Chase & Snap Pet Photography's Strays Around the World Project

I was so touched to  find out about the Strays Around the World Project by Stephanie, of the wonderful Chase & Snap Pet Photography. Stephanie recently enjoyed her Honeymoon in the Dominican Republic and whilst she was there she captured the latest installment of her heartfelt project. It is so amazing to raise awareness for a worldwide issue and I'm personally so proud of Stephanie taking her time to help this cause - even on her honeymoon! Please stop by and show your support by giving a 'like' on the Strays Around the World Facebook Page { here } and you can read more about the project below too...

Strays Around the World is a project started by Stephanie Madeline in 2010, inspired by a trip to Puerto Rico. It was there she realized the extent of the stray animal over population problem of other countries.The New Jersey based pet photographer will travel the world documenting strays in order to raise awareness as well as raise funds for organizations with similar causes. Stephanie has so far documented strays from Puerto Rico, Italy and Dominican Republic. Planned countries include England, Ireland, Thailand, China, Japan, Russia, Costa Rica, Mexico & more! Photos, calendars, greeting cards and books will be available for purchase in the future. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Project Animal Worldwide, a non-profit organization dedicated to spaying/neutering strays in Puerto Rico as well as find homes for them and 600million.org, an organization dedicated to developing a safe and humane birth control pill for dogs and cats.

 . Images by Chase & Snap Pet Photography .

With Thanks to Stephanie of Chase & Snap Pet Photography for

sharing her Strays Around the World Project with us!

See more of the fab Chase & Snap Pet Photography portfolio by heading over to
chaseandsnap.com and more features on Itty Bity & Fluffy { here }

Rescue Story - Mugsey, Karen & Rocco

We had the pleasure of sharing part of Mugsy's Pet Photography Session by Nicole Begley Photography { here } earlier in the week. Today we get to share the rest of the beautiful images along with Mugsy's inspiring rescue story as told by his owner Karen...

"My husband and I got married ( Karen and Rocco ) in September of 2007 and purchased a house in Long Lsland that came equipped with a doggie door and a yard any dog would die for! We decided that in December we were ready to add to our family and adopt a dog. I was working at New York Methodist Hospital at the time and one of the nurses in the operating room rescued pit bulls. She told me that she had the perfect match for us and texted me pictures of a dog she recently rescued. I showed them to my husband and although reluctant, stated that we would “test him out” for a week to see if he was a good fit."

"The prelude to Mugsy coming to us that winter is that he was born in Hawaii and adopted/purchased by a man in the military. He was apparently transferred to Staten Island and brought Mugsy (at the time, his name was Buddy) with him to his new home. He lived down the street from my friend who worked at NYM (who eventually rescued him) and she would see him everyday tied up in the back yard, looking sad and lonely. She asked the owner if it would be alright to take him for a daily run which he agree to. After a month, however, she no longer saw Mugsy in the backyard. It was a cold, mid November day when she found out that the man had skipped his rent and taken off, leaving Mugsy locked in an abandoned car in the back yard,  freezing and starving. She subsequently rescued him from his car and brought him to her house."

"Which brings us to his present life - we rescued Mugsy and since that time he has been living the life! During our stint in Long Island, Mugsy had many a days at the beach, swimming and chasing surfers in the waves of Long Beach. He has also become well-versed in sailing, given that we purchased a small sailboat and took him out every time we went sailing. He has traveled to see his extended family in Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey and Georgia. He has also taken many a-vacation to Vermont and all down the Eastern seaboard. He goes everywhere we go - in fact, we do not plan vacations unless he can come with us. I just bought a new car and made sure it was a good fit for Mugsy as well."

"Recently, we were devastated to learn that he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Both my husband and I are physicians and noticed that he had a mass growing in his neck. We were fortunate enough to find the best care in the area at PVSEC where he underwent a thyroidectomy and 4 rounds of chemo and radiation therapy. We are happy to report that he has not had any metastasis to this point and is doing very well. We feel blessed and thank god every day that this little man has come into our lives and enriched us they way he has - in fact, he will soon be a big brother to our new baby (human) very shortly and we just know that he will love this little one the way he loves and protects us."

