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August 10, 2017 by Terran 3 Comments

5 Reasons This San Diego Pet Photographer LOVES Pit Bulls

I’ve met a LOT of dogs in my life and the bully breeds are right there at the top of my list of favorites. Every single one I’ve ever met has been so full of personality, love, and joy — and they have the best smiles! They’re just like every other dog who wants to feel loved, be a part of a family, and devote their lives to being your best friend. Need proof? Keep reading to meet five of the most lovabull pitties I’ve worked with… and if you want a special treat, stick around ’till the end!
 

#1 Joshua the international male model

This amazing fella was left for dead, chained to the wall in a basement many years ago. He was saved when a neighbor heard is original owner talking about how they were waiting for him to die before tossing his body in the trash. He was brought to his local SPCA where his soon-to-be mama volunteered. He was malnourished to an extreme level and had a long way to go before he would be ready to go into a home. When he was healthy and available for adoption, a nice family came in, fell in love, and took him home. His soon-to-be mom was absolutely heartbroken. She expressed her sadness to the head of the SPCA and he told her he never would have let Joshie go if he had known! But, as it turned out, Josh was not meant to be with this other family and they brought him back a few days later. His soon-to-be mama got the call that he was back and she raced down to scoop him up! Joshua now leads a very pampered life as an international male model for his mom who’s a fellow pet photographer in Boston. He has found his forever home and his forever family. He is so full of love and joy for every day.

As a little fun note, when I visited Joshie and his mom in Boston for their On-Location Adventure, I was invited to stay for a sleepover (his mom and I are dear friends) and I got to snuggle with Joshua all night long! He takes up the entire bed, snores like a little piggie, and when he senses you’re awake in the morning, will wiggle his entire body right up to touch your nose and give the biggest yawn right in your face to say good morning! I loved it all and it’s simply the best way to wake up!

Explore On-Location Adventures like Joshua’s

 

#2 Odin the squish-face 

In another story about love and fate, soft and squishy Odin was celebrating his 1-year gotchaversary during our On-Location Adventure in San Diego’s must-see Balboa Park! He was rescued by his mom from a high-kill shelter one hour before he was scheduled to be euthanized. His mom had been sharing his photo and story online, trying to find an adopter because she knew what was about to happen. As the fateful hour drew near with no family in sight, she knew it was because she was meant for him. She drove to the shelter, scooped him up, and the rest is history!

Odin is probably the most laid-back dog I have ever met. He’s a total goober and is always smiling. His mama loves him with her whole heart and he loves her just the same. He leads a wonderful life with his forever family!

Explore On-Location Adventures like Odin’s

 

#3 Athena the petite packs-a-punch-of-cuteness staffie

How gorgeous is this sweet girl? Athena is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and is one giant ball of happy lets-go-play energy! She absolutely loves the beach so we headed to Coronado Dog Beach for her On-Location Adventure. We spent a good chunk of time playing with the ball, running through the waves, and playing chase with mom and dad. She is teeny-tiny compared to other bully breeds but the amount of love this little girl has for her mom and dad in one of her little paws could outweigh the biggest bull mastiff around! Athena loves to say hello to everyone she sees, especially if you have a toy to play with! She leads an extremely good life with two doting pet-parents who love her more than anything!

Explore On-Location Adventures like Athena’s

 

#4 Polo the dapper dog

This handsome hunk is a professional male model extraordinaire. He waited and waited and waited at the shelter for over an entire year before I got to meet him. Polo is a very studious fella who spent his days in the shelter working with a talented trainer who was teaching him all the manners a gentleman needs before going into a proper home. We were doing a fashion shoot in the studio to help raise awareness for homeless pets and Polo came to model for us. He looked so dapper in his pink tie, don’t you think?

Want to know the best part about this story? Polo found his forever family just a week later!

