The Hatfield Family {Nashville Pet Photographer}

May 25, 2021 Heather Nelms

Meet Allyson and her parents with pups Georgia and Emma! Allyson won this session at the Pedigree Foundation Fundraising Event I donated to. She was able to schedule her session time when her parents were in town so they could be part of it as well!

Georgia is a six and a half year old American Staffordshire terrier/boxer/collie/Great Pyrenees mix. She was named after Curious George because she is also very curious. Georgia is a lover and loves attention and snuggles.

Emma is a six year old golden retriever/American Staffordshire terrier/boxer/chow chow mix. Emma was already “Emma” when she joined the family and it seemed to fit. She is a free spirit, loves to play and be praised.

Allyson loves that both of her pups have a great personality, are loyal, and give unconditional love. While they have two breeds in common (American Staffordshire terrier and boxer), Allyson finds it amazing that they are so different in looks and personality.

Georgia and Emma are both rescues. Georgia came from Home at Last Animal Rescue and Emma from New Life Animal Rescue.

Enjoy some of my favorites from their session!

~Mandy

Pets Are Family, Too!

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!

Faith and Robert Sperry {Nashville Pet Photographer}

April 15, 2021 Heather Nelms

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

Have pets you adore? Bring them to your family photo session!

Roxy & Jesse's Franklin, TN Elopement {Nashville Elopement Photographer}

March 24, 2021 Heather Nelms

This week I am sharing photos from Roxy and Jesse’s elopement a few weeks ago. I love that they included their pup in the wedding as well as their parents’ pup, Fred. Clover (Roxy and Jesse’s Chihuahua mix) was front and center the entire ceremony, and the beautiful backdrop shows the timely snow we got in February!

Roxy and Jesse were both studying abroad and met in Germany at a palace party. At the time Roxy was going to a university in England and Jesse was a college student in the United States. They ended up living together in China for a year after graduation and then lived in California for the past two to three years while Roxy attended grad school. However, when California went to shelter-in-place for the pandemic, they came to Franklin, TN to stay with Jesse’s parents. The couple is pretty laid back in their downtime, enjoy good food, traveling, and spending time with Clover.

Just how did Clover enter the scene with two traveling parents? The couple rescued her right when COVID was beginning and before the shelter-in-place in California was put in place. The Animal Friends Rescue Project, the organization they adopted Clover from, named this sweet chihuahua. Roxy and Jesse believe it is because she was very lucky to have survived before finding her forever home. Clover was found wandering in the street in Salinas, California; at the time she was pregnant and had some injuries. She was brought to the rescue where they provided medical care. Sweet Clover persevered and gave birth to four little puppies while she was recovering.

Clover is believed to be about 2-3 years old and based on a DNA test Roxy got for her, they found out she is not only chihuahua, but surprised to find out she was also part cocker spaniel. Roxy and Jesse fell in love with her immediately, stating she was so sweet and she had a smile on her face when she was picked up. They see this smile when she finds a good position to nap in and if she is being held in a position she favors.

Clover loves Greenies dental chews, edamame, yogurt and peanut butter. She also loves snuggles and putting her face inside a blanket when she sleeps. She loves to give kisses. That’s the way that she expresses love. Clover is so intuitive that she is up and ready to comfort Roxy with those kisses as she wakes from a bad dream. Her caring and compassion reminds the couple of a babushka sometimes.

The vacuum cleaner is something Clover does not like, and she is suspicious of the rustling sound from shaking open a new garbage bag. She doesn’t like dogs that are much bigger than her or anything that moves outside the window.

Roxy and Jesse gave Clover the nickname “Gooby”. They love how playful she has gotten ever since they have had her and how she lifts one paw when she is begging for something. “We love how fun-sized she is and her ears!”

The other sweet pup shown in some of the pics below is Jesse’s parents’ miniature Schnauzer, Fred. He is a rescue so his age is unknown, but they think he is between 10 and 13 years old. How cool is it that he got to attend this momentous occasion?!

Fred has been a great dog. He is a kind, gallant and loving companion. Because of some bad effects from a medication and his advancing age, he has some physical problems, so Kurt and Robin do not like to leave him by himself. The pandemic lifestyle suits his needs.

Enjoy some of my favorite pics from Roxy and Jesse’s elopement.

~Mandy