I met Stephanie Hart of Independence Poodles located in Arlington, Texas in 2018 when she contacted me about photographing her fist litter of puppies. She had seen my work on Instagram and Facebook and wanted to capture professional images of her first litter. She came to my studio in Carrollton and that, as they say, was the start of a beautiful friendship.
As a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, I was impressed with Stephanie's dedication to the health and well-being of not only the puppies, but also of the breeding adults. Some are Hart family pets and others live in guardian homes which allows Independence Poodles to responsibly breed a larger gene pool and have each adult dog receive the benefit of living in a family home and being challenged to earn the American Kennel Club (AKC) Canine Good Citizen certification as well as at least two sport or performance titles.
Every adult dog I met to photograph was confident and well-mannered, even in strange and new circumstances. The puppies were the same; outgoing, curious and self-assured. So much of behavior is hereditary so starting with good breeding stock is imperative. I never saw myself as a poodle person, but I can't help shaking the feeling that sooner or later I'm going to end up with one of her puppies, they're that awesome.
Since 2018 I've photographed all the breeding adults as well as most of the litters. Stephanie believes in supporting her breeding program with quality images that uphold the time, effort and investment she puts into it. Below are some of the hundreds of images I've taken over the past three years.
(click on any image to view full screen)
3 Comments
Oct 22, 2021, 8:43:56 PM
Terri - That last picture of all the puppies -amazing!
Oct 22, 2021, 1:26:34 PM
Elaine - Beautiful dogs. Working with a responsible breeder builds faith in the industry. I have worked with an extremely responsible breeder here in Northeastern PA as well. Standard Poodles are so very smart!
Oct 22, 2021, 11:13:26 AM
Nicole - I wish all breeders were this awesome! All of these images are perfection!