Explore Studio Sessions like Polo’s

 

#5 Belle the Flower Child

Sweet, wonderful Belle. She was her mama’s first pup and was slowing down in her senior years. Belle had bone cancer in her left front limb right below her shoulder so she wasn’t as spry as she once was but she still loved making new friends, squeaking her tennis ball, car rides, and going on walks. Belle absolutely loved to explore and that’s exactly what we did during our springtime On-Location Adventure in Los Penasquitos Canyon in San Diego. By the way she smiled among the flowers in the golden afternoon light, I think she was a real country girl. She had 13 amazing years as the happiest pup with a mom and sister who utterly adored her!

Explore On-Location Adventures like Belle’s

 

Guess what?

A big part of why I do what I do is the ability to give back. For the next 10 bully-breed dog families who sign up for an On-Location Adventure with me before the end of 2017, I’m going to give $100 to It’s the Pits Dog Rescue of San Diego.

Are you with me? Grab your session today!


Want to read more stories? Scroll down and sign up for the Wild, Wild Westway!

 

Filed Under: all pet portraits, field notes

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. pene diMaio says

    August 15, 2017 at 1:50 pm

    This is lovely, Terran! You so obviously LOVE what you do and the sweet critters you get to kibbutz with!!

    Reply
  2. Wyn says

    August 16, 2017 at 10:23 am

    Love this post and your support of rescue organizations! Thank you for all you do for the animals :-)

    Reply
  3. Andrea says

    September 19, 2017 at 7:29 am

    Thank you so much for helping It’s The Pits! We very much appreciate you :)

    Reply

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Home » 5 Reasons This San Diego Pet Photographer LOVES Pit Bulls