"We have discussed adoption in the event we lose our buddy and would ONLY adopt Pitbulls in the future - we believe that adopted dogs know and appreciate their new lives - we know Mugs does!!"

. Images by Nicole Begley Photography .

We send our best wishes to Mugsy and his family and hope that he is well and makes a
full recovery and that all goes well for Karen & Rocco's first baby due soon too!

With thanks to Mugsy, Karen, Rocco & Nicole Begley Photography
for sharing their session and wonderful story with us!

To see more of Nicole Begley Photography's portfolio head on over to

www.pets.nicolebegleyphotography.com

For more rescue stories and adoptions go { here }

Pet Session - Mugsey & Nicole Begley Photography

Today we are pleased to bring you a beautiful pet photography session by Nicole Begley Photography, featuring Mugsey and his parents! Mugsey is a rescue dog and we are delighted to share his rescue story with our readers in a follow up post. For now we will hand over to Nicole who tells us about marvelous little Mugsey and their session together...

"Please meet Mugsy Bogues Florio, a boxer/pit bull mix, who has been with his current family since December of 2007. Musgy was adopted by his current parents after his previous owners moved and left him locked in an abandoned car in the back yard of his old home in the middle of the winter. He is now incredibly spoiled by his new parents and has joined them on trips all over the eastern half of the United States!"

"Mugsy is currently battling cancer and participated in a Tribute Session, which is a special session specifically for ill or elderly pets. He is quite a fighter though so we are all very hopeful that he is going to continue to have a nice long life being spoiled by his family. He's actually going to be a big brother to a little baby human in just a few months too!"

. Images by Nicole Begley Photography .

With Thanks to Mugsey, his parents and Nicole Begley Photography for sharing their session with us.

To see more of Nicole's super portfolio of work,
head on over to www.pets.nicolebegleyphotography.com

Don't forget to check back and see Mugsey's rescue story too!

Rescue Story - Bandit, Chris & Aubrey

We had the absolute pleasure of sharing some beautiful images of Bandit earlier this week, shot by the wonderful Thomas Pitera Photography{ see the full post here }. Today we have a follow up with more lovely pictures from their Pet Photography session together along with Bandit's parents Chris & Aubrey and of course Bandit's rescue story. Over to Aubrey...

"I pretty much know all the dogs that are at the local shelter (OCAS) all the time because of volunteering there and with rescues as well. I show my husband photos of dogs needing homes on a daily basis.  One particular day I showed him Bandit (unnamed at the time) and Chris said he wanted to foster him.  We waited to see if any rescues stepped up for him or even better he might be adopted from OCAS but once we saw the heartworm positive status we knew it was unlikely. Eventually I asked Sniffing Snouts Rescue to pull him for us to foster him, which they did. 5 minutes of him being in our house my husband was in love with him. So even though this was not really a plan, we decided to rescue/adopt him because we knew he didn't have a great past and we knew we could provide that to him. Also he had very minimal issues fitting into my pack and I have many different personalities in my pack so we felt it was meant to be."

"I went by myself to meet Bandit for the first time prior to us bringing him home. I wanted to make sure he didn't seem aggressive towards me or to other dogs. He didn't actually show a lot of interest in me upon meeting him - he mostly wanted to sniff around the play yard. This did not bother me a bit. Some people who seek out a dog to adopt want a hyper, happy, playful dog when they meet them and are disinterested in those who are a bit more aloof. I already have one high energy dog who can be a handful so I was happy to see him a bit more independent.  He was thin at the shelter and still unaltered at this time. He didn't really know how to be a pet back then. He is still a low energy dog but he soaks up the lovin' now whereas before he didn't seem to understand it and kept more to himself. He is no longer thin, in fact for a while he was getting a bit pudgy. We got him back to a healthy weight and his coat looks fantastic."

