Lela is a Shichon with a whole lot of spunk and a little bit of princess thrown in. Her name is pronounced Lay-la, but spelled with an e for her human's love of Mexico. (Just wanted you to be able to say it correctly in your head as you read on. You're welcome.) ;O)

Lela goes everywhere dogs are allowed with her dog mom. On days when she goes to work with her she's proven to be a pint sized stress therapy dog for clients. She loves being around people and meeting new ones, and she's a wonderful cuddle bug. 

Lela enjoyed her session even though it was cold for such little paws. She ran around and enjoyed the snow, and after a little while she backpacked with her mom through the trees. I think even Lela realized how beautiful it was in those trees. (It truly was one of the most beautiful places on earth that morning.)

I mentioned at the beginning that Lela is a cuddle bug. Well, we didn't have a couch, but we managed to capture that side of her, too. Lela, I hope you and your dog mom have a fun, warm and snuggly rest of your winter. 

This little fireball LOVES the snow so when his humans put him on the snow session list every finger and every paw was crossed for the white stuff. Because Finn's dog mom works during the week and his dog dad is up all hours pushing snow during storms, the timing couldn't have been better for Finn to enjoy the last day of the best snow we've gotten so far.

Let me show you how much fun Finn had... I have never seen so many expressions in one run!

Oh that face! Finn loves dock diving, boating, frisbee & walks, and he goes everywhere with his humans. He's part of the family and he knows it. He's always smiling, very energetic and yet his humans attest he's a big cuddler.  At barely a year old Finn's a rock star, and even has his own Instagram page. 

Tell your dog parents I said, congratulations on their engagement, Finn. You make a lovely family!

Onyx waited over a year for a snow session since we didn't really get any good stuff last year. Because of that, he was first on the list and the wait paid off!

He was able to hang out with his human, enjoy the snow, and even explore places that hadn't been trampled on by big human feet yet!

Before we were through playing in the snow, Onyx's coat proved to be a wonderful collector of snowballs to save for later.

As a side note:
Onyx competes in AKC obedience with his human and loves exercises that have to do with jumping or nose work. Besides being a personal trainer for humans through her business, RaptorFit Personal Training, his dog mom, Hollie teaches AKC Competitive Obedience classes at Paws Pet Resort.
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If you've ever thought about obedience, agility, nose work, or any other canine sport, I encourage you to try it with your dog. I've seen dogs who come into their own once they "find their sport." I've also seen dogs who (obvious to me) don't really care for the sport, but love pleasing their human. They're like little kids... kids love to be read to, but it's not so much the story as it is spending time with their mom or dad. Maybe this is the year to find something a little different to do together. (But, never EVER stop cuddling on the couch!)

Here's to new adventures in 2023!

This little girl loved her session! Being the sassy pup that she is, I don't think Penny stopped the entire time! I don't think she ever stopped smiling either! (Well, there was this one picture, but I won't embarrass her with that one.) ;O)

Penny's favorite place to be is with her dog mom. She's more companion than pet and it shows when you're around them. She ran and explored throughout her entire session, always making sure mom was right there having fun, too.

It seems that this little girl also has a few tricks up her furry sleeve. Once Penny was sure mom was there, she would strike a pose like she'd been doing this all her life. What a good dog, Penny!

Penny and her dog mom are family. Like camping and marshmallows, or pumpkins and Charlie Brown, they're a perfect fit. Happy Thanksgiving girls!!

This beautiful girl is called Raven. She's crazy about two things... her dog mom and canine sports. Which does she like better? You'll have to ask her, but I think there might only be a thin line that divides the two.

If you want to see Raven in action you'll find her competing and cheering on her friends at dock diving, scent work, barn hunt, fast cat, rally, and she's pretty darn good at frisbee, too! You know those letters after a professional's name? Raven has nine sets of letters after her name and she's still just as friendly and personable as she ever was. ;O)

They say a picture's worth a thousand words... so here's about 7000 of them:

Raven, you got one of the good ones, girl. I wish you tons of fun competing and performing, but most of all lots of love and spirited barking when you're waiting your turn at the events. ;O)

These two do everything together. Sage and Belle are family dogs who love their humans. If there's a family outing, they're there. Going to the lake, they're there. Hanging out with the kids and playing, they are definitely there!

