This past weekend I had the immense pleasure of attending the 3rd Annual Pawdigras and Corgi Rescue hosted by the incredible folks at the Bluebonnet Bunk ‘n Biscuit in Selma TX. With lots of dogs in their festive costumes, an amazing BBQ lunch and several contests and a silent auction, this was one fantastic event!
Also I had the opportunity to do some fun and festive pet portraits where 100% of the proceeds went to the Corgi Rescue!
For those of you that know me well, you know that I love Australian Cattle Dogs (ACD) and my business was named Aussie Dog Photography because of that fact and as a tribute to my last Cattle Dog, Jake (who passed away in 2003). And since then, I always perk up and smile whenever I see a cattle dog walking his owners, in the back of a pickup, working livestock or on TV. Yeah, I am an ACD junkie 
Recently I retired from the US Air Force and decided I finally have time to have another dog in my life. Over the last 2 years I frequently visited the Texas Cattle Dog Rescue website; http://texascattledogrescue.com/ to see those needing homes and wishing I could adopt one. Well for some reason the great powers that be sent me to the website on this fateful day. The VERY FIRST listing I came across was an adorable 9 year old deaf girl named Oakley. When I read that she’d been abused, had special needs and needed a good and loving home, I immediately responded to her ad.
I know that not many adopt older dogs, but after reading her story, I knew I was the one who could make her few remaining years on this earth her best ones! So that Saturday, without a second thought, I headed to Bastrop Texas to meet her at her foster family’s home. When Oakley came out to meet me, she walked right up to me without prompting and licked me on the cheek! Love at first site! Right then and there I knew we were meant to be companions and I adopted her on the spot!
She was very shy and reserved for the first weeks and now, every day, more and more, the Cattle Dog spirit in her comes out and shines! So here she is! At the park, in the creek, chilling at a BBQ!
ONE Happy Dog with a Happy Human!!!
She is the new mascot of Aussie Dog Photography and believe me, you will be seeing a lot more of her from here on!
YAY!
She is now happy, healthy and pampered to the “Nth” degree!
Bluebonnet Bunk’n Biscuit www.mybunknbiscuit.com is state of the art, eco-friendly, open play boarding and doggie daycare that has just opened in Selma Texas. I had the great privilege of visiting this wonderful facility, met the staff and got the guided VIP tour just before the holidays.
While there, I took these images to show everyone how cool this place is!
The staff are all highly trained in every aspect of boarding and handling your pets!
They even have “Story Time” every day!!!
So please check them out and do me a favor and tell Cathy and the gang hello for me!
Have a great day!
Scott
Here we go!
As soon as I decided to change my focus to pet photography I was hired to photograph Beau. He is a spunky Jack Russell with a sparkling personality and the heart of a puppy (even though he is older than me!) It was a gorgeous day as we played in his back yard and he showed me he still “has it” when it comes to speed and maneuverability! This little guy really had a turbo mode!
So thank you Beau for being my first client!
I hope you and your human love these images as much as I do.
I am changing my direction and I am so happy!
You may be asking how does a person switch?
During this last month I was diligently working on my Photography business, evaluating my marketing, reading business books, listening to podcasts and studying my camera’s manual like any good photographer is SUPPOSED to do 
.
But as I continued to focus on the fundamentals of business, I found myself having inner struggles as I constantly searched for my “photographic heart” when I thought about my future.
For this last year I thought my heart was into Wedding Photography.
I had attended many workshops, read many books, magazines, websites and blogs as I worked to better myself as a photographer in this industry. This past spring, I was very fortunate to have been hired to shoot my first wedding as THE photographer. It was my ticket to the Big Show and I knew without a doubt that I was on my way to a successful career as a Wedding Photojournalist…at least this is what I kept telling myself.
So when the evening ended after that first wedding…the cake had been cut, bouquets had been tossed and the first dance was a memory, I had over 2,500 images in my camera and I was confident I did a the best I could do. As I was heading for the door I even was given a significant $ tip from the father of the bride who was very pleased with my style and professionalism! WOW! I thought, I do have what it takes to do this!!! As the year progressed, I had a few more weddings come my way either as the primary photographer or as a “second shooter” supporting another San Antonio wedding Photographer. ALL in all it was a great “rookie” year for me! But…something was missing.
I did not know what that “something” was?
Funny enough…it was not until I was visiting one of the Texas Hill Country Wineries last month when I came across the book “Wine Dogs USA” by Craig McGill & Susan Elliott that I finally knew without a doubt what I was meant to do.
Yes it’s true….after flipping through a few pages…(with a silly grin on my face)…I just fell in love with every image of those furry faces staring back at me! Right then! Right There! I knew without a doubt that I was meant to capture the beautiful dogs and cats of this world with my photography.
This feels so right! FINALLY!
What moves me most about this shift in my focus (photo pun) is that I know firsthand how important it is to have good photos of the animals that grace our lives.
I personally have been blessed with 2 amazing dogs that shared their journey through this world with me. Jake and Dante were my buds, my children, my friends and my running buddies. Jake graced my life for 11 years and Dante almost made 20 years! They have both “crossed the Rainbow Bridge” but reside in my heart every single day since they passed. To me, the importance of the photos I have of them are beyond any monetary value.
Today I am committing myself to be the best Pet Photographer I can be and I have committed myself to give other pet owners memorable and cherished images of their furry loved ones too!
From here on, I have changed the layout and appearance of my Blog. My website is back under construction for the next few weeks as I add new galleries and adjust the format accordingly.
I hope you will cheer me on as I step into this new direction and let me know how you like my work as it makes its way into the pages of this blog and into the hearts of the pet owners who were kind enough to hire me.
Thank you all for your wonderful support and encouragement!
I love you all!
Scott
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