A year later, Romeo’s owner has lost his home. I have to believe this as true, because Gary and I spent at least a half hour in the grass with him, and he has been well trained with commands and tricks. And he still ADORES his tennis balls, that’s for sure!

There is definitely an air of maturity around Murphy now. I imagine he made an incredible companion, and will again soon. It breaks my heart to see situations like this, and I hope Murphy never feels it was his fault.

Murphy is available and eager for ball tosses at the Animal Rescue League of Boston‘s Brewster branch. Stop by and say hello!

He’s a young one, and probably hasn’t had any quality time learning the rules of the house and walking on leashes. He is timid at first, but does love to play with toys. We allowed him to adjust to the fun of being outdoors, and he definitely shows a sweet yearning to just be a dog… live a normal, loving life as someone’s companion.

If you get a chance, come visit Larry and his friends at the Animal Rescue League of Boston at the Brewster branch on Cape Cod!

Maybe you’re interested in having one of these cuties call you “mom” when the next Mothers’ Day rolls around? Stop in for a visit to the Animal Rescue League of Boston‘s Brewster location!

Unfortunately, I don’t have all the dogs’ names since I snuck in on a Sunday again. They were all pretty sweet, though, some even surprising us with their manners and commands. The lil’ girl in the bottom right was quite abuzz, but she calmed right down as soon as she could be close to me. Or the camera. I couldn’t really tell which she liked better.

My own bud, Brewer, came bouncing up to me with a card around his collar on Mother’s Day, and a new plant he found (I think with human help) at the local garden shop. He and I both are starting to feel our spirits lift back up after saying good bye to Bromley.

I hope all you dog and cat moms had a wonderful weekend!

I’m a little exhausted tonight, working hard under the guise of some crazy motivation I’m feeling. But as I make it through lots of edits, I wanted to share this little glimpse from my Mother’s Day visit to the shelter.

The job is dangerous, I tell ya… It’s not all adorable and games. Okay, maybe it is.

So without further adieu, let me introduce you to three sweethearts currently wagging their tails in Brewster.

Dakota… well, she’s a mover and a shaker. And she moved and shook herself over the fence during our shoot. I mean, there was a bird, after all… wouldn’t you chase it? This is where pet photographer acrobatics come in handy and I jumped the fence right after her since the shelter is on a busy road. Some begging – on my part – may have also occurred.

Bull is a gentle giant, knows all his commands and manners, and almost *accidentally* ended up in the car.

And last but not lease is Lilly. She has such a cozy face and personality, and will certainly relax the minute she enters her new loving home.

Give a call or stop by the Animal Rescue League if you’d like to visit any of these happy pups!

Believe it or not, even the shelter slowed down for the last month or two, with less dogs for me to play and photograph with. That’s a good thing! Here are a few of the newest arrivals. I didn’t have their names and papers yet, since they’d just arrived, so you’ll have to check out the personality in their eyes! (and visit the Animal Rescue League of Boston’s Brewster branch)

This fella was hysterical; kept tucking his chin back to his neck to show his best double-chin. What a little weirdo!

This guy, Luke, proved extremely difficult to capture because he just wouldn’t slow down! Part of why I love visiting the shelter is that I’m able to let each dog run around in a huge grassy yard for about a half-hour each. They have fun, get some energy out, and receive an endless supply of rubs and scratches.

This little sweetheart could not get enough love. He would just jump up on my chest with his paws relaxed and his chin resting, staring into my eyes for minutes on end – standing on his hind legs! If I so much as see this guy one more time, he’s coming home with me (thanks to my mom for the shot!).

To be completely transparent, that’s $5 from each of 170 calendars. I gave away approximately 15 and left the rest with ARL in Brewster for them to keep or sell as they wished.

The money will go directly to our Cape Cod branch, as is only right given the calendar’s name! I’m SO happy to be able to do this, and I hope you and your family and friends are enjoying the calendars so far!

Here are a couple of recent ARL pups who send you their thanks too!

