Pet Portraits by Jeanne Taylor

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December 29, 2011 | Biscuits and catnip all around as you celebrate 2012 - best wishes to everyone for a happy, exceptionally healthy and prosperous new year!

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November 23, 2011 | Thankful for family and friends - human, canine, feline, equine. Thankful for the opportunity to do something I truly love. Thankful for memories and photos of loved ones who I cannot share the day with tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving.

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November 2, 2011 | Thought for the day: You will NEVER regret having photos of your pets.

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September 28, 2011 | I have seen this before but received it again by e-mail this morning - thought it was worth sharing. (Thanks, Charles!)

From time to time, people tell me, “lighten up, it’s just a dog”, or, “that’s a lot of money for just a dog”. They don’t understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs involved for “just a dog”. Some of my proudest moments have come about with “just a dog”. Many hours have passed and my only company was “just a dog”, but I did not once feel slighted. Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by “just a dog” and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of “just a dog” gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day. If you, too, think it’s “just a dog”, then you will probably understand phases like “just a friend”, “just a sunrise”, or “just a promise”. “Just a dog” brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy. “Just a dog” brings out the compassion and patience that makes me a better person. Because of “just a dog” I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future. So for me and folks like me, it’s not “just a dog” but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment. “Just a dog” brings out what’s good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day. I hope that someday they can understand that it’s not “just a dog” but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being “just a human.” So the next time you hear the phrase “just a dog”, just smile, because they “just don’t understand."

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September 6, 2011 | So glad fall is on the approach ~ the colors, the cooler temps, the outdoor events and photo opportunities! With the fall appointment calendar growing more active by the day, I am very excited about a fundraiser to benefit Almost Heaven Golden Retriever Rescue (October 29). More details to post as they are available but I know the group is hoping and bracing for a huge turnout - paws crossed they get their wish!

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July 28, 2011 | We recently (on what would have been our Addie's 16th birthday, actually) took in a foster kitten, who we found as a stray. He goes to his new forever home tomorrow, through the Humane Society of Fairfax County. I am a self-proclaimed dog person but this kitten has definitely swayed my opinion about how cool cats can be. He's been a great distraction too. Something about watching a kitten sail through the air to attack a flying toy or scale objects not meant to be climbed that can't help but elicit a smile.

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June 5, 2011 | Yesterday I said goodbye to my dearest companion. I feel so hollow. Thank you all for your condolences and kind words. Addie was a truly special creature and she will be missed in a way I cannot even yet fathom.

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April 27, 2011 | On Social Media ... I know it's all the rage and I am happy enough to stay in touch via Facebook with family and friends but I just can't bring myself to start a business page on Facebook. So many have suggested it, but I view it as something else that would have to be maintained on a regular basis, some other time thief when most days it already feels there aren't enough hours in the day. Bad business model? Perhaps. But I doubt I'll be regretting it as I spend my time outdoors with more enjoyable pursuits than updating my status (like taking photos of my pets or yours!). August 10 Update: I've been talked into a Facebook page ~ search "Jeanne Taylor Photography" on FB to find me.

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March 2, 2011 | Oh, dear SPRING, where are you?! Indoor sessions are fun but the dogs and I much prefer romping in the great outdoors. We are waiting patiently for your beautiful colors to reappear, and your warm sunlight to shine for photos. Come along, please ... thank you.

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February 21, 2011 | Today brought the opportunity to photograph a strikingly beautiful girl I met in December at Dogma's Santa Photo event. Her name is Grace and when I first met her, brief as it was, I would have sworn by her ease with her owner that they had been together since she was a pup. Today I learned that they had only been together about a month when the Santa event occurred. Grace was a North Carolina shelter deathrow dog, slated for a needle on Halloween. She had once been part of a family it seemed, since she was spayed, very agreeable and not fearful of humans. The sad reality is rural shelters don't have the means to keep good companion pets until a new family comes along. Grace was thankfully saved by Operation Paws for Homes and adopted by her loving human, Kira. Grace has such an almost undefinable beauty to her, but even better, she has simply the sweetest temperament. She played gently and quietly with the squeaky toy, which she kept as a parting gift :), showed the goofy side of her personality for more than a moment and even gave a couple of gentle kisses (and apparently she's not a kisser). Grace is such a fantastic example of the amazing dogs who are awaiting rescue and adoption. It's clear she has taken over Kira's heart and I expect these two to live happily ever after.

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February 1, 2011 | End of January means the self-employed are gearing up for tax time {sigh}. My calculations show that in 2010, I donated more than 33% of my photography proceeds to charity either as monetary or like-kind donations such as value attributed to Silent Auction packages. Even I was happily surprised! I recognize how very fortunate I am to be able to do something I so completely enjoy - the donations are a small way of showing appreciation for my animal friends who have taught me so much.

Note: Animal rescues rarely recover the costs invested in the animals they save. By the time you figure veterinary care for vaccines and spay/neuter, along with treatment of any medical conditions such as heartworms, plus food and upkeep until adoption, the nominal adoption fee doesn’t even come close.

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January 7, 2011 | I recently had someone contact me after they learned their dog had an inoperable brain tumor so their time was limited and the family wanted to try to get some nice photos. I was on vacation and the day I returned (three days after contact) and responded, I learned they had to say goodbye to their companion just that day. It was a very sad start to the year but it made me grateful for all the photos I have taken of my own pets through the years. Sure, if my old girl could speak she would say "Enough with the photos already!" but I would have to explain there just can't be enough ... they have shown me so many moments of beauty and grace and dog joy through the years and someday photos and memories will be all we have. Just today when Addie yawned and curled her tongue, I didn't see my geriatric companion, but instead recalled the eight-week old sleepy puppy I brought home to raise in 1995.

Do I encourage people to have portraits done of their pets? Of course I do and, because I think everyone should have access to heirloom quality photos, I am happy to keep my venture a very affordable one. But perhaps more importantly, I encourage people to pay attention to the moments, even those that aren't captured in a photo. Burn them into your memory and be glad you were able to experience something so special with your trusted and beloved companions.

My Comforter

The world had gone all wrong that day
And tired and in despair,
Discouraged with the ways of life,
I sank into my chair.

A soft caress fell on my cheek,
My hands were thrust apart.
And two big sympathizing eyes
Gazed down into my heart.

I had a friend; what cared I now
For fifty worlds? I knew
One heart was anxious when I grieved –
My dog’s heart, loyal, true.

“God bless him,” breathed I soft and low,
And hugged him close and tight.
One lingering lick upon my ear
And we were happy – quite.

(Anonymous)

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