I recently received a message from Sandra that her beloved dog Stella had been diagnosed with aggressive lymphoma for which palliative care had been prescribed.

The two sisters wanted to set up an emergency end of life pet photo session in Toronto, before Stella passed on. An end-of-life session is designed specifically for aged or terminally ill pets preparing to cross the Rainbow Bridge, hence the term Rainbow Session.

When I received the message about Stella I knew I needed to make time to photograph her right away. Sandra was worried about capturing images of her before they had to assist her to cross the Rainbow Bridge.

My schedule was already quite full but I had a weekday morning available and that worked out perfectly for photographing Stella together with Sandra, her sister Marina, and their other Golden Retriever Maverick.

First let me stress that an end of life pet photography session is not meant to be a sad or solemn occasion, although most people do feel emotional during the session. Rather, these sessions are designed to be a celebration of your pet’s life and the special bond that you have shared.

So what can you expect during your dog’s end-of-life session?

We will choose a location together, one that is easily manageable for the dog, or a place that has special significance or maybe your own home.

For Stella’s session we chose Alexander Muir Memorial Gardens, a lovely small garden tucked way in midtown Toronto where we could get a variety of images against the backdrop of some beautiful summer flowers but without Stella having to walk too far.  This garden, is perfect for end of life sessions because of its small size and easy to manage pathways.

The session will move at the dog’s pace and we will follow your lead.  If you want smiling , happy photos, you will get that.  If you want to show your love and emotion, you will get that too.  If you want to capture the small details that you love so much - simply remind me to do that!

During your session, you can expect to feel the unconditional, pure love that you have for your pet. You may think about how your pet has enhanced your life, maybe even given you a reason to live. Perhaps you in turn gave your pet a reason to live. Mostly you will simply remember your shared lives with a mixture of happy smiles and perhaps some sad tears.

And so it was with Stella’s Photo Session.  The two sisters had the opportunity for some smiles, some loving hugs and some sadness but mostly the opportunity to memorialize Stella so that they can have those final photos to remember the good times they shared.

As Sandra said to me, Stella was never one to pose for the camera, always turning away,  and they did not have any great photos of her.  So this was the opportunity to finally get some beautiful images to remember her by.

I took photos of them smiling together and photos of tender hugs.  Her doggie brother, Maverick played an important part as the two dogs absolutely adored each other.

We captured a unique birthmark on Stella’s side.  See that little black spot?  Well when Stella was a pup, so many people overlooked her because of that birthmark.  But Sandra and Marina loved it because it made her unique.  And she was just that!   A special and unique Golden Retriever that was so loved!

And when Sandra saw the photos we took she was so thankful!

And I too am thankful we were able to get beautiful images of Stella together with her loving family.

You can find more about and end of life photo session with me right here.

Please contact me to discuss a dog end of life photo session in the Toronto area.

28th August is Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day, a day to reflect back on the dogs that have passed through your lives and passed on. In honour of this day, a group of photographers who get together for a blog circle have written posts related to Rainbow Dog Photography Sessions. Endless Mountains PA pet photographer Elaine Tweedy shares her thoughts about loving and losing a pet.

Terri J Photography serves the Greater Toronto area including Richmond Hill, Markham, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Scarborough, Brampton, Thornhill and beyond. Terri specializes in on-location pet photography including  family and couples sessions with your beloved pets.