51 dogs in 40 sessions over four days = a lot of photographs of dogs! And this year it really helped raise more than ever for All Breed Rescue and Training. It was an exhausting 4 days but well worth it. We had big dog and bigger dogs (the 165 pound dane was our largest this year) and then there were small dogs..and I mean really small dogs. I believe the Pomeranian was so tiny it almost looked like a stuffed toy.
Read MoreMy Dog is Staring At Me...
Sometimes when you least expect it you look over and find your dog just staring at you. Ever happened to you? It’s a bit unnerving, at least the first few times it’s happened. Then you begin to wonder What’s wrong?
But this is a perfectly natural thing for a dog to do. There can be many reasons why they might be looking at you. The more you spend time with your dog and get to really know them you will begin to understand why they are staring at you.
Read MoreThe Many Faces of Your Pet
With people we often think of a Portrait Study or Character Study as a stand alone portrait. Sometimes it may be a series of two or three portraits, especially if it's of a child. Pets can be a bit different—they do ooze character. And just like people some pets are easier to define the character than others.
We offer a pre-session consultation for all of our portrait sessions—people orpets. For pets it's important that they meet us and see (actually smell) the studio before the session. That way they will be more comfortable when they return for the session. During this consultation we get to meet the pet and understand more of who they are—to see their personality. Whether your pet is shy or exuberant we can plan accordingly and this helps your session go more smoothly.
Read More
Caring for Your Pets In Winter
Winter is upon us with it’s fluctuations of cold and snow followed by thawing and sun (at least here in the Pikes Peak region). Just as you watch out for your pet in the high heat of summer you should pay attention to your pet’s winter needs.
If you’re cold they’re most likely cold as well. Sure they have a fur coat but many breeds have thin hair and can easily get cold. So even if they’re “outside” animals bring them inside some sort of warmer shelter when the temperature dips far below freezing. If you’re out and about in really cold temps get them a seater or dog coat to assist them in keeping warm. This is best for smaller dogs as well as those with thin fur like greyhounds. Some breeds however relish the cold like Great Pyrenees, Huskies and Malamutes. These dogs are at home curled up in a snow bank in sub freezing temperatures.
Read MorePawPrints 2016 Calendar Contest
It’s almost that time agin! Time for the 7th Annual PawPrints fundraiser to benefit All Breed Rescue & Training. For four days we’ll be doing mini sessions with all the session fees going to ABRT. Mark your calendars:
Friday & Saturday February 26 & 27 and March 4 & 5 are this years dates. Watch this space as we’ll post a link to on line signups beginning February 8, 2016.
This year there will be 2 tiers of mini sessions:
Read More2015 Year in Review
Another year has flown by! Springs Pet Portraits continued to grow and participate in some fun events in 2015. Our year always gets a great start in February with PawPrints—our Annual Fundraiser for All Breed Rescue & Training. This was the second year we did the calendar and had a blast with the creativity of the participants. The 2016 Calendar is available for purchase still —it’s only $15 and all proceeds go to ABRT. You can pick one up at Our Family Vet, Bon Pet Supply, All Breed Rescue and of course here at the studio. The next fundraiser is coming up soon so stay tuned for details. If you’re not on our email list click the banner at the top of this website and sign up! You’ll be in the loop for all the fun adventures of Springs Pet Portraits.
Read MoreFun With Christmas
Sometimes you just need a funny Christmas card! And sometimes your dog will allow you to you to put them in funny Christmas scenes—like standing next to toys with a Santa hat on! Some dogs are so mellow they have no problems doing whatever their crazy owners want—even wearing a Santa hat. Other dogs..not so much.
Read More
Photographing Older Pets
The majority of our clients come to us when they have a brand new pet—sometimes a puppy but often one about a year old. Or they come to us as their pet is aging and they want a great portrait before it’s too late. There is a previous blog post here about photographing puppies.
But say you have a senior pet and you’d like to get a great portrait of them to enjoy now as well as to remember them after they’re gone. As our studio tag line says, a great portrait will make you laugh, cry and remember the good times you had together.
Read MoreDangers to Your Pet
Dangers to your pet lurk in your house. Many of us know that certain items are poisonous to dogs because they are poisonous to people as well. But there are many pet owners that are not aware of the dangers of other items commonly found in the average home.
While most people are aware that rat or even insect poison are bad for dogs they don’t stop to think about smaller dogs and cats getting into the those bait traps that we set behind appliances on the floor. These can be a danger to animals. So can household cleaners.
Read MoreHalloween & Your Pet
It’s that time of year again. Halloween can be a good thing or a bad thing for pets. And it’s up to you how it turns out.
If you happen to have a dog that you loves people and loves getting out and about and is okay with noise dressing up for Halloween—and the dog seems okay with this—then you are off and trick or treating. But be careful of as this night is more than just a little tricky. More on that later. Of course you shouldn’t force your dog to wear a Halloween costume, no matter how cute they seem to look. For many dogs this is definitely not their thing. And as owners we have to respect that.
