Fall is my favorite time of the year to do locations shoots in the city. Miss Penny and her owner Wendy also love spending time in Central Park this time of year. Every time Penny hears the word park and outside, she does her little head tilt. She loves to play with sticks and chase the squirrels. She even loves the Winter time in the park as she likes strolling and digging in the snow.

Wendy said, I had read about Jack Russell Terriers and found out that they are loyal and intelligent animals. I started to ask myself, what if I found the perfect name that matches that? When I went to pick up Penny at Pennsylvania, I didn’t have a name for her. That’s sad I know because I feel like that was the first thing I needed to have. Anyways, once I arrived at my destination, I remember her cute little wrinkly puppy face. I held her and loved the way she cuddled between my arms. Penny had this small brown circle on her head that looked like a penny but without Lincoln in it. But then I thought, Penny sounds like a nickname. It must be short for something. When I got home I looked online to define Penny. It had said it was short for Penelope. And there it was, her name. Penelope is a Greek name that defines a loyal, capable and intelligent person. And that is how she got her name. There is never a boring moment with Penny. She will brighten your day and make you smile or laugh. Penelope is a very loyal dog. She will follow you and be there in the good times or bad. She will cheer you up if she sees you crying. You will always have best friend walking beside you.❤

I met this little bear when he was just 6 weeks old, he was still being bottle feed and relying on his human momma Julia, for everything. Due to very unfortunate reasons he could not stay with his dog momma and Julia had to care from him 24 – 7 in the beginning.

This is why they have such a strong bond, Julia says… Bear bear doesn’t like to be cuddled or touched too much, though he can’t stand it if I am out of his sight. He’s my own personal stalker. He also loves laying on top of my car when we are getting gas. (Most of his life has been spent driving from NYC to LA). As Barry and I have gotten to know each other I’ve concluded that he is a bit of a drama king. But in a very mellow dramatic way. I liken him to what I imagine a southern founding father with a propensity for complaining and good hygiene would be like. He likes to quietly disapprove and loved the finer things in life. He acts like he hates it when I groom him but when I stop he whines. He’s s very particular boy and I love that he is his own personality and that when its all said and done he will always come to my rescue and be there for me when it counts.

I think next photo session we do id like him to wear a powdered wig!❤

Last night was The Doggy Olympics, hosted by Puppy Parties NYC. We gathered once again at the D Pet Chelsea Hotel in New York for a night of puppy dog fun and laughs.

We had team France that was mostly made up of French Bulldogs, team USA was very multicultural, as well as Germany and China. The events included a Marathon that took place on a treadmill, not all pups were that keen on this event. Mainly because it resembled a nail cutting bench. haha! There were also hurdles, balance beams and slides. Then the finale was the diving event and the teams choose one member each to represent the country. None of the athletes were really excited about this event either, except for Clover in team America. Even she needed a bit of a treat incentive to take the plunge!

Team France took out the overall event and the 3 individual winners were…..

1st place Teddy!

2nd place Bee Bee!

3rd place Clover!

Congratulations to the winners and all the pups for being sooo darn cute!❤

Mr Dax is one of the funniest dogs I have ever photographed. As you can see from these portraits there is a huge personality in this guy. He loves Attention Cuddles “Stretchies” Being an active participant Changing the channel or turning off the TV Toys and trying to find out where his new toys are hidden Stealing Socks, going to the beach Being on a farm and herding cattle Walking through puddles on purpose and getting his white coat dirty with mud Hanging out with his friends at Doggie Day Care.

He will not go to the bathroom if someone is looking at him. Once Dax realizes it’s time to sleep, he immediately jumps on the bed to claim his spot. When he wakes up he lays on his back and asks for “stretchies” (have his legs stretched out and massaged). He likes to steal plastic knives and then peek out from behind a corner with the knife in his mouth. Whenever he figures out you are trying to take a picture of him, he looks away. He doesn’t like cleanliness – as soon as you put his toys away, he will take them back out and scatter them around the house where he originally had them. Loves to steal paper. Obsessed with paper. If it is paper, he must steal it. Even Money. He will crouch in the down position and then slowly move forward, inch by inch as if no one sees him until he reaches the paper, stretches out to grab it delicately from a corner using only his front teeth and then runs away with it and tears it up. In his mind, super secret mission – complete. While out on a walk, if there is the slightest wind he crouches down and walks as though he is facing a hurricane. Dax has to be involved in everything. He needs to know what is going on at all times and he has to be in the middle of the action. He needs to inspect anything and everything that comes into the apartment to give his seal of approval. If he notices something in the apartment is different (furniture moving or things changing place) he must also inspect and give his approval. If one is laying down on the couch, his favorite seat is not on the couch itself, but rather on your head. In his head, he believes he’s a fraction of his size. If he is sleeping on the couch and you wake him up, or accidentally touch him he will wake up and yap like a grumpy child.

There is never a dull moment with Dax especially with his super-expressive face and willingness to take on any adventure. Originally, he was supposed to be a Jack Russell Terrier mix and it was anticipated that he’d be half the size he grew to be. His bad-boy/ rebel without a cause personality paired with his never ending energy have proven to be a big challenge in raising Dax, but as his trainer pointed out “We often get the dog we need, not the dog we want.”. So true!

I thought I would share a few of my posing people with pets tips here with this shoot with Dodger and is humans. I get asked a lot… How did I get the animal to do that?. Most of the time, I am waiting for the dog to look a certain way or getting them still and relaxed. The have the owners to follow direction and pose with them. Though, I am able to get the pets to look a certain way, with either a treat, toy or ball. My top 3 poses are shown here in the shoot…

Mav the Cav, is sweet, loving and mischievous in all the right ways. I first met him at the Puppy Bowl I photographed in Chelsea and I knew he was special straight away. He also so has special, kind and big hearted humans Ally and Scott.

Ally said, ” We finally decided to get a dog because we wanted to be able to do Therapy Dog work with them. My dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and will eventually need more care and I read about how much Therapy Dog’s can help these patients. We searched everywhere for the right pup and that’s how we found Maverick!! Now that he just turned one we will be taking the therapy dog test in a few weeks. We will volunteer in hospitals in NYC until the time comes when my dad needs Maverick’s love all for himself. He babysits Mav now and they already have this special bond. That’s the greatest thing about Maverick is his ability to love people instantly and bring joy to their hearts, getting him was the best decision my husband and I ever made.” He also gives amazing cuddles!❤