Phoenix, AZ Dog Photography

Susan Schmitz – Owner/Lead Photographer

I've always had a love for animals and art. It wasn't until I hit my mid-life crisis (Well, maybe it was a 1/3 life crisis... I'm still young... most days) and I moved to Sedona that I was actually moved to explore my artistic side.

I just started taking photos as a reference for my drawings & paintings. Then I started to appreciate the instant gratification of a photo. Once I learned Photoshop, the geeky-techy side of me was completely hooked! I found the perfect blend of personal interests; dogs, photography and technology. And from this merger, A Dog's Life Photography was born... and so was I.

Laura Sand – Photographer/Account Executive

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had three loves in my life… music, animals and photography. The first memory I have of taking pictures was when I was about six years old. I would run around my house and back yard taking pictures of all the things that I loved…my parents, my brother, my cat… well mostly my cat. The first memory I have of listening to music was the same year, although there is photographic evidence of me grooving to tunes through headphones before the age of two.

I’ve learned that life is very short and you only get one shot at it. I’ve followed my dream to a place that I never knew was possible. I met Susan in prison! Ok, let me clarify… it was the greyhound prison program’s graduation day and we were both there for the celebration. We clicked immediately and she began teaching me the ropes from the very first moment. The rest… as they say… is history.

5 Ways to Bond With Your Dog

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Have you seen those dog owners who have complete control? Their pet walks so pleasantly on the leash, looks to its owner for direction, is calm and happy? These are owners who have bonded with their dogs. They have forged a line of communication between man and canine that allows for both to completely understand each other. They rely on each other for many things. Here’s how you can do it…

5. Train them. Teach them the rules. Become the leader of the pack. Be consistent in your messages so they are clear on what’s expected of them. When the same behavior leads to the same consequence (whether good or bad) the message will be received. Just think of them as speaking a different language. You still have to communicate in order to live peacefully.

4. Do at least one “dog thing” a day with them. Get silly. It will make you smile. Have fun with it. You need to play too. Throw the ball, get down on your hands and knees and play with them, go for a walk, whatever it takes for him to just be a dog. In my house we do this funny thing. Greyhounds make this great howling noise called a “roo”. Maybe you’ve heard of it. It basically sounds like you would think only they hold it out at the end, “roooooooooooo…” Very cute! So we all do a group roo each night lead by yours truly. It’s funny to watch them. Each dog has its own voice. They get to let pure instinct take over for a moment. It’s really helped bring my super shy old girl out of her shell.

3. Feed them. Have one person at a time feed them for a little while (say two weeks or so), then switch it up. That person should feed them around the same time and in the same location for every meal. When your dog has to rely on that person for their food, he starts to pay attention to them more. It’s like earning respect in the dog world.

2. Snuggle with them. Feel their energy. Let them feel yours. Touch them. Take a moment to stop what you are doing and just pay attention to them. It will bring your stress level down. I swear. You can actually notice a difference. In addition to that, as alpha it is important to acknowledge them. Perhaps in the past they’ve had to resort to doing negative things to get your attention?

1. Show them that they make you happy. Get that high pitched, over-excited-cheerleading-tryouts voice. Clap your hands. Say their names… you get the idea. Let them dance around in that glory for a few seconds. Really stress the fact that they are the best dog you have ever known. Then when you’re done, give them each a treat. Making the alpha happy is what they live for.

I know that there are a million things in each day that we have to do and sometimes things like this get lost in the shuffle. What has happened in the past is over. Your dog lives in the moment. It’s never too late to start. He is very adaptable and with positive motivation and lots of love and support, your home can be a calm and peaceful place once again. Just be patient… and consistent.

~Laura

Meet Lacy! She is one of our Poodle Models and is owned by Lou Murphy, President of the AZ Poodle Rescue. She was such a cutie to work with! Very food motivated! If you have a dog like that, you are really in luck! You can teach them anything. See how well she does “sit”? She’s also ready for “shake”. She’s adorable.

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by adogslifephoto

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The Best Foods For Dogs With Chronic Active Hepatitis

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

My blue female Doberman named Misty has been living with Chronic Active Hepatitis for several years now. When she was first diagnosed, she was in really bad shape. She is now a healthy, happy and slightly on the porky side. If you are finding this post because you are searching the web for answers on this very frightening disease in your dog, you may also want to click here to read a previous post that describes what Chronic Active Hepatitis is and how my dog has dealt with it over the years.

The following information is based on my own personal experience with my dog that has CAH. You must consult your own veterinarian for the specific needs of your dog. There are many different forms of Hepatitis in dogs that require a different form of treatment. Do not follow the advice below without the approval from your vet!

