Magic Moment: The love I see between you and your dog

As the Big White Dog pack grows, its humans are as diverse as the dogs who appear with them in front of my camera.

You all have one thing in common: the love I see between you and your dog.

Take Ryland for example.

I met him and Wrangler two days after Valentine’s Day last year. He had just been reunited with the Great Pyrenees puppy that was lost to him three years prior.

This is what I call The Magic Moment, the second I see the love between you and your dog.

It is inevitable that I see it during our time together, a dog photography session at a beautiful location somewhere in Spokane or Coeur d’Alene.

The Magic Moment with you and your dog

Sometimes, it happens naturally.

Hilary was getting ready to say goodbye to Maggie, the Bernese Mountain Dog, who had degenerative myelopathy. It was a truly emotional session at Riverstone Park in Coeur d’Alene.

(Maggie lived several more months and I got to see her and snuggle her several more times. Hilary emailed me in October to let me know Maggie was gone. I cried, oh how I cried.)

Sometimes it takes a little prompt to see the connection between you and your dog.

When I told Joshua to just cuddle with his boy, what followed was natural. Because the love in his heart was so big and so perfect.

In truth, Joshua was saying goodbye to Dexter. His pal, with whom he’d hiked many miles, had been diagnosed with something dire and Joshua and his partner Hamid were letting Dexter go that night, before the little one could suffer.

And then there’s Lauren and Chloe.

“Give your baby girl the biggest hug you’ve ever given her.”

Oof.

Sometimes I wonder why it took me so long to get to this place where I’m creating these special memories for you and your dog.

It fills my soul.

Me and my dog

And then there’s us.

I’ve written — probably ad nauseum — about Bella’s health issues in the last year or so. It was about this time last year that we learned her enzyme levels in her liver were out of whack.

They kept going up and up and up, even with an ultrasound that cleared her of any lesions or malformations (ruling out cancer and Cushing’s disease).

We had her in for a biopsy two weeks ago. Here she is in all her shaved belly glory:

The news came last Friday while I was learning new things about pet photography in a virtual conference with lots of super cool people (we’re all dog photographers … how can that not be cool?).

Our vet called and her voice was full of joy. She was bubbling over because she was able to give us some good news.

Bella. Is. Fine.

The doc needs to go over her diagnosis with a specialist next week to confirm her findings but the worst of it is hepatic microvascular dysplasia. There were early indications of this in the ultrasound because Bella’s liver seemed a bit small.

And the something somethings in her liver are therefore smaller than normal and the blood doesn’t travel as easily. I pretty much have my Google University Degree in hepatic pathologies and MVD now but translating it is another deal.

The doc called again while we were out hiking Wednesday at Saltese Uplands Conservation Area in Liberty Lake to let us know the copper tests came back as expected. Normal. No hepatitis.

We may have to make slight adjustments to diet but otherwise there’s not much to do.

Y’all, Bella is fine.

Bella. Is. Fine.

Most dogs with MVD live normal, healthy, happy lives.

I slept for the first time in two weeks.

All around the circle

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it’s no surprise the topic for this week’s pet photographers blog circle was love.

I know we’re going to get a whole bunch of warm fuzzies by cruising the world this week.

Let’s head to the Sunshine State where we find Linda Perdue of VPShoots Photography serving the Tampa Bay area of Florida.

At the end of Linda’s post, click the link to the next post and see where we take you.

When you find yourself back here to the love between you and your dog, you know you’re home.

Right where you belong.

And if you’re thinking about a spring session to get some of these special memories with you and your dog, reach out.

Just hit this button, which takes you to my handy-dandy contact page, where you can get all my contact information or fill out an easy-peasy message form.