of the time 🙂 They complete our little family and I know that Ella will have just as many fun memories as I did growing up with two big dogs.
Now, on to why you hopped over to this post. After shooting quite a few engagement sessions with couples who’ve requested to bring their dog, I’ve learned a few tips and tricks to make this go as smoothly as possible!
- Please plan to bring a friend or family member to watch/walk your dog for you after we get the photos with your fur-baby. I typically like to take these shots about 25 minutes into the session and we will shoot with the dog for 15-20 minutes. You can even plan to have your friend take him/her back home for you if you’d prefer! This eliminates you worrying about where to put your dog and any issues that may arise during the session!
- Bring treats, water and doggie bags! It’s hard work being a dog model and all.
- Think about using a leather leash or a leash that matches your outfits (cute doggie bows/bowties are welcome, too).
- Think ahead to how your dog will do at our location (some parks may have a lot of dogs) and make sure he/she is going to not have too many distractions.
- Finally, a good grooming is always a great idea before our session but make sure you pack a lint roller!
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