Archives for September 2018

Pup of the Month Club

September 20, 2018 by Tailwagger Dog Photographers

A chihauhau mix running at the park photographed mid-air. — Napoleon enjoying a visit to the park – that’s some serious HAPPY on the little man’s face!

We are thrilled to be able to launch this program in partnership with the Humane Society of West Michigan! What is Pup of the Month Club? Simply put…Pup of the Month Club is about celebrating dog adoptions and rescues – showcasing your amazing, one-of-a-kind HSWM pup through photographs, while telling his or her unique story with words. It is about showing the successes and telling the world what an amazing, worthwhile and rewarding experience it is to give a homeless dog a new start in life – in many cases just as life changing for the adopter as for the rescue.

Morkipoo looking down at the camera from on top of a tree stump. — Boo, an adopted pup from Jackson Co, Michigan, is wondering why the photographer is lying on the ground.

A Chihuahua mix walks next to his owner at the park. — Napoleon, an adopted dog from Jackson Co., MI, skips next to and looks up at his human, Emily.

If you adore and cherish your HSWM pup and simply cannot imagine your world without him, then we want to hear from you! And…we want to hear absolutely everything: what it was like working with HSWM staff to find a pup that would best fit your family and lifestyle, the ups and downs of the transition period after you brought him home, the challenges and funny stories and most of all what your pup is like – his personality, his goofy traits and what he does to make you smile or laugh. We want to hear anything and everything you wish to share about your HSWM pup!

• Pup of the Month Club recipients will be photographed by Tailwagger Dog Photography and receive a collection of 5 high-resolution, fully edited digital negatives. Don’t worry if your dog cannot be off a leash (we remove leashes in post processing) or isn’t the most obedient. It is all good! We’ve worked with all kinds of dogs – shy, playful, goofy, serious, reserved and very energetic to name a few.

• A TDP blog post will feature your pup, along with the photographs from the photo session. If you are wondering what the blog post will be like, you can check out our first Pup of the Month Club post on Spinelli Dahl.

• An image from your pup’s photo session will be featured in the Humane Society of West Michigan’s lobby for a month and then you will receive the print after the month is over.

Black put bill running across the grass photographed in mid-air. — Example of Pup of the Month Club print that will hang at the Humane Society of West Michigan.

If you feel the way we do about rescues and dog adoption and are willing to share your pup’s story with us – we would love to hear from you! To nominate your pup for the Pup of the Month Club, simply fill out the form at the bottom of this page. The Humane Society of West Michigan will go over and select the successful candidates. If your pup is chosen, Trish from Tailwagger Dog Photography will be in contact to arrange the session date, time and location, as well as to hear all about your adoption story.

English Springer Spaniel lying in the grass with golden light in the background — Schatzi the Wigglebutt, TDP’s retired explosives detection adopted pup, relaxing in her yard.

To nominate your Humane Society of West Michigan adopted dog for Pup of the Month Club, please fill out the form below:

Oops! We could not locate your form.

Terms and Conditions: All nominees need to have been adopted through the Humane Society of West Michigan. Pup of the Month Club nominations are for one dog, if you have multiple HSWM adopted dogs and you wish to nominate more than one, please fill out a nomination form for each dog. Session location needs to be agreed upon by both TDP and the recipient of Pup of the Month Club. All sessions need to take place within the metro Grand Rapids area, unless otherwise agreed upon by Tailwagger Dog Photography. Recipients of Pup of the Month Club must be willing to sign a property/model release and agreement for all people and dogs involved in the photo session. Pup of the Month Club awards cannot be redeemed for cash.

Fall Tailwagger Dog Photography Sessions

September 16, 2018 by Tailwagger Dog Photographers

“Dogs smile in many ways – with their eyes, their goofy facial expressions and most energetically with their tails. There is nothing quite like the comforts of your dog’s smile to make you feel like you are home.”

~ Tailwagger Dog Photography

We are excited about our first Fall session season in the Grand Rapids area! Now is the time to book your Tailwagger Dog Photography session for your beloved tailwagger! Fall is almost upon us – colors are beginning to change. Fall is a wonderful time for dog portraits – beautiful earth tone colors everywhere, leaves for your pup to play in and the cool, crisp air make it an ideal time to have your dog photographed.

Our sessions are valid for up to two dogs (from the same household) and are inclusive – they come with a collection of high-resolution, processed digital negatives, so you can make as many prints, canvases, acrylics or even Christmas cards as you like, from the printer of your choice. If you are interested in full-service, we also offer premium, archival products: 100% cotton, acid-free fiber based prints on fine art papers, canvas gallery wraps, vivid metal prints and photo books to name a few.