According to my vet and much research I have done over the internet, one of the keys to managing copper toxicity Chronic Active Hepatitis is to drastically reduce the amount of copper in your dog’s diet. To maintain control over this, I have been feeding my dog a diet of half homemade low-copper foods and half Innova brand dry dog food. She was initially on strictly a homemade diet when she was first diagnosed. This diet consists of chicken breasts, sweet potatoes, rice, green beans, hard boiled eggs and flax oil. If you are making your own food for your dog, you may want to click here to see a list of the copper content in common foods. Once her liver levels were under control, I decided to add in some kibble to give her teeth something to crunch on and to give my kitchen stove a bit of a break! I chose Innova because I had heard that it was one of the best foods with the lowest copper content. My dogs love it and Misty’s liver levels have remained under control for as long as I have been using it.

Even though Misty’s current diet has done wonders to keep her CAH in check, I have decided to completely change it. Why fix something that isn’t broken? Two reasons…. 1.) Cooking homemade food for your dog is a pain in the ass. 2.) I found some premium dry dog foods with a much lower copper content than Innova.

I have been on a quest to find a convenient yet comparable substitute for the homemade diet for several years now with no luck. I have looked at dehydrated foods, raw foods, canned foods and freeze-dried foods and all of them seemed to have either a copper additive (good for most dogs, not dogs with CAH) or they had organ meat in them (organ meat is high in copper). While exhibiting at the 2010 Phoenix Pet Expo, I stopped by the Pawsitive Foods booth to see if they had any suggestions for me. They gave me a brochure on N-R-G dehydrated dog food. I was excited to see that the Optimum Diet line did not contain a copper additive nor did it have any organ meat. Woooo Hooo! Perhaps this is the homemade substitute that I have been looking for??

A few days after the show, I got a call from Pawsitive Foods. Not only did they remember to follow up with me, but they also took the time to search through all of their available foods and prepare a breakdown of the copper content in each of them for me. Click here to read a recent blog post describing their remarkable customer service. Here is the breakdown that they gave me of premium dog foods and their nutrient contents, sorted by copper content lowest to highest:

Dog Food	Protein %	Min Fat %	Max Fiber %	Copper Mg/Kg	Zinc Mg/Kg
Great Life Chicken Grain/Potato Free	33.00%	12.00%	4.00%	7.79	251.00
Great Life Salmon	22.00%	12.00%	4.00%	7.79	243.00
Great Life Salmon Grain/Potato Free	30.00%	14.00%	4.00%	8.00	256.00
Natures Logic Beef	31.50%	17.50%	6.00%	9.00	94.00
Great Life Buffalo	22.25%	9.47%	3.64%	10.03	180.60
Great Life Buffalo Grain/Potato Free	29.00%	12.00%	4.00%	10.18	248.90
Fromm Chicken ala Veg	24.00%	15.00%	4.00%	11.00	135.00
Fromm Duck & Sweet Potato	24.00%	15.00%	3.00%	11.00	135.00
Fromm Salmon ala Veg	25.00%	16.00%	3.50%	11.00	135.00
Fromm Surf & Turf	30.00%	19.00%	3.00%	11.00	135.00
Fromm Whitefish and Potato	23.00%	11.00%	3.50%	11.00	135.00
Fromm Gold Adult	24.00%	16.00%	3.50%	11.00	135.00
California Naturals GF Chicken	36.08%	13.08%	3.94%	11.85	180.00
California Naturals GF Venison	21.50%	16.10%	3.91%	13.07	180.97
Innova Large Breed Adult	25.85%	14.21%	2.93%	13.79	192.20
Innova Adult Dry	25.42%	14.28%	1.92%	14.40	193.43
Fromm Gold Puppy	27.00%	18.00%	3.50%	14.70	135.00
Fromm Gold Lg Breed Puppy	26.00%	14.00%	3.50%	14.70	135.00
Earthborn Holistics Primitive Natural	38.00%	20.00%	2.50%	15.00	147.00
Earthborn Holistic Ocean Fusion	22.00%	12.00%	4.00%	15.00	166.00
Natures Logic Chicken	38.30%	18.10%	6.00%	15.00	73.00
Natures Logic Lamb	32.00%	18.10%	6.00%	15.00	73.00
Natures Logic Venison	38.30%	18.10%	6.00%	15.00	73.00
Natures Logic Duck/Salmon	38.30%	18.10%	6.00%	15.00	73.00
California Naturals GF Lamb	25.10%	13.50%	4.00%	15.27	180.00
Prairie Venison	26.00%	14.00%	3.90%	15.48	268.70
Evo Herring/Salmon	42.98%	18.60%	2.01%	15.97	201.08
Innova Adult Red Meat	24.24%	19.00%	2.08%	16.35	200.00
Prairie Salmon	26.00%	14.00%	3.50%	17.81	241.40
Evo Wt Management	52.46%	15.26%	1.73%	17.95	231.24
Earthborn Holistics Adult Vantage	22.00%	12.00%	4.00%	18.00	163.00
Great Life Lamb	22.00%	11.00%	4.00%	18.66	223.00
Evo Chicken	43.43%	22.74%	1.43%	19.51	260.08
Evo Red Meat	44.17%	23.13%	2.50%	19.69	218.73
Great Life Chicken	24.25%	14.47%	3.44%	19.76	234.20
Prairie Beef	26.00%	14.00%	3.50%	20.89	294.30
Prairie Lamb	26.00%	14.00%	3.40%	20.95	247.20
Prairie Chicken	26.00%	14.00%	3.40%	24.80	244.10
Instinct Rabbit	35.00%	22.00%	2.00%	24.95	203.93
Instinct Chicken	42.00%	22.00%	3.20%	25.86	277.10
Earthborn Holistic Puppy Vantage	28.00%	20.00%	5.00%	26.00	241.00
Instinct Duck	35.00%	22.00%	3.50%	27.00	415.00

