Nikki

I've always known losing our family's first pet would be tough, but are you ever actually prepared for those things? I certainly don't think so. This past Wednesday, I received a text from my Dad, saying Nikki was back at the vet and not doing well (her back legs and hips had been slowly deteriorating, we could clearly see that when I was home for Christmas). I will admit, the text made me nervous, but in the back of my mind I told myself we still had time, I had to pet those soft little ears one last time. Sadly, this was not the case. My parents made the tough decision to put her down that day, said their good-byes, and called my brother and I.

It's a hard thing coming home, without that precious face to greet me! One of my good friends was kind enough to work her photoshop magic and whip this up in a day for me to bring home this weekend and gift to my mom. Yes, tears were involved, my friends!

{ but seriously... how beautiful is that! }

Jessica Porter is an amazing retoucher, with whom I also have the pleasure of working with at VS! 
You can find her work { HERE } and { HERE }. And hey; shoot her an email and have her make you a personal illustration of your beloved pet!

Nikki, the dog

I know I have mentioned my family dog before, Nikki, but news as of late my friends – She has started her own blog! Ok, so my mom writes for her... but she was so inspired by my blog that she would like to share her "everyday thoughts" with all of you! It's quite funny actually. 

My mom was an English major and her fantastic writing has a chance to shine through Nikki's simple, straight-forward, but humorous thoughts. I'm sure most of you with pets can relate to talking to their beloved animal, even talking for them at times. Well picture this: Nikki is extremely mellow, and like most, it's the little things in life that matter most to her. She enjoys long walks, naps in the sun, lush grassy patches in the yard, and of course her kibbies! (Ok, this kind of sounds like a personal-add for a dog... just go with it.) 

She is very Eeyore-esque, a realist, an "ohh bother" type and scared of almost everything... but we love her!!

{for example}

 Read her blog {here} and you shall see!!

You can't teach an old dog new tricks

Although there is no way of getting my dog to do new things, I can get her to sit, lay down, and jump for me and photograph it, all with the help of some kibbles!

Meet Nikki!

A few weekends ago, I had the chance to go home and spend some time with my family and our dog, Nikki. She is a 9-year-old yellow lab, who is much more white than yellow! Every summer, my mom takes her to the groomers and gets her hair shaved (mostly so she stays cool through out the hot Cleveland summer, but she also looks younger). I find that this makes Nikki feel like a puppy again and used this to my advantage when I photographed her in our backyard! She was a lovely little model and I'm excited to see her again for labor day weekend :)