Chloe. Beloved Golden Retriever, by a Maine Dog Photographer and Chloe's Dog Mom

Chloe Minor

12/06/09 - 12/15/23

Chloe, Snowypaws Third Times A Charm, surrounded by her human family and her very own daughter Violet, granddaughter Ivy, and great granddaughter Lily, peacefully crossed over the Rainbow Bridge on Friday evening.

Chloe was born on December 6, 2009 to her parents, Snowypaws "Heppner's Macy" and JRS "Logan's Run from White Dove" in a litter of nine.  Chloe was the chosen one from the litter to continue her line for Snowypaws of Westbrook.

Chloe loved walks of all kinds, on a trail, on a mountain, in the woods, on the beach, in a campground and especially around the neighborhood.  She loved children and old people alike.  She loved food, both dog kibble and people kibble.  Chloe was an incredible Mom and Grandmother.  She loved sleeping on the bed and she let her humans know when it was time to retire for the evening.  She loved animals of all species.  She loved to go camping with her family.  Although a late starter she loved playing fetch and swimming.  Chloe loved to play tug, with her humans, her daughter and her grandchildren.  She loved barking at the TV whenever she saw an animal of any kind.  She wasn't fond of riding in a vehicle but she tolerated it in order to go anywhere her people went, and her travels throughout New England are extensive.  Her signature scrunched up smile was her special talent and her ability to make people fall in love with her the moment they saw it.  

Chloe is survived by her 4 children, Violet of Westbrook ME, Beckett of NY, Jaxson of Auburn ME and Cooper of Old Orchard ME, her eleven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

Chloe's departure leaves a huge hole in the lives of her human family and her four generation canine family.  Chloe has blessed the world with an incredible legacy and her spirit will live on forever.  

A video celebration of Chloe's life will be shared here on Christmas Day.  In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation in Chloe's honor to her great grandson Rocket's ongoing GoFundMe campaign for his life saving liver surgery scheduled next Spring.

https://gofund.me/db2732a6 

A Chocolate Lab Named Diva and a Maine Dog Photographer

One year ago this week, a breeder friend of mine was in a crisis situation.  I accepted an opportunity to help her out by welcoming a pregnant chocolate lab named Diva into my home, to help Diva deliver her puppies and raise them during their first 8 weeks of life.  I have helped deliver puppies three times before, all with my golden retriever Violet, and all very small litters.  I have witnessed puppies being born with my Chloe girl also.  Violet was a good Mom, after the drama of delivery was over, but she needed to be watched under careful eye during the first initial hours.  Violet would take care of the umbilical cord, separating her newborn from the placenta, but she would not remove the pup from it's sack and lick it firmly to initiate breathing!  I had witnessed her mother Chloe giving birth, severing the cord, removing the sack and cleaning cleaning cleaning the pup, getting all of the proper tools working...but again...Violet never did that vital part, it was up to the humans standing by to rub the puppy in a towel..."piss it off" as one YouTube tutor taught us...until it breaths on it's own.  If we had not been standing by to "piss off" Violet's puppies one by one, I'm pretty sure they would not have survived.  (But again, we will never know for sure, if left alone if Violet would have stepped up to the plate or not, life and death is not something you wait for, you just intervene if you need to)

So, this was all of my puppy birthing experience in a nut shell.  Knowing my role is more than a wide eyed spectator, but an active, outright "scared" participant.  I say scared, I can't really put my finger on the right word...so scared is the best I can do...I'm afraid that I'll mess up...that's it in a nutshell.

I received Diva a couple weeks before her due date so she could get to know me and be comfortable in my home before giving birth.  That in itself is something I hadn't given much thought to before, but I get it loud and clear now.  Diva seemed very comfortable in our home right from the start.  We are a house full of golden retrievers and we have Gizmo the cat too.  Diva was very pregnant and very strong, but we could tell right away that she didn't spend much time on the end of a leash.  She could easily take me for a drag if I wasn't careful...so we bought her a "no pull" harness and continued to take her for several walks a day, even though she wasn't a fan.

 Heather, my breeder friend, had assured me that Diva was an excellent Mother.  Diva had done this before and I had nothing to worry about.  We were aware that Diva had approximately 8 puppies in her large belly.  We also knew that Dad "threw" white puppies...in other words we could expect to receive black, white, and chocolate puppies.