Sage and Belle will tell you that mom is probably their favorite human, but they love playing with princess Lily. ​And, running with the boys is just as much fun.

These two have the best of both worlds. They have each other everywhere they go, and they have their family to love and enjoy life with each benefiting from the other in turn.

Sage and Belle, you are two lucky, lucky dogs. I wish you lots and lots of wonderful adventures with your humans!

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She's a border collie puppy who's ready for a lifetime of adventures!

What fun it is to photograph puppies and all their puppy-ness! Everything's a toy and every toy is their new best friend. This new friend doesn't have a name yet (that I know of), but they had a lot of fun together.

Bailey loved running around with her humans, but she was also very good and took a little breather once in a while; just enough time for me to grab a couple of posed puppy shots. Such a good girl!

Bailey is just starting out and she's already on to the next adventure... puppy classes! You'll learn so much, Bailey. Try to take it easy on your dog mom and dad. It's been a while since there was a puppy in the house.

Cash is a dog who in his golden years found his person... and it appears to be a perfect match.

Cash is a 14 year old German short haired pointer who's #1 goal in life is to be petted. And, I'm here to tell you, if you're around him for any amount of time you WILL pet him.

Annika tells me he's a young dog in an old body. He was a foster fail for her in September and after being around the two of them, I'm pretty sure he planned the whole thing. ​

Cash is the sweetest, kindest, most loyal dog, but he does have his goofy side, too. Annika says he is very "Eeyore" when mom is gone. (Can you picture it?! Just put that heart emoji right here.)  Like all hunting breeds Cash points when he's located his target. The thing is, he points at the birds (and hamsters, ehem) in the pet store, too. ;O)

Like a lot of dogs, these three are very happy and love being with their humans. They love being part of the family and they like doing things together, but their personalities are still all their own.

Oliver is energetic and smart. He's one of those dogs who has taught himself to open doors. Only in emergencies please, Oliver. Not just when you're trying to impress the ladies.

Like most human kids, Odin wants your attention as soon as you get on the phone, but he's the most caring dog in the world. He loves everyone, and he doesn't even have a favorite between mom and dad!

Then there's Opie. Oh, Opie you're so dang cute! He runs around like a little rabbit with a huge smile on his face, and he has his favorite toy that he plays with before bed every night.

Kelsey said she wanted her images to show the "organized chaos" that is their family. So, we found a place out of the way where these three could play and be themselves.

They played and played, (and Opie barked a bit, ha) and then they played some more. But, we did manage to get them to stop for family pictures along the way.

Between all the running, jumping, chasing and posing I think it's fair to say they had a pretty good afternoon.

As a side note, I'd like to comment on how so very happy these dogs are. Kelsey and Donald adopted these pups one at a time and welcomed them into their family with patience and grace. They have found activities that let their dogs be their best doggie selves. Odin runs with mom, and Oliver and his dog dad are an amazing dock diving team. I love it when people are able to find something that their dog loves to do and then embraces it, letting their dog live their best life.

What do you get when you take three Frenchies to a photo shoot? A whole lot of fun followed by 3 very pooped pups. I don't know... something about having shorter legs.

Meet Henri, the big brother who considers himself a prince in more ways than just looking very handsome...

Jacques, the sassy one who's life goal is to get as many pets and belly rubs as possible...

and Louie, the newest edition who wants to be just like his brothers.

These three were happy to go anywhere and everywhere and around every corner was a new adventure. Louie had never seen a bicycle before and he stopped and turned every time one went past. I swear I could hear his little mind saying, "Did you see that??!!" He was so excited!

They ran, they played, they snuggled, and...well someone even grabbed a quick snooze.

In the end, all three were ready to nap, but they were all still smiling. At the first sign of the session's end, Henri took things into his own paws and led everyone back to the car. (Yes, he knew which one was his.) ;O)

Three dogs can be a challenge, but when they look after each other like these three do you can't help but smile. They adore their humans and they are very much loved in return.