PawPrints Photography Blog

Meet Basil (left) and Murphy (right).

It was pretty cold outside so we went in to be by the warm fireplace.

Such a handsome boy . . .

Not only do these beautiful animals have very unique names, they each had a very unique past before they were brought together to live under one roof.  Here are their stories as told by their human:

Hemingway was found in a Chinese village near Hong Kong when he was small enough to fit in the palm of a woman’s hand.  His left eye was already swollen with glaucoma when I adopted him.  The vet tried to save the eye, but it had to be amputated in the end to save Hem’s life.  Hem got his name, Purrnest Hemingway, from my favorite author.  Hem lived with me in Hong Kong, with his black tabby brother, William Shakespurr, until we all moved to Washington, DC, in 2000.

William died of diabetes five years ago, leaving Hem and me heartbroken and lonely.  So we contacted the SPCA of Northern Virginia (http://www.spcanova.org/index.php), who helped us find a black tabby kitten who loved adults cats.  That was J. Purr Morgan, who by coincidence was born in a flower box only a block away from our home in Adams Morgan.  Morgan and Hem loved each other from the moment they met.

Both my parents died in January.  After the loss of the only people who could ever love me unconditionally, it seemed like exactly the right time to add a dog to our family.  Angelina Jolie Barker, named for another person I greatly admire, was rescued from a high-kill shelter in Tennessee by K-9 Lifesavers (http://www.k-9lifesavers.org/), based on Capitol Hill in DC.  We like to say that Angie is a “coal miner’s dogger.”

This is J. Purr Morgan.

And this is Angelina Jolie Barker.

Jake was recently adopted from Homeward Trails Animal Rescue.  He has such a sweet and gentle temperament.

Prior to our session, I asked his owner to think about some of his attributes that she really likes about him with the goal that I’d try to capture some of those things. Here is what she came up with:

1.  His eyes

2.  His soft ears

3.  His jet black muzzle

4.  His black markings – like the dot on his cheek and his black-tipped tail

5.  His Scruff and 6.  His Red Color  (this next image covers both)

and this last one was one of mine – his nose.

Oh, and there was one other one – he snores when he sleeps.

(More of Jake in the next post.)

Safi is a beautiful and sweet Rottweiler mix who lives with Daisy, a beautiful and sweet Collie mix.  We were fortunate to spend time with them and their family; another dog named Lucy, a cat named Coco, and two wonderful humans.    All of the animals are rescues and got very lucky finding this incredible home.

UPDATE:  Safi was adopted from the Friends of Homeless Animals (FOHA).  Soon after this post, I received the following email which really made me smile: 

“I used to volunteer for FOHA when Safi was there.  I don’t live there anymore, but I still try to keep up with the shelter and the dogs I used to know.  .  .  I think Safi was already at FOHA when I began there in 2002, and she was still there when I moved several years later.  I think she was at the shelter so long because many people were intimidated by her.  People were afraid she might be aggressive, so it’s really great to see her in a home with two smaller dogs she clearly loves, lying contentedly on the couch with her people, and playing like a big puppy.  She looks so fit, healthy, and happy. ”

Well, she is fit, healthy, happy and incredibly sweet.  It’s sad that she was in the shelter so long, but she is one of the luckiest dogs I know when it comes to her adopted family.

Meet Safi:

This is her sister Daisy.  Daisy is older than Safi, but in pack terms, she’s the middle sister.  Daisy is gorgeous and very playful!

Daisy is also the queen of expressions:

Stay tuned for the rest of the family coming soon.