happy Father’s Day to Buster’s dad! ~ {Toronto pet photographer}

meet Buster … an amazing, proud, old man, who is surrounded by a truly amazing amount of love.

Buster’s shoot is a Father’s Day gift, so i hope these images and his blog entry are a real surprise.

from Toronto, Buster came to our neck of the woods for his shoot because — like a number of our clients — his owners really liked some of the settings that they have seen on the blog.

14-year-old Buster is suffering from degenerative myelopathy — a progressive spinal cord disease which is affecting his mobility.  but in spite of some rests, this boy was rarin’ to go during the shoot.  in fact, Sara and her sister claimed that they hadn’t seen this old man move so fast and have so much fun in a long time, especially once we got out to our natural setting.  you could hardly hold him back!

on the way between the graffitied train tunnel and our favorite shooting spot, i made sure to stop at a small park to capture the last of the wild flox.  when scouting earlier in the day — checking out the state of the latest graffiti — i passed this amazing patch and just knew that we’d have to make use  of these pretty flowers for our tough pitty boy, so i way-pointed it on the GPS in order not to miss it later that evening during our shoot.  and at that point, with the late afternoon sun, it was glorious.

“woof!”

and then, up to the infamous tunnel of trees for this old boy …

i’d like to take a little time to talk about our Honor Sessions™.  from the very infancy of scruffy dog, sessions for aging dogs or dogs in failing health have always been given priority.  after losing my own boy at only 4 years of age to sudden, vaccine-induced lymphoma, with very few photos of him, i know how important these kinds of sessions can be.  as such, when it comes to our Honor Sessions™ it doesn’t matter how full the scruffy dog schedule is … we make the time.

Honor Sessions™ are for honoring our amazing 4-leggers, honoring the bond we have shared, celebrating the love they have given us … and for these sessions, the clock stands still.  we do whatever it takes to capture as many unique and powerful images as possible of your beloved pet … and we strive for as much variety as your pet can muster … where we sit and talk, sharing the experience … and through it all, truly honor your pet, the love and bond that connects you, and the lifetime you have shared together.

at the same time, i always advise people not to wait too long to make that booking for their dog.  i’ve had numerous Honor Sessions™ where the clients wished they’d booked a year earlier, when their dogs were still relatively vibrant and able to run and catch a stick, or just walk amongst the grasses.  to me, those are the memories best captured.  but still, many wonders can be worked even with a pet who is relatively immobile, as i’ve done in many Honor Sessions™ in the past.  (and by the way, if you don’t already receive the scruffy dog newsletter, drop us a line, and we’ll rectify that, pronto!)

but back to Buster …  during our shoot, you’d hardly know he was struggling.  this big-hearted, never-quit boy was on the move … he had things to sniff, trees to pee on, and lovely long blades of fresh grass to mow down …

in fact, he was so determined to eat this entire field of grass, it was nearly impossible to get just this one shot of him not eating!

yup, still licking his lips from his salad-bar experience as we headed to the shore …

Buster, it was a true pleasure and delight to meet you, and an absolute honor to photograph you.  i hope i have done your courage, strength, and great will-power justice through these photos

Sara and family, i look forward to hearing from you, and i hope this is the happiest Father’s Day ever, for all of you and for Buster most of all.  you have a large gallery of images to sort through.  do not hesitate to contact me for help, and i am here if you would like to set up a studio consult.

and Buster, you three-toed wonder … dude, you’re the best.  just keep on keepin’ on!