Abner was found as a stray and unfortunately seems to have gone without training in whatever home he did have. Fortunately, he’s still young and will be able to learn rules and manners from a loving new home, willing to give him some attention.

I also want to mention that Tally is still available as well – an adoooorable treeing walker coonhound! Stop on in or call the shelter to say hi!

The local group has been so wonderful with planning activities and events for the community. You can check out their Facebook page HERE to keep current on all that’s going on!

As a side note, this past Sunday was my Mom’s birthday, and as a huge thanks for all her help at the shelter I gave her an official Animal Rescue League fleece vest! I love it!

At a time when one year is winding down and a whole new year is beginning, I’m feeling SO blessed to be where I am. I’m living in a gorgeous area, with a husband and two dogs who warm my heart every day. Our nearby family is bursting with stories, be it memories or new beginnings, that always make me smile. I’m healthy and active, and I get to watch the world re-embrace things like gardening, handmade goods and local sourcing. I’m fortunate to have my corporate job in this economy, which affords me the ability to buy things I need (ok, want) for my photography. And surely I’m surrounded with the best clients EVER in my photography business… happy dogs, happy people, rescued dogs and rescued people. People who love dogs, people who love people who love dogs, people who opened businesses or work with rescues based on their love of dogs. It is a wonderful community, and I thank you all for your support!

In the spirit of new beginnings, I want to share a few photos of the dogs who will actually be spending Christmas at the shelter. This isn’t to bring you down at all, but instead to take a moment to be thankful that these guys ARE in a shelter! They made it. The very best is yet to come for them, and for the humans whose hearts will soon be melting when they meet these dogs.

*Please note: The following seven dogs just arrived at the Animal Rescue League of Boston‘s Brewster branch and are still undergoing evaluation. Dogs do NOT make good Christmas presents. If you’d like to visit and give these guys some love next week, that’d be just wonderful. If you still need a gift for a loved one, try a Cold Nose Photo gift certificate instead!

We started our morning in Sadie’s home and neighborhood of Boston’s Bay Village. As much as I like to think I don’t “pose” dogs, I must admit that I find it extremely difficult to pass by cool doors such as these:

Let’s not forget Sadie’s new friend Carmine! Well, technically they aren’t quite buddy-buddy yet, but they’re getting there!

I didn’t even think of it at the time, but the name Carmine goes quite well with this little mafioso pose on the right, eh?

We took a stroll through Boston Public Gardens where we found some remaining foliage, a busy footbridge, and an adorable bench to sit on.

Back on the homefront I just had to grab some photos of Erik and Karen too – they’re adorable! We shared a nice lunch from nearby Mike & Patty’s, and chatted about our similar goals and thoughts about life. I can’t wait to meet up with them again soon!

Thanks for a wonderful morning, my new friends, and for so graciously providing Sadie with the love that she needs right now. More photos to come soon!

We walked around the South End for a while, and then hopped in the car to nearby Jamaica Pond.

This is Gretta!

Honey and Gretta are both rescues themselves, and Kristine is also a frequent foster for other dogs coming through the shelter. Here is Honey!

It was wonderful to catch the last of the foliage season, and as you can see, the dogs had quite a fun time splashing in the leaves (unprompted!).

And we wanted a few shots of Gretta in the role she so was so loving and loyal to. Kristine, I hope you like this brief glimpse, but there are many more to come! Thank you for all that you do for our furry friends!

Energetic Othello:

Soft and gentle Snider:

Tally, a Treeing Walker Coonhound, much taller than the beagle she looks like here:

Stately Jefferson:

Shasta, definitely looking like a true Rastafarian!:

and bashful Robert:

I’ve been just barely squeezing in time at the shelter these days – due to an unexpected craze of pet photography this fall season, no less! – and I’m going to put an end to that feeling before it goes too far. The shelter is where I get my bearings, where I reset my goals and why I’m doing what I’m doing. Rather than visit when I have a free hour, I’ve made sure to mark the days in my calendar (and at my day job) through the rest of the year.

I even have a shoot coming up in Boston next weekend with someone who adopted after seeing my photos! THAT rocks.