Read More
2016 Calendars Are Here
The 2016 calendars from the Paw Prints fundraiser for All Breed Rescue are here! Last Spring during our annual Paws fundraiser we added on a contest for a 2016 calendar to benefit ABRT.
Each contestant had to come up with a theme for a particular month. Our wonderful sponsors (Republic of Paws, Bon Pet Supply and Canine Coach) were the judges for this event. According to our judges it was a difficult choice but “Waldo” won grand prize and a spot on the calendar cover. The calendar months feature the other contest winners.
Read MoreGoing To The Dogs Fundraiser
We’re joining forces with some area businesses to help out All Breed Rescue. Join us on Saturday October 17 between 11AM and 2PM at Autosmith, 528 E. Pikes Peak. Autosmith is holding a wonderful customer appreciation event centered around dogs. Though they’re an auto repair shop they love dogs and are very dog friendly so they decided to hold a fundraiser to help out one of their favorite dog causes, All Breed Rescue & Training.
Read MoreIt's Not Too Early to Think Holiday Cards!
Though it’s barely even October it’s not too early to think about the upcoming Holiday Season! Springs Pet Portraits offers special Christmas card sessions during the month of October. From October 5-31 we offer mini sessions for you and your pet or just your pet for your holiday cards. For just $75 you can have a mini session plus a set of 12 holiday cards (with envelopes) OR 2 holiday ornaments. Additional cards or ornaments are available at a reduced rate.
Mind you these are not your ordinary run of the mill holiday cards which are usually a cheap strip of photo paper with a cutest greeting and photo on one side.
Read MoreModern Dog Magazine Session
Back in June we did a special session for Modern Dog Magazine. They hold an annual STAR Dog Contest. Well little Teddy from Colorado Springs won their hearts. Teddy came from the Mill Dog Rescue and has quite an interesting story (see attached). His mom Michele Burchfield came with Teddy for his big day. Teddy is such a star and was very easy to photograph-in fact he was pretty excited. He has tons of adoring fans and a massive social media presence so is used to lots of attention. He is a great “spokesdog” for the Mill Dog Rescue.
Read MorePet Portrait Products
You’ve decided to get a portrait of your pet created. Now what? Well once we do an in person consultation —discussing the session with you and letting you dog get acquainted with the studio environment we schedule the session.
But before the session the one thing we will discuss in the consultation is what do you want to do with your pet portrait? This helps in planning the session. Do you want to hang it on a wall?
Read MoreTaking Care of Your Pet During Summer Heat
It's so important to pay attention to your pet during these hot summer days. True, we don't get the super high heat here in the Rockies as elsewhere in the country but it's hot enough none the less. It's very important to pay attention to signs of stress in your dog.
Here are a few tips to keep your furry friend safe this summer.
Read MorePhotographing Puppies
Puppies are fun to photograph. They’re awfully cute and most every pose looks great with them. Difficulties come in to play based on the age of the dog. Really young pups—like the little guy here who was 6 weeks old—are pretty easy. They’re like photographing newborns. They sleep a lot! We actually had to prop this guy up as he kept slumping down in the chair and wanting to go to sleep. Very little activity while awake makes them want to go to sleep again.The challenge comes when the pups grow a little older.
Read MoreCat Portraits Part II
Any animal is unsure of a new place. How they react to it is different depending on animal breed and species, specifically dogs vs. cats. Dogs more or less will tend to rush in and scope out the studio and keep moving while cats will slink around and crawl under something to hide—be it a couch ion the front area or behind the backdrops.
No matter how super laid back and cool you think your cat is it is a whole new ball game bringing them to a place where they can smell other people and animals. That’s why we never rush animal portraits and let them have time to find their way around and decide what works for them. Especially with cats. They more or less will come when they feel like it while dogs can often be coaxed with a snack.
Read More
The Importance Of Pet Tags
By Guest Blogger: Linda Brennen, Certified Dog Trainer and owner of Your Canine Coach
All dogs should wear a flat, buckle collar with identification tags at all times. Tags should include your personal contact information, with a daytime and evening phone number. My little nameless friend is not the first stray I have found and tried to return to his home. It can be very frustrating to find a dog on a Saturday night, with only a license or Rabies tag, and no way to get the owner’s contact information until Monday. So to insure that your dog is returned to you, and not left running loose on the street, make it easy for his rescuer to find you.
Read MoreWorking With Difficult Pets
We get questions all the time about working with difficult pets, especially dogs. Cats can be difficult as well as they seldom like traveling to a new location and most really do not like having their portrait taken.
Usually we get questions about dogs. Most often we hear, “my dog is so hyper they won’t sit still for a photo.” That is usually not that big of a deal for us. Many times the dog is quite energetic but given a little amount of time to check out the new space (studio) and us they begin to get comfortable and settle down. Sometimes we need to ask the owner to leave the room—this can also calm the pet somewhat. And in really hard instances we work with certified pet trainers that know exactly how to handle difficult dogs.
Read More