Follow our wild, wild Westway adventures as we travel the U.S. in our Airstream

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Based in San Diego, CA
Traveling the U.S. in 2022
(858) 848-9378
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I want you to close your eyes for a moment. Well, I want you to close your eyes for a moment. Well, maybe don't close them because then you'll stop reading. So, let's just *imagine.* OK, here we go... Imagine you're at the beach with your four-legged best friend just as the sun is coming up over the horizon. A warm summer breeze carries the scent of the salty ocean through the air, the sand is soft between your toes, and things couldn't be more perfect. And then your dog poops. 💩 I mean, that's always a good thing but when you're in this moment, a beach stroll with a bag of poo in your hands isn't exactly the dream. Thankfully, the dooloop exists so you can keep your hands free and keep the moment perfect. ​​​​​​​​
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I've been a fan of @dooloopdogs for years now and am so thrilled to have them as one of our trip sponsors! If you don't have one, you seriously need one. Seriously!
Want to know more about how we are traveling, wher Want to know more about how we are traveling, where we're going, or what it's like living in a small space with your significant other and pup? Where do we stay? Do we have hot showers? What are some of our best memories so far? If you're curious, ask below and your question may be featured in an upcoming post!
SWOOOOON! This gorgeous Florida evening with Jaspe SWOOOOON! This gorgeous Florida evening with Jasper and his mom was absolute magic!!! The sunlight sparkled over the grassy sand dunes alongside the warm Atlantic Ocean as it slowly sunk down into the western sky. Jasper was happy as a little clam as he was rewarded with treats, snuggles, and playtime for being the goodest boy!​​​​​​​​
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A big, huge thank you to @wellnesspetfood for joining us as a trip sponsor of our Great American Road Trip!
Welcome to the wild, wild Westway family, Sibbie!​​​​​​​​
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Named for the American Revolutionary War heroine, Sybil Ludington, we felt like the Airstream who was going to take us on our Great American Road Trip needed to have a very American name. Sybil Ludington and her horse, Star (can you guess the truck's name?), completed a midnight ride farther than Paul Revere's to announce to her father's fellow militia men that the British were coming. She was even thanked by George Washington!​​​​​​​​
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Sibbie is a 30-foot Airstream. She has a full size sofa, dinette with two bench seats, a surprisingly large shower and bathroom, and a great kitchen with a propane stove, oven, and three-in-one microwave + oven + air fryer. She also has an insane number of windows and skylights that make the entire space feel light and bright! 😍 Greg, Roxy, and I fit very well and feel like it's just the right amount of space for the three of us!​​​​​​​​
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Who else out there has an Airstream? Do you love yours? We certainly love ours!​​​​​​​​
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St. Augustine, FL​​​​​​​​
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@airstream_inc #westwaypets #westwaystudio #roadtrip #greatamericanroadtrip #wildwildwestway #airstream #airstreamadventure #airstreamliving #airstreamlife #airstreamlifestyle #nomadphotographer #travelphotographer #travelingdogphotographer
A big, huge, monstrous THANK YOU to my very first A big, huge, monstrous THANK YOU to my very first models of our trip: Julie, Louie, Bella, and Brooklyn! These four totally rocked their photo shoot for our three trip sponsors: @wellnesspetfood, @dooloopdogs, and @petplaysf! ​​​​​​
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Julie and Louie are both incredible photographers so it was extra fun to work with them! I know them from San Diego but when I found out they were in Fort Myers — just 2.5 short hours south of where we were picking up the Airstream — I knew we had to go see them and do a photo shoot!​​​​​​​​
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Isabella and Brooklyn are two of the cutest dogs you'll ever meet. I was warned that Brooklyn would take a minute to warm up, which she did, but once she realized we were there to shower her with attention, we became BFFs.​​​​​​​​
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Thank you, again, Julie & Louie! You guys rock and we had a blast with you!
We are nearly one month in to our big adventure! I We are nearly one month in to our big adventure! It's hard to even believe it! We have seen new places, visited old friends, and photographed a bunch of puppers already! ​​​​​​​​
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The journey began in San Diego, CA and took us to Tampa, FL for about a week. We headed down to Fort Myers and then up to St. Augustine before leaving the sunshine state. After that, we spent a night on a beautiful pecan farm just outside Savannah, GA before making our way to Charleston, Wilmington, and Charlotte (where we spent a few glorious hours floating in Lake Norman). Today, we are headed to a friend's place just outside Asheville!​​​​​​​​
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I promise to introduce you to our new Airstream in some upcoming posts. I will just say here that she is beautiful and everything we hoped she would be!​​​​​​​​
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We'll be in the northeast in a few short weeks & I absolutely can't wait!!!
Nothing says Airstream + Florida quite as much as Nothing says Airstream + Florida quite as much as a pink flamingo... so it's only fitting that we photograph the @petplaysf pink flamingo float toy as we kick off our big six-month road trip adventure in the Sunshine State! Am I right or am I right???​​​​​​​​
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We couldn't be more thrilled that P.L.A.Y. has decided to join us on our journey as a trip sponsor. We are going to have soooo much fun playing with and photographing their amazing products all around the US this year! Thank you, P.L.A.Y.!​​​​​​​​
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Who else's dogs love P.L.A.Y. toys??? 🙋‍♀️
Do you ever find a product that makes you question Do you ever find a product that makes you question how you ever lived without it? For me, that was @dooloopdogs! It's a brilliantly simple leash accessory that holds your pooch's poo bag so you don't have to. We've been using them for years and they're truly something special!​​​​​​​​
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When we began to plan our big road trip, I knew I'd be taking a few dooloops along with me (different leashes call for different dooloops, duh!) and I dreamed of having the company come along as an official trip sponsor. Well, it happened!!! We'll be sharing the dooloop love all around the US, photographing dogs with dooloops, and showing others how a simple tool can improve their daily walks with their pups! Thank you, dooloop! We're so excited to have you along for the journey!
I have some incredibly special clients, let me tel I have some incredibly special clients, let me tell you. They're clients I love working with and who consistently put their trust in me to create photos for their advertising & marketing campaigns around the globe. When I told Wellness Pet about our big adventure, the response was swift and definitive: "count us in!" I'm so, so, so thrilled to have them as a trip sponsor for our journey and to create images for them all along the way. We have used their products for years — Sojos, WHIMZEES, and their WellBites treats — so this partnership couldn't feel more perfect and authentic! Thank you, Wellness!
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  • Setting off on The Great American Road Trip
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