Abi & Monroe {Nashville Dog Photographer}

Sometimes I can't believe how fast time flies! I recently dove into my session archives, and reminisced on this fun pet photography session from a few years ago with Abi and Monroe!

I first had the opportunity to take their portraits back in 2014, but in this second session we took photos to promote her amazing work as a pet portrait painter -- and how Monroe is her little helper every step of the way!

When she adopted Monroe, she used her hobby with art to start capturing his many shades of personality. She says, "His portrait snowballed into a demand from all of my fellow pet lover friends. And now I am putting my work out here publicly." 

Since then, she's done some amazing pet portraits of our own pets -- all of the ones that have left us, plus our current bunch, and we plan to have her add one of any new additions to the furry family in the future!

Abi is also married now to a great guy named Craig, and they've even adopted a second adorable dog named May Belle. If you're interested in having her paint your pet portraits, head on over to her Facebook page and reach out to her!

~ Mandy

Contact a Dog Photographer in Nashville

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!

Fostering Cats & Kittens {Nashville Cat Photographer}

Over the years, we've fostered dozens of puppies, dogs, kittens and cats -- and I believe it's one of the best ways we can help animals find forever homes! Fostering is such a needed service and it provides so much for the animals (and us!), including a warm and inviting home, food, and tons of love. 

That's why I wanted to highlight some information on fostering cats and kittens today on the blog, especially since it's kitten season here in Nashville! Read on for more information (and adorable kittens!)

Although it may seem like a big undertaking, fostering pets is really easy. Some people choose to integrate the kittens right into their entire home, but since we have three dogs and a grown cat, we choose to keep them separate from our animals. 

Here's how we do it!

My husband and I both work from home, so we set up a large dog crate in my office complete with a litter box, food, water and a small box for them to chill out in until they get used to being here (kittens love to hide).

Then, while I'm working during the day, we let them run around and play in my office. We don't like to leave them unsupervised because kittens are notorious for chewing cords so when I leave the office for the day they go back in the crate. They have just as much room in that big crate as they would in a cage at the shelter, and tons of extra play time. 

And we, in return, get adorable kitten snuggles and laughs from all their antics - what is better than that!?

When you foster through an animal shelter, you will normally only have them until they weigh enough to be adopted. If you foster with a group, you might have them until they are adopted by a family, so that time frame is sometimes much longer. This is certainly something to consider when deciding who to foster with.

As a foster pet parent, you are also responsible for transportation to the vet or shelter for their medical appointments. The group you foster with will normally provide everything else: food, litter and medications if they need them. And of course if you are willing to provide some or all of these supplies yourself, it's a huge help for the shelters! 

There are several groups in the Nashville area who need foster families for cats and kittens. If you aren't local to Nashville, just reach out to your local animal shelter and they can point you in the right direction!

Here are several shelters and organizations in the Nashville area you may be able to foster cats and kittens through:

Metro Animal Care & Control 

Williamson County Animal Center 
(this is who we currently foster with)

Nashville Cat Rescue 

Rural Animal Rescue Effort 

... and that's just scratching the service! :) 

All of the images in this post are of kittens we've fostered along the way. If you have questions about what it's like to foster these adorable kittens, comment below! I promise it's an amazing experience -- we're hooked!

And if you are looking to adopt a cat, you might be interested to read our previous post about the Mewsic Kitty Cafe in Nashville!

~ Mandy

Riley, Lara & George {Nashville Dog Photographer}

On the blog this week is another family and pet photography session at the Ellington Agricultural Center, this time with Lara, George and their super sweet pup Riley! 

Riley is a German Shorthaired Pointer, and almost ten years old! He's still got a ton of energy, and loves outdoor adventures both big and small: parks, the woods, a walk around the neighborhood. George and Riley even get up almost every morning for the last 8.5 years to go for a run, and they both love the time they spend together before the sun comes up. 

And apparently Riley really hates any beeping sounds! They had to turn the beep function off of many home appliances so that he wouldn't run outside!

Lara and George adopted him from a family living outside of Memphis. The family and their neighbors each had a German Shorthaired Pointer, and they created a litter of pups! Lara and George were on their way back home to Nashville from a family visit in Texas when they picked him up. 

When I asked what they love most about him, Lara said, "Riley is such a content and silly dog, and up for any type of activity or cuddling session. We've come to find out that these qualities are typical of the breed. One of the unique things is that we get stopped constantly on the street by people who want to compliment him, ask about the breed or tell us a story about a GSP that they have owned/own."

I hope you enjoy some of my favorite photographs from this session!

~ Mandy

Contact a Dog Photographer in Nashville

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!