But What If My Dog Is….
But what if my dog is shy? But what if my dog is reactive? But what if my dog is a puppy? What if my dog is old?
These are the things that I’m sure go through your mind when you’re thinking about booking a photo session for your family and your dog. As a photographer, my goal is for not only my human clients but also my dog clients to feel comfortable and safe during a photo session. Perhaps I should share a little about me and my background with dogs. If you follow me on Instagram then you know that I freakin love dogs. I have been fostering with a local rescue for almost 5 years and during that time, I have welcomed over 50 dogs in my home and had 27 foster dogs from transport to home. During that time, I have adopted two dogs - one Doberman German Shepherd named Monty who weighs a whopping 95 pounds and a Chihuahua, Heeler, Pug mix named Frankie who only weighs 20 pounds.
When I adopted Monty I was naive. I knew close to nothing about training but Monty had big ears, long legs and I just had to meet this wonky dog. As it turned out, Monty was still a very young dog and struggled with some behavioral issues that both stemmed from nature and nurture.
Pictured below is Monty’s shelter photo - he weighed 56 pounds.
While in the almost five years I have owned Monty he has come incredibly far, thank you to multiple people who have offered advice and training, but he does (and always will) need continued training. Monty struggles with containment anxiety. By this I don’t just mean that he barks in his kennel but to the extent that he has eaten walls, broken through four different types of kennels, snapped two of his canine teeth (and as a result has had a root canal) and has broken nails. He also struggles with leash reactivity and requires slow introductions to other dogs, though can get along with any dog that is polite (aka will not get in his face). Finally, Monty would literally die for prey, particularly a squirrel but at one point he tried to jump out of my moving car window after a cow. I often compare Monty to a 16 year old boy.
Pictured Above from Left to Right: Monty hiking in Utah, Monty and I on our first hike a week after adopting him, Monty and his friend Gibson in Skagit Valley
While Monty has been a handful himself, we have also had 27 foster dogs together. Fostering was something that I started doing on a whim but once you start, its hard to stop. Every single one of the dogs that has come through my house has required further training. I have worked with dogs who wouldn’t let me touch them because they have very little human contact to dogs that have leash reactivity or will pee themselves just when you look at them.
Pictured Above right to left: Monty with foster dog Opal who arrived from Hawaii and was very timid. Turned to Monty for guidance. Monty with foster dog Pepper who had some aggressive herding tendencies that needed correction
One of my jobs at Dog Gone Seattle is photographing dogs that are having a harder time getting adopted. Since Dog Gone Seattle will typically take in more difficult dogs, this means that I have had the opportunity to work with dogs that are terrified of humans, dogs that will bite me if I come to close, dogs that are leash reactive and more!
Maya
Maya is a German Shepherd with some stranger danger. During our session I was instructed by her handler to avoid eye contact and no physical touch. Maya was allowed to sniff me while I made no gestures towards her. Maya warms up to people and is able to coexist with them but does have some stranger danger. At the time this blog was written, Maya is still available for adoption with Dog Gone Seattle.
While I have so much to learn about training, photography and dogs, I am here to support you and what your dog needs during our photo session. Prior to the start of your session, you will receive a questionnaire where I ask you to tell me a little about your dog and you. Here is your time to share what your dogs quirks are and how I can make everyone comfortable during our session. I will also work with you to pick a location that will have less dogs or people, whatever suits you and your dog best. If you have any questions about how we can make your experience with your family and dog, feel free to send me an email at hello@margotmckelvie.com and we can talk about it further! I look forward to hearing from you!
Pictured above is a 15 year old cavalier who has lost her hearing and sight. She attended my annual fall fundraiser in 2022.
Pictured above is a 6 month old puppy. Clover’s parents signed him up for the puppy package I offer so I will be photographing Clover next summer as well!
Nala and Summer were with their parents during my fall mini session. They let me know that Summer can be dog reactive so we headed into a more quiet part of the Arboretum to ensure the comfort of everyone during our session
