Why You Should Photograph Your Dog Before They Turn 10 (and why sooner is always better)

TW: Pet Loss & Grief is discussed.

two photos next to each other of a black dogs first birthday and his 12th birthday — Bear on his 2nd birthday, and again on his 12th and last birthday.

If you’re a dog (and cat) mom like me, your pets are truly the light of your life. They are our best friends, truest companions, and often an unending source of joy. It’s incredibly unfair how short of a time period we have with them considering the everlasting effect they have on our lives. I recently lost my eldest dog, Bear, and I am so thankful for all of the documentation I have of him throughout his incredible life. I can’t imagine if the only good photos I have of him were from after his cancer diagnosis. Too often, I receive pet session requests from people desperate to have their dogs documented after they received a diagnosis or a health scare. And while I’m always happy to oblige the creation of physical memories, it pains me for a client to have to carry the memory of loss within the photos created. I would love for other pet owners to think about photographing their dog before they get too old and start showing their age (or, god forbid, receive a diagnosis).

A Philadelphia dog posing with his birthday cake during his pet cake smash photo session — Benji sneaking a peek at his homemade birthday cake.

If you don’t want to take my word for it, we’ve sprinkled in what other dog moms had to say about it, starting with Grace:

Like many of you, I am deeply inspired by visual art. And by visual art, I mean photographs of my dog, Benji. Of the roughly two dozen pieces of framed art I have in my home, the largest one by far is…you guessed it…a photograph of Benji. It was taken by Alexa when Benji was four. I can tell you this without squinting my eyes and tilting my head in an attempt to remember because in the photograph, he’s wearing a birthday crown with the number 4, and the birthday cake I made him has a number 4 candle on it. Normal behavior, right? This photograph is mounted in a high-traffic area of my home, and I walk by it about 20 times every day. Each time, I say to myself, “I can’t believe it’s been (insert amount of time that has passed) since that photograph was taken.” Benji is 6 now, and I already see the signs of aging settling in. His face is a bit frostier, his jowls hang lower, and he’s even more vocal about being grumpy! He’s still very spritely and has a lot of years left in him, but the photograph reminds me that he’s not 4 anymore. And you know what? It makes the photograph all the more special to me. I feel so grateful to have a snapshot of that moment in time when he was a 4-year-old pup. If you’ve been wanting to photograph your dog but are waiting until they’re older, don’t delay. You won’t regret capturing beautiful images of your dog in their youth, and you won’t risk it ever being too late. We all have 13,472 pictures and videos of our pets on our phones, and it’s a wonderful way to document the day-to-day moments of our lives with them, but I find myself revisiting the series of photographs that Alexa took that day more than any others. Alexa somehow manages to capture the essence of the moment amidst all the chaos that is a photo session – the height of laughter, the split second-stare, the look of deep connection. Her eye for the simple, real, everyday moments that we weave together to make meaning of life is what makes her photographs so magnetic. I fully expect Benji to live many more years, and I’ve been planning our next session with Alexa since the last one ended because I can’t think of anything more valuable than having beautiful images of our time together throughout the years. I only wish I had started sooner…so I could have 13,473 pictures of Benji.

a Philadelphia woman with her dog during a lifestyle pet photoshoot in Center City — Grace & Benji, 2 years later

As someone who is obsessed with their pet, I think all of these milestones are important to have photos of, but choosing one or two is fine as well! We want to make sure that the photos reflect their true personality and what they really enjoy doing (i.e., playing with you, cuddling with you, loving you, etc.), which is why it’s important not to put off photos until the last minute. The reality is that your pet loves and celebrates your existence daily- you are quite literally the center of their world. You should set aside a day to return the favor and make the whole day revolve around them!

Here are a few phases in their life and ideas that I would recommend having documented.

The puppy stage (3-9 months)
Their first birthday / Gotcha Day Anniversary
Life Updates – If/When you add members to the family (whether it be a puppy sibling or a human sibling, celebrate the new bond in their life!)
Before They Turn Ten
Salt and Pepper Stage / Celebration of Life

The Puppy Stage

a black lab puppy on his first day home in Fairmount, Philadelphia. — Bear, the morning after picking him up from the rescue.

While the puppy phase is sometimes a little bit more difficult to photograph, it can be the most rewarding. Puppies are so active and untrained, it can be hard to get good photos of them on your own, but of course, you still want to make sure that you get those super-cute early phases documented for you to look back on. Without documentation, you might not remember just how small and cute they were – dogs are like newborns; they grow so fast you don’t even realize it! Having an extra set of hands and someone trained behind the camera is much easier than you trying to take photos of your puppy alone. We usually do puppy sessions once your dog has had enough of their shots that it’s safe enough to take them to an outdoor location (and if not, we can always do the session at home!) Obviously, you’re going to want cute puppy photos to look back on – do you want them to look blurry and unorganized or in focus and cute? Check out Noni’s puppy session to get some inspo and, of course, look at a cute puppy running through a flower field!

Their Birthday / Gotcha Day Anniversary

a 1 year old black lab puppy playing in his first snowfall during Philadelphia pet photoshoot — Bear playing in the snow on his first gotcha day anniversary.

