It all started with a dog named Pickles.
Years ago when I first started in animal rescue, one of the rescues I was volunteering for was notified of a puppy chained to a tree in downtown Las Vegas in the middle of summer. I offered to check out the area and sure enough, discovered a cattle dog puppy on a chain tied to a tree in the middle of some buildings. There was no distinguishable owner, a tub with dirty water in it that was too tall for her to reach, and no adequate shade or sign of food. Animal Control was called but never showed up… So I grabbed my handy dandy bolt cutters from my car and took her with me.
I named her Pickles. She was sweet and playful and let us cut the remains of her chain without a single whine or snap. After a bath and some food, she truly blossomed. With the rescues backing, we got her microchipped and prepped for adoption. Pickles went on a few trial runs but none of the families seemed to be the right fit.
Then Julee came along. I remember meeting her for the first time and seeing how quickly Pickles warmed up to her. I remember how excited she was and how she showed me around her apartment which she had already set up and dog proofed. I remember leaving Pickles on her trial with her and knowing in my gut that this was it.
8 years later… Pickles and Julee are still the best of friends and my gut feeling turned out to be one hundred percent right. Pickles ended up needing some operations for her legs not long after and Julee stuck with her through it all. Their family grew when Julee met Alex and Pickles gained the title of big sister when Azalea was born last year!
It was honestly bittersweet being able to photograph them all as a family. The dirty and uncertain puppy I found all those years ago has grown into a sweet and patient little lady, Julee went from being the best dog mom to the best overall mom and you can see how much Alex loves them all. It was truly a pleasure to reconnect with them all and capture these memories with them!