Diva's due date was "April 1st" give or take a day.  On the evening of April 1st, Diva was digging at the dog bed and couldn't seem to get comfortable...all signs that things were beginning.  Although I had a guest room all prepared for Heather and she assured me she was just a phone call (and an hour and fifteen minutes) away, when I let her know things were getting started she assured me it would still be awhile and to touch base in the morning.  I'm not a natural at this stuff.  I'm scared remember?

I knew it would be a sleepless night of worry.  Every time Diva needed to go out I would throw on my coat and shoes and grab a headlamp and follow her around the yard...again...when you are exposed to this side of dogs and life you know to expect the unexpected...and my brain goes in all kinds of places it shouldn't really go...it's exhausting!

Not sure how it happened but I managed to doze off for a bit.  It's now 6am Saturday morning and Diva is...best I can tell...trying to get my attention.  I get out of bed, ask her if she needs to go out...and instead I follow her into the living room...where I find a wet spot on the carpet and a clean and breathing puppy right near it.  I go into high gear freak mode, holler to my husband that there is a brand new, very much alive and well white puppy in the living room!!!  Dare I say, my husband is very annoyed with my full on freak mode.  We have three golden retrievers in the house and a cat...and a husband...none of which woke up for this welcoming!  I've told you of my past experience.  I've explained that I needed to be standing by and ready to help when a puppy arrived.  I had been told Diva was an excellent Mom, but wow...here it is a year later, I'm sharing this story with you, and it's still so very much amazing to me that Diva delivered a pup, took care of all that comes with that, cleaned it up, got it breathing on it's own and came to get me so I could be standing by for the rest.  Do you get how amazing this is?  Do you get that I have two other mother dogs in the house that managed to sleep through this too?

Needless to say, I let Heather know what was going on.  She has much faith in Diva and I cause she doesn't leave her house without a shower first.  No emergency here!!  (I've shared that I am in high freak mode right?!!)

I relocate Diva to the main level of the house.  I deliver puppy number two, a black one.  Some time between puppy number two and three Heather arrives, and I happily relinquish my midwife responsibility to assistant of midwife.

It takes a good portion of the day to deliver them all.  Eight gorgeous puppies.  Four whites, two males and two females, three black males and one chocolate girl.  Diva continues to amaze me with her Mom skills, often sectioning four off between her front legs to let four nurse at a time.  Again, she is amazing to watch.

Day one...and then the weeks begin to fly...

I have a three generation family of goldens...and we receive many visits and playdates with siblings.  I like to say "one of these dogs is not like the others"...but in reality, Diva is a true Diva, she got along well with everyone!  And enjoyed the occasional opportunity to visit among those her own age :)

and my animal family in turn enjoyed hers.

I thought it was a bit interesting how the colors seemed to stick together :)

And to say I enjoyed my time with them is an understatement.

During the last couple of weeks I put a note on my fb page for dog loving friends who might like to come sit with the pups for an hour while I cleaned up their overnight "kennel".  I was overjoyed to have friends reach out with enthusiasm for some much needed puppy therapy of their own.  A very welcomed break for me!!

Puppies started to go home...

...and then their were three...

...and then there was one...

...and soon he went home too...

an amazing experience that I would be sure to repeat, in a heartbeat!!

Thank you to Heather and Bear Pond Retrievers for a wonderful experience and for trusting me with this opportunity 💜🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

Minor Moments Pawtography. A Maine Dog Photographer

 Back in the summer of 2019, during the 4th of July weekend, I walked around Pemaquid Point Campground with my camera asking folks if I could photograph their dogs...after all...I had found my calling and it was time I shared my talents with the world...or at least with the folks staying at the campground that weekend...

I walked around the small campground with my friend Kathy who was carrying a pen and notebook to write down the dogs name and age, what breed they were, owners name and any other info the owners wanted to share about their furry love.  

When I returned home the usual everyday life responsibilities took priority...and my personal project took a ride in the back seat.  I've continued to document dogs at campgrounds and local events, I've continued to share my contact info...but unfortunately I've also continued to push off my personal projects...they are no longer in the back seat but honestly more like stuffed into the trunk.  I never forget about them completely but I must admit that if they are out of my sight they are usually out of my mind too.

