The Golden Retriever consistently ranks in the top 5 most popular breeds in the United States as ranked by the American Kennel Club and I can understand why, my experience both photographing and training Goldens, as they're affectionally known, has been a great one.
I've photographed many families along with their beloved dog, often a Golden. I've had numerous Golden Retrievers in my training classes over the years, whether they be reds, English Cremes or the beautiful blonde that we so typically think of when we think of a Golden Retriever.
Goldens hail from Scotland originally and are known as a hard-working breed, often employed as service animals and therapy dogs. They're also known for their voracious appetites, young-at-heart personalities and their penchant for carrying things in their mouths (particularly when excited). Goldens are intelligent, athletic dogs, and are exceptional competitors in dog sports like obedience, agility, dock diving and more.
Golden Retrievers gorgeous coats and perennially smiling face make them a dream to photograph, especially during their little butterball puppy stage. When Moana's (that's "mow-ah-nah") dog mom contacted me for cute little puppy pics, of course I said "Yes" (right after I squealed with delight) and we quickly secured a session on the calendar before she got any bigger!
(click on any image to view full screen)
Puppy Portraits Of Moana
Brenda, Moana's dog mom, wanted to be sure to capture all of Moana's puppy antics and cuteness before she grew up so we set a date to meet at the Grapevine Botanical Gardens and had a blast at her puppy photo shoot. The sun was shining, the flowers were in bloom and Moana romped and played and we caught it all.
At the viewing and ordering appointment, Brenda had a hard time narrowing down her favorites because Moana's just that cute, but we eventually got there. She decided on ordering two plush blankets (one for her and one for Moana's bed) along with a digital negative package which is presented in a handmade reclaimed barn wood box with a metal print on the cover and a 5x7 print of each image inside along with a USB drive with all the high resolution digital image files.
Doggy Daddy: Tucker
I was recently contacted by the Creed family to take their family portraits and they requested that I take a few pet portraits of their very special family member, Tucker. It was only later when Moana's mom shared her Christmas mini session photo of Moana with them (see below), that the Creeds asked if those were taken by Penny Whistle Photography. "Why yes, they were" replied Brenda, to which the Creeds replied "We just had our family photos taken by Tracy this past weekend". Brenda contacted me afterward to say "You just photographed Moana's daddy". Small world indeed (and now I know where Moana gets her good looks!). Tucker is the man (figuratively speaking) behind Creed Goldens in Fort Worth, Texas.
7 Comments
Mar 5, 2022, 7:51:39 PM
Ina - OMG Moana is just the cutest!! I love goldens they are so cute!!
Mar 5, 2022, 5:55:54 PM
Angela Schneider - What a perfect little puppy Moana is! The golden retrievers I've come across have always been so well behaved, too. Lucky you!
Mar 5, 2022, 2:36:02 PM
Darlene - Beautiful Golden images, Tracy! That puppy and those floofy ears - so cute! I don't blame Moana's family for choosing ALL the pictures? How could one narrow down with that adorableness!!!
Mar 5, 2022, 7:39:37 AM
Carol - Gaaaaaah cuteness overload with the floof-ball puppy portraits of Moana! And her dad is so handsome too! Small world to be able to capture them both. And I'm *loving* that magical Christmas portrait of Big Moana!!
Mar 4, 2022, 4:22:17 PM
Terri Jankelow - That puppy! Adorable. Love the story -it really is small world
Mar 4, 2022, 12:34:48 PM
Cahlean - Awwww those puppy pictures are adorable! Kind of crazy how much her color changed from pup to young adult. I didn't know Goldens came from Scotland! T
Mar 4, 2022, 10:45:46 AM
Nicole - I can see why Brenda had a tough time narrowing down the choices! What a gorgeous collection!