Why I do what I do
My why. What lead me to Pup + Me sessions? Well let me tell you. My first dog that I adopted was named Odin, he was a very special guy and a nervous guy. He was the first dog that we had adopted and the first dog that we had as adults. We adopted Odin when he was about 6 years old when we lived in Portland, OR. He made us learn about dog behavior and handling skills. We adopted Odin and found that he was dog reactive, he would either bark and fixate, or pancake. He also had severe separation anxiety, so with that we began seeing a veterinary behaviorist. We started working on his separation anxiety first, but we started to notice that he was becoming people reactive, too. Our behaviorist told us that he may have been associating dogs with people, and began seeing them as unpleasant too. Three weeks after adopting Odin we had begun working with the veterinary behaviorist , and about a week after our first meeting with them, Odin bit a person. This time in my life was one of the most stressful times for us, as new adopters with a dog that was reactive, anxious and now, people selective. We worked with a team that included a trainer and an animal behaviorist, and we eventually got Odin to the point where we would look at me if he saw something triggering for him. Life was finally getting easier with Odin.
Then, Odin was attacked by an off leash dog. Undoing all of the hard work that we had done. This was absolutely devastating to our family, as we had invested so much to get him to the point where he could enjoy going places. This event changed us. Because of this, we are now extremely cautious about where we take our dogs. This is why I location scout and make sure that the locations I choose are places that I would take my dog.
Odin inspired me to help others and volunteer with shelter dogs. He lead me to make great friendships. He’s the one that started it all. I honestly don’t think we would have moved to AZ if it weren’t for him, he absolutely hated Oregon. He lived in sweaters and coats when we lived in Oregon, and he absolutely hated the snow. We had growing pains in the beginning, but every growth he pushed lead me to this beautiful place in Phoenix.
After being Odin’s guardian for 4 years, a dear friend insisted that we do our first family photos, I had photographed so many others’ dogs and she wanted that for me too. I was reluctant to do family photos, mostly because my anxiety about what Odin might due was so high. I was worried that he would see another dog and react, I was worried that he might try to bite our friend who offered to photograph us, I was so worried that the session would be a complete mess. I scouted for a quiet spot for us to do photos and we set a date. We did the session and it went perfectly; Odin was sweet with our friends and we didn’t see another dog or human the entire time. We were able to enjoy our time while being photographed and be in the moment with our sweet and special boy. I had so much fun that I had asked my friend when we could do them again! Well, after our session that’s when the importance of these sessions hit me. Exactly 7 days later Odin passed unexpectedly. One Sunday we were having a good time getting our photos taken, and the next Sunday we were saying goodbye to our sweet boy.
Fast forward and we now have Sasha, and we have vowed to get annual photos of us together and have stayed true to this vow. Having these family photos to document the changes of us and Sasha has been such a gift. I know that when I look back at these photos, 10, 20 years from now, I will cherish those memories that we made.
That is my why. This is why I focus on the relationship of people and their pups, and with the care that I do.
Photos of Odin taken by Cara Riley on 11/4/2018. Odin passed away on 11/11/2018.