Sarah Beth Photography | Minneapolis Saint Paul Minnesota Dog & Pet Photographer

gracie says….

admin — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:34:04 +0000

ronin :: minneapolis joy session

admin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:31:03 +0000

It sounds weird to say this, but this was the most fun Joy Session I’ve ever had! Nine year old Pit Bull, Ronin, was so happy and full of joy; you could just feel the love and incredible bond between him and his dad, Jim. There’s a book called Going Home: Finding Peace When Pets Die, by Jon Katz, where he talks about giving your pets one last, perfect day. Take off work, do all the things they love most, and create some great memories. I learned about the book a few weeks after our session, and found it very timely, as this is exactly what Jim had done for Ronin. We started at his parent’s house and threw some sticks in the yard, then hopped in the car. One of Ronin’s absolute favorite things was Chicken McNuggets from McDonalds, so we took him through the drive-through for a couple boxes. He got to enjoy a few on the way to the lake, where we spent a good half hour throwing his ball into the water, Ronin swimming out for it, bringing it back, repeat. You’d never guess that crazy, energetic boy had cancer. Our session was definitely unique, filled with lots of smiles and laughter, and everything we did was special and meaningful for these two best friends. There were some sad moments, as there always are, but this session was overall an amazing, happy experience.

Some Joy Sessions are truly last-minute, capturing beautiful moments with you and your pet shortly before you say goodbye, but it’s so wonderful when people are blessed with the time to arrange something like this, to give their pets – while they’re still feeling good – a perfect day.

english springer rescue :: february rescue of the month

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:10:57 +0000

Our February Rescue of the Month is the Upper Midwest Chapter of English Springer Rescue America, Inc. (ESRA) I grew up with a Springer/Lab mix named Sam, and I’ve always sported a soft spot for the Spaniels. The ESRA provides foster care for Springer Spaniels who have been abandoned or impounded by other rescues or animal control facilities in Minnesota, Iowa, North & South Dakota, Wisconsin and Nebraska. These loving, loyal dogs are generally very smart and make great family pets. The ESRA ensures that each dog adopted out has been vetted, spayed/neutered, up-to-date on vaccines and personality screened to fit your lifestyle. Supplies like food, collars and crates are always welcome, as are monetary donations. They have opportunities to sponsor special needs fosters, where you can have a direct impact on specific animals, and receive updates on their care and adoption. Be sure to check out their Facebook page for current happenings and Springers looking for foster families.

The rescue brought in 3 wonderful dogs to feature on the blog! First up is Emily. This pretty girl is 10 years old and lived her whole life as a breeder in a puppy mill. She’s very gentle, and her foster mom says she loves to cuddle and chew on bones. She’s not yet on their Petfinder list, as she’s just gone through heart worm treatment, and is waiting to be spayed. She should be available starting mid-March.

Next is sweet little Bear. He’s ridiculously cute and painfully shy. He’s 3 years old and lived his previous life in a cage with no socialization. He’s come a long way in his foster home, learning what it means to live indoors, play with toys and is slowly building his confidence every day. (be sure to read his story on Petfinder, it’s heartwarming!) He still has a lot to learn and overcome, and needs an understanding home that lets him take things at his own pace. He’ll do best with another dog friend to help teach him the ropes and get out some of his bouncy energy!

And last, but certainly not least, we’ve got Bob. He’s 8 years young, very happy and sweet and “a joy to have around.” He has some arthritis and likes to nap on the comfy couch. (I like doing that too) He’s a big, handsome boy with great freckles and curls, and really just wants to be near you.

