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Celebrating Love Your Pet Day!

by Donna Kelliher Photography 0 Comment

which honestly, is every day around here…

Border collie photographed in Vermont flower field by pet photographer Donna Kelliher Photography
Border Collie crashing through water while being photographed by Greater Boston dog photographer, Donna Kelliher Photography
Golden Retriever photographed at the beach by Donna Kelliher pet photography in celebration of National Love Your Pet day

It’s so easy to take for granted the gifts that our furry four-legged companions bring into our lives — from their unconditional love to those unforgettable moments of pure joy and fun they share with us. While we all have our endless “to do” lists and responsibilities pulling us in a million different directions, National Love Your Pet Day (which just happens to be today, Feb. 20) is the perfect occasion to go all out to show our pets just how much we treasure them.

This year one of my dogs is approaching the end of his days. My boy, Twister, has seen me through so much through the years, brought me boundless joy and has the absolute biggest heart. And while love can’t stop the inevitable I will make every moment count with my bestest boy. So for this Love Your Pet Day I am giving him a day filled with all the special things I can squish into 24 hours.

So what would your pet like most for Love Your Pet Day? Special treats, an extra long walk, more belly rubs? Let’s get creative and make this an extra-special occasion. I’ve come up with a few ideas for my dogs, so let’s pamper them in style:

  • Bake them some special treats (or buy them if you’re not all that great in the kitchen…).
  • Check out a new hiking spot.
  • Keep them company all day long (a perfect excuse for a day off work in my opinion).
  • Take a road trip for a pup cup or a doggie ice cream (don’t forget something for yourself too)
  • Hit the beach for a romp with some doggie friends.
  • Donate to a shelter or animal charity to help dogs who haven’t found their person yet.
  • Take them out to a dog-friendly brewery or restaurant for your celebration.
  • Let them choose the show to watch on TV.
  • Take them to the pet store to pick out a new toy.
  • Extra cuddles!

However you choose to spend today, I hope you and your favorite four-legged family member have an amazing day!

Donna Kelliher Photography

Website: https://www.DonnaKelliher.com

Donna Kelliher is a fine art pet photographer and Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA, certified through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers) based just outside Boston, serving Greater Boston, the North Shore, and beyond. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, and has spent more than twenty years behind the camera, her career beginning in dog sports photography before she shifted her focus to fine art portrait work. Her photography has appeared on the covers of Clean Run, Dog World, and Dog Sport magazines many times over, along with interior features in each, and her images appear in three books: The Everything Dog Training and Tricks Book, 2nd Edition, The Science Behind a Happy Dog, and Do More With Your Dog. Her work is also currently on display in a gallery exhibition celebrating dogs in art. What sets Donna apart is a rare combination: a trained fine art photographer who is also a hands on dog trainer with real experience working with every temperament, from timid and fearful dogs to high energy and reactive ones. That expertise was hard won. Donna spent years afraid of dogs herself after being bitten as a child, and worked through that fear so completely that she now trains and rehabilitates dogs with serious behavioral challenges, and competes in agility with her own dogs, Believe and Asher.