After reviewing this data, I decided to give the Great Life Grain Free Chicken dry dog food a try because it has half the copper content as Innova. I also decided to switch out the homemade food for the NRG dehydrated food. I didn’t want to make this switch all at once because it would upset my little girls stomach too much. Also, I wanted to introduce one new food at a time so I could tell which one was the culprit if she started showing any CAH symptoms. I decided to start by switching out the dry food. I weaned her off the Innova after about 4 days and she is now on 1/2 Great Life dry food and 1/2 of homemade food. I think it is going pretty well so far except that she is very gassy! Peeee Ewwww! She isn’t gobbling the dry food up like she did with the Innova. She picks out the homemade food first and then leaves the dry food for a while before she goes back to it. This is very odd for her because usually her whole bowl is empty in 30 seconds flat then she proceeds to hover over the Chihuahua’s bowl to snatch up any leftovers when she is done.

I’m going to give it a few more days to see if she develops a taste for the food and whether her intestines calm down on it before I try the switch over to NRG. I’ll keep an update going on this blog post so those of you that are looking for the perfect diet for your dog with Chronic Active Hepatitis can follow the results and make your own decisions with the guidance of your vet.

Here’s a photo of my Misty Blue looking happy and healthy. She’s missing most of her hair because she also has Color Dilution Alopecia (also common in Blue Dobermans) but it doesn’t seem to bother her much.

Update 7/10/10 – Misty is totally on 1/2 great Life dry food and 1/2 NRG Optimum chicken dehydrated food and she is doing just fine. She still doesn’t seem to like the taste as much as her previous diet but I’m hoping it grows on her. Life is so much easier now that I don’t need to spend a half a day every other week slaving over a hot stove for her (although she is worth it!).

Posted in Dog Health and Nutrition

by adogslifephoto

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The Top 5 Cutest Things Dogs Do

Monday, June 28, 2010

Are you ready for a laugh today? Our companions can be our best entertainers. How many of the following does your dog do?

5. The stretch that the yoga pose is named after… downward facing dog. The stretch to end all stretches. Watching them enjoy every moment and get the most out of it just makes me smile. This stretch takes precedent over everything. If I call them to come and get a treat they will prolong the reward if a stretch is in order. Love it.
4. Dreaming in their sleep. Now I don’t know if greyhounds as a breed are more prone to this but I certainly have never seen dogs dream the way mine do. Little whines, twitching feet… who can resist? I just hope that those dreams contain a million running bunnies to chase!
3. When they squeak that squeaky toy. Squeak, squeak, squeak… so cute! They are learning that their own actions are causing a reaction. They take joy in making the noise. It reminds me to take pleasure in the simple things. There’s definitely something to be said for being easily amused!
2. When two or more of them play together. Super cute! When “siblings” break out into a spontaneous play session there is always laughter to follow! The play bow, the tough act with teeth showing… it’s a game of chicken. Who will be the first to pounce? In my house it’s usually the puppy that will not be able to contain herself and then it’s like tag. There they go, running like maniacs all around my living room.
1. The pure joy they get when you walk in the door. My old girl, Sashi, just lights up when she sees me. Her ears perk up and she does this little prance. Her excitement is barely contained. They are so happy; I swear my dogs are smiling. It is easily the highlight of my day.

As I sit here and think about these, I can’t help but smile. I hope that you are able to share these fantastic moments with your fur kids. Its times like these that help ease the pain of everyday living. I don’t know how non-dog owners do it. My stress level decreases tenfold once I am back in the company of my animals. It’s a symbiotic relationship. The true definition of unconditional love.

~Laura

Bodhi and Sashi lounging in Susan's backyard.