If you have questions or would like to book a session give us a call – 517-990-5630 – or email us at trish@tailwaggerphoto.com

Jasper’s First Time

September 9, 2018 by Tailwagger Dog Photographers

Jasper, aka The Little Man

Our Little Man, Jasper, has never liked the water. When he was a puppy we introduced him to a kiddie pool that was filled with a few inches of water. All he did was sniff the water – even as his big sister, Boo, also a Golden Retriever, played in it. At first he was curious about water sprinklers – until he got sprinkled with water and then he didn’t want anything to do with them. Likewise he wanted nothing to do with a running garden hose either – never mind a stream or bigger body of natural water.

When he was 1½, he eventually worked his way up to putting one paw, and then two paws in the kiddie pool on a really hot summer day. But he didn’t seem capable of going any further. He just stood there looking around with his two front paws in the water and his two rear paws on the grass. He didn’t seem to mind being splashed as Boo played in the water without him, or even being splashed by one of his humans, but he would not put all four paws in the water.

We thought we hit some progress when he started to shuffle sideways around the diameter of the pool – still two paws in, two paws out – until he got back to where he began and just innocently looked around again. I finally picked up his rear end and pushed him in the center of the pool and again he just stood there and looked at the water to his right, in front of him and to his left and back again and then took turns picking up and holding one paw out of the water at a time. I even stood in the water with him, but he just stood there and looked at the water around his legs. We eventually had to help him out of the water, as he seemed unable to find his way out of the kiddie pool on his own. The Little Man was paralyzed.

A Golden Retriever stands with his two front feet in a kiddie pool. — Two feet in, Two feet out.

The following summer, when he was 2½, he started to ‘dig’ in the water from outside of the pool – three paws out and one ‘digging’ in the water. He seemed to enjoy splashing himself with the water and playing with one paw in it, but still refused to put all fours in the pool. That summer we made a point of taking him to natural bodies of water and letting him approach the water and see if he would go in, but he would just look at the water, sniff it and look around – not even touch the water with a paw.

It pretty much seemed as if Jasper, who is naturally a very curious and confident dog, just had a thing with water – even just three inches of it. Although he has never had a problem with going outside when it is raining – in fact, he seems to enjoy taking his time finding THE spot to take care of his business in a downpour while one if his humans stands nearby getting soaked. He also has no problem getting a bath or going to the groomer. It seemed as if getting wet wasn’t the problem – it was more of the how he got wet was the issue.

Yesterday we decided to check out a couple dog beaches on Lake Michigan and took Jasper with us. We thought he would just plant his Golden butt in the sand and watch the other dogs play in the water or since he is a very social pup would greet all the people on the beach and play with all the pups on terra firma and just watch them play in the water. That was pretty much what happened until one of his humans went into the water – the one that was holding his leash.

We were both surprised when Jasper willingly followed me into the water. All four paws too. We were even more surprised that he didn’t just stand there looking at the water around his legs and actually started to move around and play in the water. He looked bright and happy and was wagging his tail the whole time! We were so proud of our Little Man.

Golden Retriever in the water. — Jasper sees the piece of old pier in the water.

A short time later we were completely baffled – astounded – when he decided to go check out what was left of an old pier sticking vertically out of the water maybe 25 feet from shore. To get there he had to swim – yup, the Little Man went for his first swim! No kidding – he just started swimming for the piece of pier sticking out of the water. Now, he didn’t get very far because I was holding onto the end of his 16 foot retractable and I didn’t really feel like checking out the pier. But still he didn’t hesitate whatsoever – he just started swimming for the old piece of pier – and not this splashing, sloppy strokes that dogs who have never swum before tend to do. The Little Man looked like an experienced swimmer – a nice, graceful dog paddle with no splashing.

It was almost anticlimactic – it just seemed like the end of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture or Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries should have been blaring from the Heavens or a full orchestra should have appeared out of nowhere on the beach to celebrate this momentous event – this triumph, this victory! (That’s what happens in the movies, right?) Our Little Man went for his first swim! This was HUGE! Alas, no one else on the beach seemed to notice – they went about playing with their pups, reading or enjoying the fine weather. But that is life – we all have our little victories and triumphs as we journey through life – all of which are reasons to and should be celebrated, even if no one else notices. Go, Jasper, Go –– you can do it Little Man!

Archives for September 2018

Subscribe to the Tailwagger Newsletter