About two weeks ago I got that dreaded phone call from the vet, “The results from the biopsy have come back, and unfortunately…”  Yeah.  I don’t need to finish that statement for you; if you’ve received a phone call like that, you can fill in the ending yourself.  Needless to say, my immediate thought was, “No!  It can’t be cancer – I want her to live forever!” 

An oncologist visit and an additional $1000 in tests later, the verdict is that chemotherapy is the best option to knock down the spread of cancer cells.  Even then, the prognosis isn’t great.  If we are really, really lucky, we might be able to give my girl a couple of years of good living.  Given that she’s only 5 years old, that really sucks.  The harsh reality is that my girl isn’t going to live forever, no matter how much I want her to.  And yes, it breaks my heart.  But I’m going to enjoy every minute with her that I can, and I’m going to make sure that I’ve got memories of her that will be with me forever.

Sadly, the trade-off for the unconditional love we get from our pets is that they don’t live forever.  Even ones that snooze in sunbeams well into old age, collecting white hairs on their muzzles and benign lumps and bumps eventually have to leave us.  And saying goodbye to a beloved pet is one of the hardest things any of us will ever have to do.    

But their spirits do live on forever in our memories.   Photographs can help you connect with your beloved pets long after they are gone.  A shared hug in the sun, or seeing your boy relaxing on his favorite couch will bring back all the emotions and feelings that can get disconnected from your memories over time.  Photographs of your pets do help keep them alive forever, and even if you have hundreds (or more) photographs of your pet on your cellphone, be honest with yourself – how many of those photographs are really high quality photos, and how many are really blurry pictures of furry blobs?  Even if you do have some great photos on your phone, what’s going to happen to those pictures when you upgrade your phone?  Digital photos are readily accessible now, but will they be in 5 years, or 10 years or 20 years?  Prints allow you to view those photos now, and in 10 years, or even 100 years.  Your pet truly can live forever in photographs.

I know all too well how quickly vet bills can add up, and you might be thinking that professional photographs just don’t fit in a budget already burdened by medications and extra vet visits and special diets and treatments.   I understand this predicament, and I don’t ever want anyone to have to sacrifice lasting photographs because of finances.   Payment plans are available, and I will work with you to ensure you can continue to provide the best quality of life to your pet for as long as possible, while also ensuring you will have high quality photographs of your pet to keep her memory alive forever.     

Happy Basset Hound!Molly the Utah basset hound having a great time during her photography session in her home!

For more information about Special Sessions for senior and terminally ill pets, contact me today - the sooner we can arrange a photo session for you pet, the more chance we will be able to get photographs of your pet at her best.  However, if you need to make last-minute arrangements, I understand - please call me immediately so I can re-arrange my schedule to give your pet priority.  Your love for your pet, and your pet's love for you is eternal and I can help you capture high-quality photographs that will keep your memories and feelings alive forever.   Call me today at 801-712-3200, or contact me using the built-in contact form.  I look forward to helping your pet live on through photographs.

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I have two Goldendoodles; my younger dog, Abby, was diagnosed with a grade 3 mast cell tumor.  The only sign anything was wrong was when my husband noticed a "weird" bump on her chest when he was putting her harness on her to get ready for a walk.  I hustled her off to the vet and they aspirated the growth and told me it was a mast cell tumor.  I've had experience with mast cell tumors before, but I was totally not expecting the biopsy results to come back as a grade 3 tumor - which means it has a high likelihood of returning and/or metastasizing.  She had shown no signs of ill health, her appetite is good, and she is full of bouncy energy - the diagnosis completely blindsided me.  The prognosis for grade 3 mast cell tumors isn't very good, but like every pet owner who has received news like this, I am hoping that we can beat the odds.  I'm also a realist, however, and this diagnosis only reinforces my belief in creating and preserving memories with both my girls for as long as I can.