tucker :: yes, this is a real dog

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:18:46 +0000

Tucker’s dad referred to him as a bit of a “shrinking violet.” This little Pomeranian munchkin was originally a show dog, was retired due to some medical issues and then rehomed to another family. He eventually came back to his breeder showing signs of abuse, and that’s when his new, super-loving family took him in. It was sad to see him cringe every time they reached for him, though he loved to be held. Tucker trusts his family but is pretty leery of strangers, so I kept my distance. Our shoot was a delicate dance of treat, squeak, one flash, scamper back to mom. (repeat) We got some really great photos of him though, (if I do say so myself) plus he’s just a fluffy squishy teddy bear, so it’s hard not to look good :)

save a bull :: january pet rescue of the month

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:45:25 +0000

As everyone’s busy holiday schedules are starting to normalize, we got a couple wonderful Bullies into the studio for our January Rescue of the Month. You might remember this fabulous rescue from our big art show fundraiser last year. Save A Bull “envisions a world where these unjustly maligned dogs share homes with kind, loving, and competent humans, where their honor can be restored and preserved.” They’re dedicated to educating the public on how to properly raise, care for and love American Pit Bull Terriers and other Bull breeds, and they have some great resources to check out on their site. While you’re there, read up on their extensive list of success stories, buy yourself some swag, and maybe even consider being a foster.

They’re currently holding a food drive with UrbAnimal and Solid Gold Northland. For every bag of Solid Gold you purchase at UrbAnimal, Solid Gold will donate either 4 or 8 pounds of food to Save A Bull. AND…. their Turkey Jerky is on sale for $10 and every penny of that $10 you purchase will be donated as well! The drive goes until Saturday, February 11th, when they’ll celebrate with “Puppy Love,” a free Valentine themed fundraiser at the Uptown UrbAnimal store from 11am-3pm. RSVP on their Facebook event, or just show up that day to enjoy a bake sale, kissing booth, cake walk, $25 microchipping, make your own Valentines, and apparently win a date with Save A Bull founder, Tahlia! It should be a great time, so we hope you can make it! (I may even bake something for the sale!)

Now onto the adoptables! Sweet Jim was found as a stray with very recent chemical burns all along his back. (how anyone can do something like that is beyond me) He was adopted into a loving family, but they sadly lost their home and had to give him up. Save A Bull took him in and he’s more than ready to find his new forever family. Also, I think Jim is a fantastic dog name.

Pretty Leela was found locally as a stray. She obviously had some puppies, but they were never found and no one came to claim her. She’s very happy and smiley, and would do great as an only dog, or with a compatible canine friend.

lunabelle :: joy session :: minneapolis cat photographer

admin — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:40:57 +0000

I photographed beautiful little Lunabelle’s Joy Session just an hour before she had to say goodbye. She was having frequent seizures, some pretty severe. She was very alert and happy while I was there, and it makes it even more heartbreaking when they don’t look sick on the outside. Lunabelle, like many of my Joy Session clients, had the wonderful Dr. Karen Randall of Solace Veterinary Hospice come to her home for her final moments. I feel so honored when people welcome me into their lives in these very emotional, personal times, and for Dr. Randall it must be tenfold.

Lunabelle loved catching some rays on the deck :)

shiva :: twin cities pet photography

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:25:09 +0000

Shiva. American Staffordshire Terrier. 12 years young. Supermodel.

max :: saint paul minnesota joy session

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:08:45 +0000

This happy, loving Rottweiler mix had his Joy Session earlier this summer, and aside from favoring his front leg, you’d never guess he was sick. Sadly, sweet Max was only 3 years old when he lost his battle with bone cancer.

studio kitties! :: cat photography continued

admin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:56:10 +0000

This is the follow up post to the kitties below. Not all of them were into the studio idea, but we got some wonderful images of the ones who were!

kitties! :: minneapolis cat photography

admin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:49:58 +0000

This was a really fun and challenging photo shoot with a bevy of cats, some of whom wanted little to do with me or my camera. When I do in-home cat sessions, I like to bring a little mini-studio setup — a) to make sure we get a nice variety of images, and b) I just really love cats on the simple, clean background. (I’ll share those in a second blog post, this one’s all about the location)

This session was mainly for old man Alchemy, the gorgeous Siamese. He’s getting up there and having some health issues, so it was time to get some great images to remember him by.

Young Violet was very busy, and always keeping a watchful eye on the goings on.Squeakers is a big boy with an affinity for brushes.The lovely (and fairly disgruntled) Sabrina was my biggest challenge…. she was not a fan of the whole idea.The really big boy is Dipsty, a husky fellow weighing in at 23 pounds. He also was not a big fan.