A s a career photojournalist, I love photography and how it can help bring a story to life, or move a story along. I've written about photographing our pets  here in my blog and for AmericanPet Magazine (starting on page 37). I love how photos can capture that special moment, one to relive over and over. And the holidays are an especially fun and festive time to do a photoshoot, and what a wonderful bonding experience to share with your beloved dog.   You've most likely seen the newest trends of capturing beautiful and magical photos using a lighted box. Yes, a lighted box! To demonstrate, I'd like to welcome now-retired Therapy Dog, our dear furfriend "Mishka." Her hu-mom has graciously shared these pics with us in hopes of inspiring other families to also capture these special, easy to create photos this holiday season.   What You'll Need...   🎄   Your dog!  🎄 A medium-size box 🎄 Flashlight, cell phone with flashlight, or a strand of color or warm whi...

    Updated July 26, 2026 July is all about capturing great photos of our dogs! (Okay, every day is, but there seriously are two July dates devoted just to this!) Happy All American Pet Photo Day! Yes, that's right, July 11th is really a day dedicated to photographing our beloved pets, and July 26 is National Dog Photography Day! Two dates that are barking right up my alley! As a career photojournalist, I truly believe every picture does indeed tell a story. Every day, our pets bring us so much joy, whether it is that moment a puppy lick’s a child’s face, a therapy dog brings happiness to an ailing or lonely person, a cat chases a butterfly, a horse gallops across a misty field, a bunny nibbles on a piece of hay, or a dog rolls in the first snow of the season, taking a photograph allows us to capture and enjoy that moment, over and over again.   Every day can be a day of many special moments to capture our pets on film (or memory card). And, with today being All Ameri...

  "My sunshine doesn't come from the skies, It comes from the love in my dog's eyes."     ~Author Unknown  #Flashback Photo ~ #FiveSibes Pupsters: Bandit, Chloe & Wolfie ~ February 2018   What a difference just a few years makes. How I do miss my Pupsters Bandit, Chloe, and Wolfie being together and giving me those gorgeous blue-eyed stares for a share of whatever I was eating, or to go wherever I was going. How it made my heart happy to know that these three littermates would never be separated and be able to enjoy growing up and old together as part of our family. It was one of my life's wondrous experiences having been able to bring these three Pupsters home when they were just eight weeks old to add to our original two-pack of Harley and Gibson. Some days were crazy and full of puppy mayhem, but they were also filled with fun, laughter, and whole lot of puppy love.        Wondering if it is a good idea to raise littermates together?...

  #Flashback Photo ~ Pupsters "Wolfie" & "Chloe" ~ July 2011 Twingenuity (Twin ∙ ge ∙ nu ∙ i ∙ ty) n.    The inventive skill of combining the efforts  of young twins in pursuit of a common goal  (i.e. room destruction, sleep evasion...)    ~~~~~   Twingenuity. The mere definition is so spot on when I think back to when the Pupsters were just that, puppies. They certainly did share a common goal--from chewing up anything wood, including window sills, molding, and deck rails to destroying every toy, annihilating all the squeakers!    It's hard to believe this photo was taken 10 years ago, when the three "pupsters" were just young pups! I've said it before, and I'll always be incredulous of just how fast time does indeed fly.    While Bandit (absent from photo) was the third pupster of the littermates we welcomed into our family adding to the OG pack of Harley and Gibson (and became the FiveSibes), she was not a "twin" in the...

    "One of the greatest gifts we receive from dogs  is the tenderness they evoke in us."  ~Dean Koontz Today's #FlashbackFriday photo is a pretty recent one,  and a very special one from this past June. The joy it gives me to watch the amazing bond between my boy, Wolfie, and my grandson is something quite wonderful. (If you ask my grandson, Wolfie is his dog)! It just swells my heart with love and pride.    Wolfie, who once shared his life with a pack family of four other Siberian Huskies consisting of two littermates (Chloe and Bandit), an older sibling (Gibson), and an "adoptive" momma (Harley), has finally settled into his new life of being the solo Husky in our household. What helped him in what was a very devastating time and difficult transition to lone dog? The love and affection he received from my grandson.    I know dogs. I especially know MY dog. His whole demeanor changes when my grandson is around. Where my grandson goes, Wolf...