Faith and Robert Sperry {Nashville Pet Photographer}

This week on the blog are Faith and Robert Sperry with their sweet pups Woodrow and Whiskey. I took photos of them last fall at their home in College Grove, TN.

Woodrow “Woody” Legend Sperry is a pure bred Labrador Retriever and is 12 years old. Faith and Robert were torn about getting a puppy, but had the opportunity to do so when Faith’s friend’s dog was having a litter. When Woody was just six weeks old, the couple met him and both fell in love. When they came up with the name Woodrow they agreed it fit perfectly because Robert was working in construction and a wood worker!

Woodrow loves being with his family, so he especially dislikes being left outside by himself. Even when he is in his backyard, he prefers Faith and Robert be with him. He has recently gotten into golf, fetching golf balls that Robert chips in the backyard. He really loves all balls and fetching them! He loves the water and swimming. His favorite activity when he was younger was to run when Robert would take the 4-wheeler out. He’s always up for a walk or hike and enjoys camping. He wants to be the center of attention and loves people. Faith loves that about him and about labs in general. Though Woody likes being around his family, he doesn’t want to do it in the car. He does not do well with long car rides, especially across the country.

When I asked Faith what her favorite thing about Woody is, she said, “Woodrow has a sweet soul. He is such a lover and empath. He thinks he is people. He has a spark for life, he is resilient and tough as nails.”

Whiskey Lima Sperry is the couple’s second dog. She is about eight and a mix breed of Boxer and Black Mouth Cur. She was named after the tail number on the helicopter Robert was flying, 913WL, using the phonetic alphabet. The name was perfect for her as her coloring is similar to Whiskey, and the W.L. matches Woody’s initials, so it just seemed meant to be. Faith and Robert felt they had to adopt her! (Whiskey was adopted from Heart of the Valley in Bozeman, MT).

Whiskey loves everything and is in some ways just the opposite of Woody. Whiskey enjoys being outdoors; she is always up for going outside and does not mind spending time alone in the backyard. She will stay out there laying in the sunshine or sitting in the rain. Also unlike her brother, she does not like the water and isn’t willing to swim. She will just stand at the water’s edge and bark. However, she absolutely loves her toys; as soon as they get put away in her toy box, she will just drag them out again. And Whiskey can run like the wind blows, looking like a deer sometimes when she is able to just run free, bounding through fields.

Like Woody, she loves people and affection. She enjoys a good belly rub. Whiskey does not like any loud noises, especially fireworks, gun shots, and smoke detectors.

When I asked Faith what her favorite thing about Whiskey is, she said, “she is so appreciative of being apart of our family. We were her 3rd home and she loves being apart of our family and forever home. She just wants to be loved and to please you. She is protective, loyal and a good listener. She is a good little dog and we can’t imagine our life without her. She is very talkative and has the cutest little ‘howl’. She is a talker!”

Enjoy some of my favorite pics from The Sperry Family’s photo session.

~Mandy

Middle Tennessee Dog Photographer
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Have pets you adore? Bring them to your family photo session!

Mandy Whitley Photography is Nashville's premiere pet photographer. Mandy Whitley creates fun and playful photographs with pets and their people. She photographs portrait sessions, family sessions, couple portraits, and weddings - as well as just pets! To inquire about booking a photo session, contact Mandy!

Homecoming Tales {Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary}

This week on the blog, I would like to take the opportunity to spotlight the Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary (OFSDS). Their mission is to provide lifetime homes for senior dogs. Senior dogs come with their fare share of challenges, which is why older dogs do not get adopted as quickly or as often as younger pups. OFSDS is a place where senior dogs can live out the remainder of their lives with love, comfort and good medical care. Another option they provide for the senior dogs is to be placed within a loving home as a “Forever Foster”. This is truly amazing and they have so many super sweet pups there. I wanted to take so MANY of them home with me!

I was so honored to photograph a few of these sweet pups for the front and back covers of a recently published book, Homecoming Tales: 15 Inspiring Stories from Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary. The book has been published by Harper Collins Publishers and available to order now! All of the author portion of the proceeds are going directly to OFSDS.

The cover dog is Mack, “America’s Best Friend”, a blind (no-eyed) cocker spaniel. He is between 10 and 14 years old and loves to climb. He also likes to sit in his forever foster Mason's lap and 'help' him work. (Mason and Nell adopted Mack and also work at OFSDS). You have to check this guy out and read about his Presidential nomination for the 2020 election! He and The Geezer Party he represents “have values that all of America can agree with”. Outside of the Presidential Candidacy, he also took part in the Dog Bowl this year!

Junebug is the little dog on the back cover of the book. She is a chihuahua, terrier and corgi mix and is between 11 and 13 years old. She chirps instead of barks. She was rescued from a hoarding situation in 2017 and after only 3 weeks in the shelter the Williams family decided to forever foster her.

The other dog on the back cover, Maverick, arrived at the shelter after his owner passed away. He is a plott hound mix and is about 1o years old. He loves his pup sister Maisy, also from OFSDS. He was such a sweet boy to photograph!

Please consider purchasing this sweet book to support OFSDS, and check out the OFSDS website to consider becoming a forever foster for one of the sweet pups they have there!

~Mandy

Homecoming Tales
Nashville Dog Photographer
Nashville Pet Photographer
Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary
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Mandy Whitley Photography is Nashville's premiere pet photographer. Mandy Whitley creates fun and playful photographs with pets and their people. She photographs portrait sessions, family sessions, couple portraits, and weddings - as well as just pets! To inquire about booking a photo session, contact Mandy!

The Gruber-Houchin Family {Nashville Pet Photography}

Fall is just around the corner and the fall mini sessions calendar will be announced very soon, so sign up for the newsletter on the home page of this blog to be the first to see the dates!

On the blog this week: the Gruber-Houchin Family. This post is very timely because their baby girl made her arrival just last week!

I just know the Silver German Shepherd you see photographed below will make such a great big sister! While Presley isn’t a fan of cats, she does love her cousins…of both the canine and human type!

Presley, the name she had before becoming a part of the Gruber-Houchin household, is 3.5 years old. “The name just seemed to suit her”. Presley was adopted through the Middle Tennessee German Shepherd Rescue, which this family highly recommends!

Presley loves to fetch and play with tennis balls, not to mention treats! The Gruber-Houchin’s love that she is very protective and playful.

If this family looks familiar, well that’s because they are! I photographed them four years ago in a family mini session with their last German Shepherd, Cooper. Check out those photos here: Gruber-Houchin Family Mini Session.

Enjoy a few favorites from their maternity session! Isn’t Madalene gorgeous!

~Mandy

Nashville Dog Photographer
Best Dog Photographer in Nashville
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Contact a Pet Photographer in Nashville, TN!

Mandy Whitley Photography is Nashville's premiere pet photographer. Mandy Whitley creates fun and playful photographs with pets and their people. She photographs portrait sessions, family sessions, couple portraits, and weddings - as well as just pets! To inquire about booking a photo session, contact Mandy!