A couple of months ago someone reached out to me via my business facebook page Minor Moments Photography.  This was the message:  "you took pictures of our dog at pemaquid point campground during July 4th week in 2019 I believe .. I never saw them posted and we lost Mosi this passed summer and I was just wondering if you ever did anything with those pictures?"

Well...there you have it. This note written to me two and a half years later was exactly what I needed to receive to know that I had made an impression. Yes, I should have know...and in actuality I do know...because I wouldn't have ventured out in the first place and asked total strangers to photograph their dogs if I didn't think there'd come a day that they would cherish the moments I captured for them...

So, a flicker of light is now a brightly shining beacon of hope that I will proceed on my personal dog photo projects that are so near and dear to my heart. I have photographed many dogs over the years and I'm prioritizing them to share with you in the coming months. I also have a brand new project, that has been in the front of my brain for the past ten years to honor the dogs that have crossed over the rainbow bridge, and I'm diving into that project also and hope to share with you all very soon!

Yes I did reach out to Mosi's "person" to share my condolences and my photos, and I thanked her for reminding me to share the photos of the very special fur babies in our lives that I have captured over the past few years. So without any further delay, here are the Pemaquid Point campground dogs I photographed over fourth of July in 2019. All info was documented in July of 2019, and by all means if you recognize someone's dog here please share it with them!!

Brud: 14 wks old, a lab mix from Booth Bay Rescue, proud parents Frank & Jeff

Cowboy:  boxer 6.5 yrs old and weighing in at 100 lbs

Sam Juan (Sammy):  One and a half year old terrier mix.  Depending on how accurate my notes are, both Cowboy and Sammy are from Waterville ME and live with Steve & Lauren.

Currituck:  12 years old.  This is my dear friend Kathy's dog, who passed away in 2021 at the age of 14.  I camped many times with Curri over the years and watched her grow up, this one is very personal, and the reason I do what I do.

Mosi (Tatupu):  9 yrs old, black lab/sheep dog, proud parents Michele & Steve, and the inspiration behind this post.  Thank you Michele for reaching out to me so I could share these photos with you and with all the other folks whos loves I photographed that weekend.

Reo:  3.5 year old Shepherd above and Dixie, 8.5 years old Australian Shepard below.  Both from Sanford ME my notes are a bit jumbled...proud parents Christine & John...  :)

If I have photographed your dog and you want more info from me or you wish to share some info with me please do not hesitate to reach out to me.  I love photographing dogs and will continue to do so...and am going to work toward sharing with you all much more too!  The following photograph was taken at the lighthouse, in the parking lot at sunrise, July 7th, 2019.  :) no further info available.

New Year Opportunities by A Maine Photographer

Hello and thank you to whomever may be reading this.  As a small entrepreneur I am very well aware that I must participate in putting content out into the world and letting people know I exist...and every January is another wake up call and chance to review how well I did...or how well I didn't do...

First off let me start with I am living a good life and doing my photography and scrapbooking thing on a  regular basis but I have been skimpy on the sharing on my blog platform...so again...new year...new goals...I'm excited to give sharing regularly a new go :)

First off I want to catch you up on my fall litter of puppies!  Three of them are local and one is gone to live up near Bar Harbor.  I ask each new home to let me be their facebook friend so I can watch these babies grow up and continue to love them in my own way because they all take a tiny piece of my heart with them as they go.

We have Oliver on the left, then Finley, Charlie and Appa

A family photo before the pups start heading to their homes

My husband doing a lunch classroom style learning session :)

This year I hired my own Santa...with all the Covid stuff going on I had no desire to leave the house! 

A little studio play with the last two pups to leave

Top photo is Finley with new family, then Oliver, then Appa , then Charlie!!!!

Appa's new home is with my son Nick and his girlfriend Carly, they live locally and Appa comes to visit his Mom and Nana a couple times a week!!  Also, Charlie's new home is with his big brother Cody!!  We are so happy to still share in our puppies lives!!

That's the big stuff.  We also got to celebrate Thanksgiving together and take a family photo for our Christmas card.

And I ended the year with a giant Birthday!  I've made all kinds of commitments to myself to try new things in 2022, but I ended the year with new also!

new kitty named Gizmo :)

first time visiting the beach in Maine on my birthday!

and my kids recreated a twenty year old photo shoot for me!

Now before I sign off on this post I will acknowledge in writing that I plan to return within the next few days to update what is going on in the new year of 2022!!  Once again, thank you for stopping by!