It was a beautiful sun-shiny day but we knew we were in for an emotional shoot this day. We prepared ourselves beforehand and knew this would not be easy. We were photographing Buddy and his mom. Buddy is a 14 year old Shih Tzu who was just diagnosed with cancer…and his vet thinks this year will be his last. When we arrived to meet them, Buddy approached us very willingly, and immediately we all became good friends! (of course it’s easy to be friends when you have a pocket full of bacon and cheese treats!) This little guy was so full of life, and if dogs could laugh (which I believe they can)…this little guy was laughing all day! He was a star!

When Buddy’s mom was looking for a dog…she knew she wanted a small one, so she went to a local rescue organization’s “Mutt-Mingle” hoping to find just the right one. At first, she didn’t see any that she could take home…until someone said to her, “did you have a look inside?” “Inside? There’s more?” Sure enough, there was more! As she looked around, a little gray ball of fur named Jabba caught her eye, and before anyone else could lay claim to him, she snatched him up and took him home…but not before stopping at PetSmart to pick up a few necessities.

After she took him home, she decided to clean him up a bit. After a good long bath, the little gray ball of fur became a beautiful white and brown! And the name that the shelter gave him was ditched for the perfect name, “Buddy”. Buddy has truly been his mom’s best friend for all these years!

Buddy, you are an inspiration, and your mom is AMAZING for giving you the best life EVER! Thank you for spending the day with us…we have made some great new friends!

Buddy brought us to his favorite spot on the beach…this spot is special to him because this is where he and his mom spend a lot of time together.  It’s a very special place indeed!