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
