Slice of Nice

Get this card in our store for Valentine's Day! Click on shop.

  It’s a great sign isn’t it?  I found it at Michael’s one year and Duncan was kind enough to model it for me.  I wanted to do this picture because I’ve always seen all those videos where they are holding up signs instead of speaking.  I thought it was great that Duncan could finally “speak” with words.  I Love You is definitely what Duncan wanted to say, well, that and “do you have any cookies”, but I couldn’t find that sign.

So, this picture became one of Slice of Nice’s Valentine’s cards for this year!  The inside reads: Be Mine.  You can pick it up in the Slice of Nice store here.   We can send it out for you or send it to you so you can give it to your Valentine!  And remember if you use this as part of your Valentine’s experience you will be supporting the National Canine Cancer Foundation also!

Alot of people that I talk to about what I do are always amazed that I find dogs easier to take pictures of than people.  We always have a great working relationship, but we do have our fair share of out takes.  So, between now and Valentine’s Day, I’m going to share several of the potential shots for our V-Day line up and some of the out takes for your fun and enjoyment!  We’ll start with the prep shot for this card.  This one was taken right when I brought the sign home, as you can see, Duncan wasn’t quite in the modeling mood at the time…

Prep Shot for the VDay card

You can also see the patch of hair that is missing on his leg, this was for an IV.  In January 2007 he had his spleen removed because he was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma.  We were hoping to get it all out by doing the removal, but Hemangiosarcoma Cancer is very aggressive and it had already spread.  Duncan’s last formal photo shoot was this Valentine’s one.  He fought the disease as long as he could and we lost him March 2007.  This is one of the reasons that we feel very strongly about supporting the National Canine Cancer Foundation.  A Cancer diagnosis is a very devastating one because most owners don’t know that dogs fall victim to it.  Duncan was our third Canine Cancer diagnosis and while we knew who to turn to and what to do, we still lost in the end.  If you have any questions about a Cancer diagnosis, please feel free to contact me.  While I am only a photographer, I can point you in the right direction of questions to ask your vet, how to find out some good information and things like that.  

Visit the Slice of Nice store and get your Valentine’s Day cards!!

Ginger and Coco

Coco and Ginger, how could you get them mixed up?  I mean it’s just so easy, one is ginger colored and one is cocoa colored!  Well, let me tell you just how easy it is to get them mixed up when you are doing a photo shoot!  Try as I may, I just couldn’t keep them straight and I’m sure their Mom must think I’m a nut.

Did you look closely at the picture?  If you did, then perhaps you noticed that Coco is missing an ear.  She had a mast cell tumor on the ear.  Thankfully they caught it early and feel like they have gotten it all.  Coco is doing well post surgery.  Her Mom and her groomer was telling me that one side of her face was a little droopier (if that’s a word) than the other as she heals from the surgery.  They see it, but I couldn’t tell.  

Coco is a very lucky little Cocker Spaniel to have a Mom that took her to the vet quickly upon finding the tumor.  Not all Cancers present tumors that owners can feel and have their vet deal with.

Most canine Cancers are silent killers and you don’t know that your dog is sick.  You have to watch for subtle signs in behavior to see most of the Cancers.  And when you get to your vet you have to ask them to search for it.  Since we have lost three to Cancer now, we are more aware of what to look for and the questions that we need to ask of our vets.  To find out more, visit the National Canine Cancer Foundation’s website.  

Tis the season for giving!  Don’t forget your favorite pet charity!  Ours is the National Canine Cancer Foundation!  Give your friends a gift too by donating to a charity that you both support in their name!