"Being so involved in the animal community, I was actually lucky enough to speak with the woman who brought him into the shelter. She had found him at a gas station and lured him to her with some food. She says that he was wearing two collars, one of which was far too tight. She didn't know what to do with him and she took him to OCAS. When she found out that he was being taken in by a rescue group she asked which one and was able to find me online. At this point I had already decided to keep him (didn't take long).  My personal opinion based on how he acted is that he was an outside dog prior to the shelter and he wasn't given much attention. He didn't understand what being an inside pet was. I would let him out to potty and he would lay down and not come back in.  He felt that's where he was supposed to be. He was not potty trained and heartworm positive so I really feel he used to live outside without much interaction. He has definitely learned how to be a spoiled inside dog now. He is heartworm free, potty trained and he loves to cuddle.  He is truly a wonderful pet."

"I would and will rescue a dog again in the future when mine have passed on.  I don't think I can ever justify getting a dog from a breeder, responsible or not, simple due to the number of perfectly adoptable pets at the local shelter. I also love how unique mutts are. I haven't met anyone who has a dog that looks just like one of my mixed breeds and I like that. And of course I love knowing that I saved a dog from a bad situation and possibly even euthanasia. All 4 of my dogs are rescues from different places and I wouldn't trade them for the world. Whether this is really true or not, I feel rescue dogs are very appreciative. It seems as if they know you saved them. To anyone who has doubts about adopting from a shelter or a rescue, please take the time to go in person and meet these dogs. Dogs are very forgiving and they are not all "damaged" like some people think. As I said, I have 4 rescued dogs and they are all wonderful pets."

. Images by Thomas Pitera Photography .

With thanks to Bandit, Chris, Aubrey & Thomas Pitera Photography for sharing their

stunning pet photography session with us as well as their story and experiences.

To see more posts on Itty Bitty & Fluffy featuring Rescue and Adoptions go { here }

To see more posts featuring photos by Thomas Pitera Photography go { here }

For more information and to view Thomas Pitera Photography's super
portfolio of work head on over to www.thomaspiteraphotography.com

Pet Session - Bandit & Thomas Pitera Photography

We are super excited to share this lovely pet photography session of beautiful little Bandit the Beagle cross by Thomas Pitera Photography! Bandit is a rescue dog and was adopted by Aubrey & Chris in 2011, he is estimated to be between 3 and 4 years old and we think you will agree that he is rather adorable! We will follow up with his rescue story later this week too.

Here's what Thomas Pitera Photography had to say about Bandit's session...

"According to his people, he's very lazy. For the session, he was very cooperative for string cheese and green beans! He has a special bond with Chris, who claims that Bandit is his favorite of their four dogs. On the way home from the session, Bandit even pulled Chris along on his skateboard!"

. Images by Thomas Pitera Photography .

Watch out for Bandit's follow up feature where we hear from his parents Aubrey & Chris about
his rescue and how he has fit into their family. Of course with more wonderful
photos from Thomas Pitera Photography!

With Thanks to Bandit, Aubrey, Chris & Thomas Pitera Photography for
sharing their beautiful Pet Photography session with us!

To see more of Thomas Pitera's beautiful porfolio and for more
information head on over to www.thomaspiteraphotography.com

Just Joey - Workaholics

Before we adopted our rescue dog Joey, we would happily work, work, work - all hours, day and night. We would be starting at 8am and finishing at midnight - not because we had to but because we love what we do so much! The timing when we brought Joey home was perfect for us as it was late October, the end of Autumn and the start of the winter months, when the wedding season is quiet and or work load is less. We knew that we would have that extra spare time to train him, ease him into his new life and, of course, bond with him.

As the months pass by we are all getting on amazingly and Joey often sits snuggled up on his bed, in our studio, whilst we work. He is quiet and content and seems to understand when it is 'work time' for us. The late nights spent working on mood-boards until 2am have now become fewer and farther between. If it is 8pm or later, Joey will begin to let out loud grumbles and prolonged sighs of discontent- no doubt letting us know that he far from impressed! He just wants to snuggle up and isn't feeling settled until we all do so - whether it is watching a movie, reading a book or time for bed.

Joey has become our 'studio dog workload-supervisor' and we now realise what workaholics we are! He tells us when it is time to call it a day, he encourages us to relax, and if we stay on the laptop too late in an evening he will even make an effort to nudge it out of the way too!

After getting into this new routine together you realise that by working too much you are hindering and stifling your creativity and inspirations. As much as you enjoy or love your work, you do need to stop and live - how else are you going to generate new ideas? Getting the dog's perspective on when enough is enough has been refreshing, revitalising and even relaxing!