First-birthday cake smash celebrations aren’t just for human kids! It can be very fun planning your dog’s first birthday / first gotcha day anniversary! Whether or not you know the exact birthdate, you can celebrate both their birthday and their gotcha day in the same ways. It can be extremely fun to plan a cake smash session for them or even just a photo session filled with all of their favorite things to celebrate their big day (maybe even an ice cream date during a photo session?!? Check out my Philadelphia Dog-Friendly Ice Cream Guide to find the best sweet treat for your pup!) If you missed their first birthday, don’t worry; it’s never too late to do birthday cake photos – you can celebrate any of their birthdays! Whether they get photos with a birthday cake, a special favorite treat or activity of theirs, or even just wearing a birthday hat or bandana – a milestone session is a great way to celebrate them!

If Your Family Grows

2 Philadelphia dogs playing during winter lifestyle pet session in Mt. Airy — Bear & Lola’s first Christmas together (on the left) / Bear & Lola’s third Christmas together (on the right)

As your family grows or changes, it’s important to remember to update your family archive. Whether that be you bringing another dog/pet into your life or if you haven’t had a family session that includes your pet, you want to have photos of your entire family together! If you adopt another dog, it’s, of course, always a great idea to plan a session for them to have the spotlight for themselves, or you can wait until the two dogs have bonded a little bit better.

A philadelphia woman during her at home pet session with her two dogs — Might sound crazy, but even as a pet photographer myself – I don’t have a ton of photos of me with my two dogs together (don’t be like me).

Before They Turn 10

a black lab dog wearing a vacation shirt on the boardwalk in Myrtle Beach during a beach pet photo session — Bear at one of his favorite places, the beach!

Sometimes, you don’t need a specific milestone to document your furbaby! If you want to do a pet session just because you love them, that’s great. In fact, if there’s any piece of information that I feel is the most important for pet owners to have, it’s that we recommend doing a pet session before they turn 10 years old – before they start going grey or have any major health concerns. If you’ve already done a pet session with them as a puppy or just in general when they were a bit younger, perfect, but consider updating their photos! There’s no such thing as having too many photos of your pet! It can be really adorable just to see how much they’ve grown, changed, and developed the personality that you know and love. If I can emphasize anything, it is not to wait until your dog is too old to have them photographed. I can’t tell you how often I get requests to photograph dogs that are already sick with mobility restrictions or have been shaved on one side for testing. I know firsthand that it’s incredibly hard to think that there is an end, but it’s important to give them a chance to run freely and be themselves in front of the camera to ensure your archived memories are the most accurate.

When brainstorming what to do or where to be for your pet session, it can be great inspiration to think of all your dog’s favorite places, things, and people. Whether that is going for a walk in the neighborhood, swimming in the local creek, getting a burger from their favorite restaurant, or just being surrounded by all of their favorite humans; the goal is to document your dog at their happiest. Most people think of doing bucket list days towards the end of life, but honestly, I think it’s a great idea while they’re still young, full of mobility, and can thoroughly enjoy their favorite things.

A Philadelphia dog swimming in the Wissahickon, holding a tennis ball in mouth during a pet photoshoot — Playing fetch in the Wissahickon Creek.

Salt and Pepper Stage / Celebration of Life

an older dog during his at-home pet session in Manayunk — Ask any pet owner of a senior dog, and they’ll all tell you – one day their cute little faces rudely turn grey.

One day, you wake up, and your puppy isn’t a puppy anymore, and suddenly there’s gray coming in on their face. It seems to happen overnight and without any warning. Ideally, I recommend doing your pet’s photo session before they start growing grey, but if it’s already started, now’s the time! In my 10+ years as a pet photographer, I’ve heard countless times, “I wish I had gotten them photographed sooner”. I’ve always been frustrated by this because, as much as I want to, I can’t turn back time. But I also have a hard time convincing people to do it sooner rather than later. (And trust me, I’ve looked into dog cloning – and I would do it if it guaranteed their personality, but so far, they haven’t mastered it.)

An older black dog during a fall pet session in Philadelphia — Bear during his cancer treatment, in between radiation rounds.

I always get upset receiving emails inquiring about a dog’s last day session because I know it’s going to be a sad session. I’ll, of course, always try my best to fit those sessions into my schedule, but I would prefer you to have photos that reflect your dog & family’s happiest moments, not your saddest. If you wait too long to book a pet session, you’ll see less of your pet’s personality in the photos, and it honestly leaves us with minimal photo options, as they’re not going to feel up to running around or playing. Commemorate your beloved friend through a pet session while they’re still young & playful- it’s a great, memorable experience for the two of you. As a pet photographer, I’ve had the privilege of photographing my own pets throughout many different stages of their lives. While I think everyone should do at least one session, it’s never a bad idea to have more photos and documentation of their lives.

a black lab during his 4th birthday photoshoot on Myrtle Beach and his 12th birthday photo session in Philadelphia, PA — Bear in his prime, around 4 years old (on the left) / Bear on his 12th birthday (on the right)

I want the photos that you’ll have to commemorate the time with your pet to be reflective of what they looked and acted like for the majority of their life. The harsh reality is that the sooner, the better. You’ll want beautiful photographs of your furry friend to look back on when they’re a little older or when they might not be around any longer. Make sure to book your pet session early to ensure you’ll have loving memories to hold onto later in life. Here’s the best advice I could pass along to you, from Maureen: