In my adult life, I’ve had one puppy. In May 1996, I answered an ad in the newspaper for a litter of weimaraner / labrador puppies. I was in my early 30s and this was two decades before I became a photographer.

The poor puppy didn’t have a name for several days because I couldn’t settle on one I liked. Then I saw the name Sloan in the phonebook (it was 1996!!) and I instantly knew that was it.

I loved Sloan like I’ve never loved another dog. She was my first heart dog.

We grew up together. We were inseparable. We took road trips together. She moved with me to Florida and then back to Charlotte. She moved with me to southern California and then back to NC again. All 4 times, we drove.

She was a demanding puppy. She needed a lot of exercise, discipline and structure.

I didn’t fully understand what she needed. She would bark in my face if I didn’t give her attention. 25 years later I still have the bite marks on my hands from her. She was a hard puppy. She is the reason why I’ll never get another puppy. She is the reason why we adopt the older ones now.

But I also love her like I’ve never loved any of my other dogs and I miss her like crazy. I’d do it all over again a million times. But I would do it better.

Because of her, I understand what an untrained, high energy puppy is like. That helps me when I photograph them.

Do you know what one of my biggest regrets of my life is? It’s not having any decent photos of her.

I have a ton of pictures of her. They are literally in the nightstand in my bedroom. They are terrible quality. They were printed at the drugstore. They’re blurry. They’re grainy… just like cell phone photos that are printed out.

But I can’t throw them away. They’re all I have of her now.

The photos of her in this post are two of the better ones. I took them in 1996. I became a photographer in 2016.

I wish it would’ve occurred to me to have her photo taken by a professional photographer even though I was house poor at the time and hiring a professional isn’t cheap. When all you have left are photos, isn’t the money you spent on those photos worth it?

Not everyone sees the value in professional photography or understands why hiring a photographer is expensive. I get that.

But I would pay anything to have better photos of her. These are not fine art photography and I’ll always regret not having better photos of her.

If you have a new puppy or you’re thinking of getting a puppy, stay tuned. I’m offering a special Puppy Package so all new dog moms and dog dads can have professional photos of their pups.

The package is subject to change but for the first time ever I’m including your favorite 5 photos in the session fee price. Take advantage of this offer while you can. Any puppy up to 5 months old is eligible.

I’m doing this so you won’t live with the same regrets that I have.

They don’t stay little for long. Let’s capture it while we can. Email kim@barkography.com or fill out the Contact Page to learn more.