Pet Session at Ocean Beach and GGP

This past Sunday I spent a few hours with a sweet pooch named Monkey. He was a shelter dog lovingly adopted by shelter volunteer and mommy of two cats, Pam. He's a brown and white mix between a pit bull and a Staffordshire bull terrier with brown patches around his big brown eyes.



Pam used to live right by Ocean Beach so it was a very logical place for us to meet to photograph Monkey (even though he doesn't care much for the water).





He's just a sweetheart with little ears that flap in the wind. And he was so funny – Monkey would dart off, then coming running back over to us and swoop right past the camera as I would crouch down to get him.



He's a really curious dog and he'll go over to shyly investigate other dogs or kids but he always makes sure to stay close to mom.




We went into Golden Gate Park near the Dutch windmills to capture him against a green backdrop and to give him another environment to explore.



And I loved all of his cute little puppy parts. Check out his furrowed brow – those wrinkles are so cute!



I had a great time with Pam and Monkey. Thanks so much, you two!

The average dog has one request to all humankind. Love me.
Helen Exley

p.s. Pam introduced me to Virtual Pet Adoptions, a website connecting people with animal shelters and rescue organizations in the Bay Area for a very thorough offering of pets that would love to be given a great home.



p.p.s. If anyone knows of a shelter or rescue organization needing great photographs (completely without charge) of their shelter pets for websites and marketing purposes, please connect me with them!

According to Match.com*, "members with photos get up to 15 times more attention than those without one" and I can only imagine it applies to cat and dog profiles as well.


*I also photograph people for online dating sites and I definitely can't knock Match.com. I found my honey on there 3 years ago, we moved across the country together, and we're still going strong. And the picture thing is so true. When looking through all those profiles, the pictureless ones aren't worth the time and a great picture can get you the attention you deserve.

Jack Attack meetup

Emma and I went to a Jack Russell Terrier meetup today and had so much fun. There are pug and boxer and chihuahua and all sorts of other dog meetups so I'm surprised it took this long to get one together.

Today was their second get-together. They're held at Mountain Lake Park in San Francisco at 4pm every other Saturday. Unfortunately, I won't be able to make most of them due to a busy wedding season, but you can bet Emma and I will be there on my free days. If you have a Jack, or really any kind of dog, you should definitely show up next time. The people are so friendly and welcoming and so are the pooches (especially Bacon!).

Here are some of the sweet pups we met…

Sweet little Daisy was the first JRT there.



Freckles, Brulee, and Brownie had also shown up after a long walk.

Freckles is a people-dog and a recent adoptee. She's a bit timid but not afraid to come around if you have a snack or two. And just check out her eyes!





Brulee is one of the sweetest dogs ever. He was just so personable and soft and adorable. He is apparently quite the cuddler too.



Poor Brownie had to deal with Emma. Emma is quite annoying at the park – soon after she shows up she'll find a dog that will run and she'll chase. Once the dog stops, she'll bark incessantly at him til he gets up and goes again. The problem is that she just won't keep quiet. Sooo annoying, but Brownie took it well and made sure to keep her in her place.



Bacon, an old man of a dog, was particularly friendly and I'll leave it at that.



Chooley/Chew-li/Chuli was the spunky JRT whose owners organized the whole shindig. She was well trained and had quite an affinity for sticks.





This scruffy Jack mix (I think her name was Safari) was just a happy little thing with a long un-JRT like tail.



And cute little latecomer Spike was trembling a bit from all the newness and dogs but was really adorable. Just look at that face!





No offense to the others, but long haired jacks are definitely cuter. I mean, look at my dirty little thing. Totally filthy with a mouth like a sailor but the most lovable pooch in the whole wide world.



Thanks, guys! Emma certainly got her exercise - after falling asleep on the ride home she'll probably remain sacked out til the next one. Can't wait!

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”
Josh Billings

Two Dog Session in Golden Gate Park

Lori called me to take me up on my offer for Old Pet Month with her two beautiful Bernese Mountain Dogs. As a Christmas present for her husband, she snuck them out of the house over to San Francisco's Golden Gate Park where the pooches and I had a great time in the foggy and lush park.

