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.