. Image by Catharine Noble Photography .

Fluffy Friends Sarah, Sadie & Eva

Today we are delighted to welcome Sarah of the wonderful Sarah McGraw Photography and
her beautiful fur babies Sadie and Eva. Sarah talks to us about her work as as a Pet Photographer
and how her beautiful career began, her inspirations and of course her pets and mascots - the super cute Sadie & Eva.

Over to Sarah...

My name is Sarah McGraw - a lover of warmth, sunlight, nature, animals, and anything free and beautiful. I try to convey this everyday in my business, McGraw Photography, where I photograph modern images of posh pets. My main mascots are Eva and Sadie, my two loyal Lab-mixes. They are constantly by my feet when I'm sitting at my computer, on my lap when I'm watching TV, pushing their ball or frisbee on me during play time, or bumping my hand off my keyboard while I'm typing (that's why I have so many spelling mistakes. Well, that's my excuse anyway). I also have two friendly kitties but they would rather be eating that getting their picture taken. :)

I started McGraw Photography 3 years ago. I initially launched my business offering architectural photography but quickly realized that my heart wasn't in that genre. I tried other things such as children, babies, and maternity, but nothing quite felt right. Finally, my mom mentioned something about pet photography. This was a whole new world to me - something I never knew existed! It was a perfect match! I always wanted to work with animals. I even got a biology degree thinking I would go to vet school or become a zoologist. Everything finally fell into place and now pet photography is all that I do. I couldn't be happier!

Fortunately, as a pet photographer and mother to 4 animals, I always have a subject available to photograph. Eva and Sadie quickly became my go-to models when scouting a new location or just vacationing in a photogenic area. They are actually really good models too...er, maybe I should say realistic models. They certainly don't like to sit and stay for the camera. They are usually go, go, go which is how most of my clients' dogs are! It certainly keeps me running around and ready for anything!

With Eva and Sadie's help, I quickly developed my style of pet photography. I kinda threw away some of the rules I learned in my photography classes and went with what I felt in my heart. I love warmth and light and nature and really wanted to incorporate that into my look. I began to turn my camera around and shoot into the sun, blowing out my highlights, and having washed-out skies. I love to crank up the warmth in post and give my images a clean, natural, and timeless feeling. I might not have technically correct images 100% of the time but, with pet photography, it's so much more about the moment, the feeling, and the expression on the dog's face. I want the viewer to feel warm and fuzzy inside when they look at one of my images.

I am so grateful that Eva and Sadie have entered my life. Not just because they model for me but because they have really made our house a home (maybe a super hairy one).

We adopted Eva about 6 years ago and she is the first dog I've had as an adult. She was a super cute puppy (of course) and had the curliest brown fur on her neck. She no doubt has retriever in her because she is obsessed with her frisbee - ob-freakin-sessed. She can run and catch a frisbee with the best of them! She is extremely smart and kinda does things on her own terms. But, and the end of the day, she just wants to curl up with her mommy and daddy.

When Eva was 4, we decided it was time to get a second dog. We looked and looked for quite some time but we couldn't find the perfect match. Then, one day we went to the pet store and they were having an adoption event. I saw Sadie's adorable black face and it was love at first sight. We adopted her the next day and she instantly made herself at home in our house. She LOVES her big sister and is super-excited to be part of our pack. She is THE happiest dog ever and she could probably knock you down on the ground with how hard she wags her tail. She always wants to cuddle and can make anyone happy with her smile.

My husband's limit for dogs in the house is 2. However, I could easily have 4 or 5! Lucky for him, every dog I photograph becomes part of my "family" - they just don't happen to live with us. I seriously fall in love with every dog I photograph and nothing warms my heart more than getting updates on how they are doing. I'm so glad I have the doggy "family" that I do!!!

. Images by Sarah McGraw Photography .

With Thanks to Sarah for sharing her story and family with us!

To find out more about Sarah McGraw Photography and 

to see her amazing portfolio head on over to...

Website: www.mcgrawphotography.com

Blog: www.mcgrawphotographyblog.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/McGrawPhoto