Posted in Misc

by adogslifephoto

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adogslifephoto - Jen,

You are welcome! Thank you so much for sharing! I love hearing the stories! Your babies sound so cute! I know exactly what you mean. I feel so loved too. Dogs are the best.

Jennerator - Laura,
Thanks for sharing. This is great. Of course, it makes me think about these experiences with my dogs.

They definately do the STRETCH sticking their butt as high in the air as possible bringing their snouts as close to the groung as possible.

My doggies DREAM like crazy. I don’t remember any of my dogs when I was growing up ever dreaming the way mine do now. They make noises, their feet don’t just twitch, sometimes they kick, they’ll kick the wall or whatever is near them, and they also snore…snore….snore.

OMG, I have 3 dogs….you should see them PLAY TOGETHER…small, medium and large and when you get a toy out (SQUEEK TOY or anything) it’s like a circus!!! The big guy, Tucker, stands there while the medium one, Dayton goes back and forth, up and down and around him, nippin at his ears, legs and feet. In the mean time the little one, Jackie is bouncing like a ping pong ball, up and down, left and right, running under Tucker’s and Dayton’s feet constantly tripping them. It is hilarious!

I can walk out the door for 1 minute or 1 day and they will let out cries like you wouldn’t believe when I come WALKING BACK through the door. They whimper and moan and run all around. I mean even if it is just for one minute!!!!! They make me feel soooooo loved and wanted even if their cries are going to make me go deaf LOL! It’s the greatest!

Thanks Again!

Pawsitive Pet Foods

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Laura and I recently had the pleasure of meeting the fine folks from Pawsitive Pet Foods a few weeks ago at the Phoenix Pet Expo. I was especially interested in talking to them because I have been on an exhaustive search for an easy alternative to the homemade food that I have been painstakingly preparing each week for the last few years for my Doberman that has Chronic Active Hepatitis (CAH). I LOVE my Misty Blue to death but I don’t necessarily love slaving over a hot stove for her so often. That dog eats more home-cooked meals than my poor husband does.

I only had a few minutes before the doors opened at the Pet Expo so I quickly asked Julie if she could take a look when she wasn’t busy to see if she had any food that didn’t have any copper added to it. (Dogs with copper toxicity Chronic Active Hepatitis cannot metabolize copper and it builds up to toxic levels in their liver. This is the reason why she has been on a homemade diet for so long.) Later in the day. Laura stopped by their booth and they gave her a huge bag full of samples of some dehydrated all-natural foods that she thought might work for Misty. We thought that was super nice of them and I was excited to give them a try!

A few days later, I received a message from Julie with a long list of high quality foods that they carry. They listed out the nutrients and sorted by copper content. She and her husband had taken the time to go through every bag of food, figure it all out and type it all up for me. WOW! Not only did they remember to follow up with me, they completely went out of their way to make sure that I had all the info I could ever need.

The outstanding customer service did not stop there! There were numerous email conversations back and forth about which one would be the best food for my dog. Julie from Pawsitive foods was incredibly helpful and eager to make sure that I was 100% satisfied with my choice. We finally decided on the right food for Misty’s needs, a combination of Great Life chicken grain-free kibble and NRG Optimum Chicken with Vegetables and Oats. Then. get this… SHE DELIVERED IT TO MY HOUSE!! I was blown away. When I asked why they deliver (because it must take up a ton of their time), she said that they want to make sure that their customers are getting their money’s worth. They just charge enough to cover their gas to get the food to them. You also have a choice to come pick it up from them or have them ship it to you.

Seriously… these people are awesome. You must give them a try. Check out their website at www.pawsitivefoods.com or give them a call at 602-689-9895. You won’t be disappointed. If you have dogs with special food needs, they will stop at nothing to get you what you need. They are super knowledgeable, friendly and accommodating. And they support local rescue groups, too!

I will be posting the list of dog foods and their copper contents along with Misty’s progress on the new foods in a separate post. If you found this website because you were searching for answers about CAH, you will probably want to check that out. In the meantime, click here for more info on Chronic Active Hepatitis and how Misty has managed to live with it for so long.

Posted in Dog Health and Nutrition

by adogslifephoto

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Our Dogs Are Our Teachers Too

Thursday, June 17, 2010

I read this today and loved it. Now I’d love to share it with you. Today’s Poodle model is Mario Andretti, beloved pet of Corinne Dudine, adopted from AZ Poodle Rescue.

~Laura

The Lessons We’ve Learned From Our Dogs:

Always run to greet loved ones when they come home.
Recognize the ecstasy of fresh air and wind in your face.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, lie on your back in the grass.
When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
Enjoy long walks.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you’re not.
If what you want is buried, dig deep until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.