Yes you can bring your pet to our family photography session!

I do not know if you know this about me... but I am an ANIMAL person. Usually this is to my detriment.

My house is messy - not ALL the time, but enough. There is pet hair - although I do vacuum and mop. And, as the kids will tell you readily, sometimes the house is smelly. My house is also noisy, there is always barking and meowing. Sometimes it is my children meowing. Does anyone else's children meow? They even text the word "meow". Is this a new thing?

Just me, my dog Bailey and my kiddo years ago. Bailey is such an amazing dog she went to school with me for two years and "taught" special education. My students loved her and she would gladly sit next to them while they practiced their reading.

After my divorce, when I was dating, I had to stop a first date to help puppy find their owner - needless to say I never saw that guy again. To be honest who needs a guy that felt it was a hassle to get a fur baby home! Recently I stopped another mom at drop off to let her know her cat was lounging in the middle of the road and would not move. My husband could have driven around the kitty, but I refused to leave until I had shooed the cat back to the sidewalk. I do not know what the point was in telling her. We both had a great laugh and agreed there is no way to train a cat out of sleeping in the street!

My oldest with their kitty. This kiddo is now off to college and I get texts from this kiddo asking for pics of their cat.

Anyway... you get the point. I love fur babies. I got a message recently that an older dog was nearing the end and his family needed photos. I felt called to action. I was ready to roll with hugs and a camera. I had to stop myself from picking up chocolate for this woman facing having to say good bye to her sweet old boy. I felt honored to met him and just overwhelmed with the love his mama has for him.

I admit, I was unsure what I would be walking into. I expected sobbing and there were tears, but there was laughter too. There were hugs and stories told. That sweet old boy just sat there in absolute heaven being cuddled and pet, being the center of attention.

As I drove away I thought about pets I have lost over the years and how massively important they have been to my life and my kiddos lives. What sticks is not the sadness. What sticks are the memories that make me laugh, smile and feel generally warm and, dare I say, fuzzy.

Athena, a legend for my son. When I taught him to roll over she was right there rolling over too!

My son still tears up when he thinks about our dog Athena. She was by his side for everything! I remember when he was sick and fell asleep on the living room floor Athena would not leave his side - she sat down right next to him and watched him while slept. When he scraped his knee scooting outside and I put him on the kitchen table to clean his cut, she laid down right under him. One of my favorites of of my son as a toddler painting my kitchen cabinets with peanut butter and old Athena following along licking it off!

And I am so blessed to have taken photographs of those moments for him to have forever.

So... if you ever wonder if you can bring your fur babies to a photo session the answer is YES! Please. You will want to have those pictures to look back on. These are the photos you don't think about as much, the ones that get overlooked.

Feel free to leave a heart if you are thinking about a pet you adore!