Allow me to introduce two of the sweetest pups you could ever meet: Einstein and Cheri.
Einstein is 8 years old, which is pretty good for a Bernese Mountain Dog (considered a veteran in BMD circles). Sadly, he was recently diagnosed with lung cancer and couldn't quite keep up with Cheri but wasn't about to let her steal all the attention. He's a big softie with big puppy-dog eyes, huge paws, and lots of curly fur. Certainly a noble dog.

Cheri, on the other hand, was an enormous puppy. Already three years old, she acted like she was hardly over 6 months. She seemed to constantly have a big grin on her face and she was all about running circles around Lori and me, literally! Having that much space was a real treat for Cheri and she even got some other interaction with a scruffy terrier that showed up.

I've got a thing for doggie eyes and noses. They are just too sweet and their eyes are so expressive. So here's a little collection of Einie and Cheri's little parts. And, just like people, the same breed of dog can have so many small differences in two animals.

Einstein and Cheri are very sweet together. She, of course, will eat his food but they take turns at the water bowl and Cheri is even willing to give Einstein a little sugar.

Two very sweet Berners and one very loving Mommy. It's going to be a great holiday gift. Portraits are so incredibly heartfelt and much more personal than anything you could ever buy in a store. Thank you Lori, Einstein, and Cheri - I had a great time!

"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself."
– Josh Billings

p.s. Home at Last is a fabulous organization that rescues dogs and cats from certain euthanasia, provides them with housing, medical care and socialization, and eventually placement in permanent homes. They are holding an auction on November 30th at 6pm at The Albatross Pub in Berkeley. A Lindsay Docherty Photography session and prints are up for auction. Will give more details soon.

Old Pet Month Promotion!

In honor of Old Pet Month* I'm offering discounted sessions for those with senior pets. I've actually been getting several requests lately from people wanting to have some sort of photographic legacy of their best friends and I couldn't support that more. If you book a session now through November 20^th for your senior (10+ years old) dog, cat, fish, snake, parrot, ferret, pig, monkey, or unicorn you'll get a discounted sitting fee. So honor your most loyal companion and contact Lindsay Docherty photography right now. Call 415.515.3575 or email lmdocherty@gmail.com.

p.s. If you know of any nonprofit pet organization that could use photography services (free of charge), feel free to refer them to me. You'd be amazed at how much faster dogs and cats are adopted when there are great photos to get people excited about the shelter pets.

*Okay, so I made up Old Pet Month, but it seems like a very worthy cause.

"Old dogs, like old shoes, are comfortable. They might be a bit out of shape and a little worn around the edges, but they fit well." -Bonnie Wilcox

Dog Portraits at Baker Beach

Have you ever seen such an adorable puppy?
9 month old Riley, a Wheaten Terrier, was a handful and absolutely hilarious. I had forgotten how funny puppies are. The best was when she literally ran circles around mom, just for the fun of it. Too funny.
Little Riley had a tiny attention span and was intrigued by everything on the beach. The water itself was quite a curiosity.
And the sand, of course...
The treats were plentiful but she wasn't very pleased when she had to pick them out of the sand. All of that sand up her nose was not appreciated.
She's not quite trustworthy enough to be without her leash in such a big area and she wound it around herself a few times though it didn't seem to bother her. She was a really good girl and a blast to play with. I was rolling around in the sand right along with her. The next day Riley's mom emailed me, "I think Riley had fun playing on the beach with you. I do know she has been tired all day - probably recovering!"

It was a good day...

Dog Portraits at Baker Beach

What awesome roommates! The girls bought their roommate a gift certificate to Lindsay Docherty Photography so she could have a session with her dog, Beau. Beau is a handsome chocolate lab/rhodesian ridgeback. We had a blast yesterday at Baker Beach with Beau and the tennis ball. I'm pretty sure we were all worn out by the end of the day.




Then we went back home to Beau's favorite chair and watched as he got settled in for a long evening of napping after such fun.