This was such a great family! We’ve got Tula, the 6 year old Australian Cattle Dog / Pomeranian mix, Jambo, the 4 year old Sheltie, Rusty, the 15 year old German Shepherd / Gold Retriever, and Easy, the 11 year old Dachshund. Tula was found on the road during a spay/neuter clinic on the Spirit Lake Reservation. Easy was found on the road near Moorhead, and the other two are from rescue shelters.

“Tooting my own horn” alert….. I’ve always known I had a way with animals. I think I just “get” them more than I get people sometimes. To give you an idea of what I mean, here’s how the session went down with Jambo and Rusty:

Jambo has some anxiety and gets barky and shy around strangers. They thought it would be best if I didn’t interact with or look at him when they arrived, so I didn’t have big hopes of him warming up to me. He didn’t bark at all on the way in, within minutes he was coming up to me for pets, and he turned out to be the biggest camera hog! He was licking my face by the end, and wouldn’t leave my side.

Rusty is known for disliking the camera. He had studio photos done a few years ago, and unfortunately the photographer scared him by shaking a can of coins. (Not a good way to gain trust) And ever since, most photos of him show his ears back, looking nervous. Well, sweet old Rusty took a liking to me right away, and I’ll let you decide how his photos turned out!

Check out Rusty’s nub…. They think his paw was caught in a trap at some point, and now it’s just a pad at the end of his arm. I think it’s charming  :)