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!

​

This is Norm. He's a gorgeous, fun loving yellow lab. Sometimes though, the fun loving part gets away from him and he turns into a fun loving, wet and muddy yellow lab. ;O)

We hadn't yet made it to our second spot in the session when Norm found a shortcut that mother nature had made through the trees during the last storm. He knew there had to be a treasure worthy stick in there somewhere, and my goodness was he proud as he emerged from the water. No worries! There was a pond close by and Norm got to splash and swim until his cologne was no longer the most notable scent in the park.

Once Norm was satisfied with his evening swim we strolled around (away from the wet stuff), played some frisbee, ran in the fields, and posed with his dog mom and dad.

It was a full evening, and I think Norm had a great time playing with his humans and no doubt asked them where they were going next on the ride home.

Wishing you lots of water wherever appropriate, Norm!! ;O)

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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)

Happy Dog Mom Day to all you dog moms! Hope you have a great weekend!

This year's Pawsitivity fundraiser raised $1880 for the Veterans Community Village being constructed in Sioux Falls! Sheets and bedding will be purchased with the money once the village tiny homes are completed.

I admit I went a little nuts with the props this year,ack! (and, trust me that will not happen again), but I felt like it was fitting for our purpose. I did love that we were able to let the humans be more involved this time. ;O)

There are always so many great images that come from these fundraisers and I wanted to share a few of my favorites from this time around with you.

You can see more in the Pawsitivity Sessions gallery.

Thank you to all who participated this year and I hope it makes you feel just a bit more pride when you watch the village come to life.

Are you interested in participating in upcoming Pawsitivty Fundraiser Sessions? You can join the list at the bottom of the website homepage, making sure you're one of the first to be notified.

The Pawsitivity fundraiser sessions are just around the corner!

This year we'll be raising money for sheets and bedding for the VCP Village that will be constructed here in Sioux Falls! I've been waiting almost 2 years and it's finally in the works!

I encourage you to take 11 minutes to watch this video about Veterans Community Project. It's the best video I've seen telling exactly what VCP does and why. 

If you were on the VIP list for the Pawsitivity Sessions then I hope you were able to sign up to be a part of this year's fundraiser. If you'd like to make sure you're on the list for future Pawsitivity Sessions you can sign up at the bottom of the home page.

Hermes and Dash have been helping me work on the perfect set-up. ;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.