this is Dug …

and one thing i can say about Dug — besides having an unexpected and profound obsession for the Cuz ball i brought him for our shoot — is that this lad has many expressions.  from the serious to the silly …

from manly, hunting dog …

to goofball.

although Dug’s owners were initially determined to restrict our shoot to the home and back yard …

… i was able to convince them to let us take Dug out to the park and then to a grassy area.  as you’ll see from the photos scattered throughout, we got some great shots in the wide open spaces of the local park, and then as the light slipped into those last glorious minutes of gold, we found some longer, natural grasses …

being a pet-exclusive photographer, it’s usually around mid-June that i get tired of green grass, especially mowed and manicured lawns.  i prefer rough and natural settings, or at the very least, a variety of tones and textures.  the patio bricks in the back yard offered a lovely backdrop for one of Dug’s best tricks …

this boy would do anything for his new Cuz ball i brought him … and he was not beneath begging for it either …

“p-l-e-a-s-e give me that ball!!!! P-L-E-A-S-E!!!”

and when the begging didn’t work, well, an all-out beagle bellow came next …

and boy, could this lad bellow!

but as long as i had the ball, i had a captive audience …

he even tried his beagle mind-melding techniques on me in an attempt to win the ball …

… and tried …

sometimes it even worked …

above all else, this boy is a charmer …

and he is deeply loved by his family, which has increased by one member recently.  you can see his baby sister in the background.

but even with the addition of his baby sister, i feel quite certain that young Dug will steadfastly continue working at being the center of parents’ Peter and Rhiannon’s affections … with all the drama that he can muster …

and just look at that face.  who could resist?

we had fun in the park, and honestly, given his obsession with the Cuz ball, we really didn’t need the long-line …

although better safe than sorry … with those airplane wings, he could have taken flight!

after seeing how motivated he was by the new toy, we did take the line off for a few line-free shots …

and a few rolls in the grass …

although almost a constant blur of motion, Dug was awesome to work with …

but my favorite time with him, of course, was at the end of the shoot, the last rays of sun, in the long grasses …

thanks for being such a fun little guy, Dug.  and i’m sorry, Rae and Peter, for leaving you with such a huge gallery to sort through of your photogenic boy.  see you soon at your studio consult!