Lissy’s End of Life Photo Session
Pet photography usually involves capturing those joyful doggie moments, such as playful pups, pregnancy announcements, engagements… and much more! But sometimes, the lens is called upon to capture a different kind of moment – the bittersweet moments shared with our furry companions nearing the end of their lives. This is what we call an “End of Life” photo session.
End of Life pet photography is about celebrating the enduring bond between us and our pets. These sessions are a way to create lasting memories of your beloved pet to cherish long after they have crossed over the rainbow bridge.
In this blog post, I'd like to share the End of Life session that Emily with Em-Bracing The Moment Photography captured of a very special dog, Lissy. Through these photographs, Emily was able to capture the unwavering love and devotion that Lissy and her family had for each other.
Lissy was adopted by her mom, Christine, in September 2014. Christine had just moved to a different school district that year, for her last year in high school, and was feeling alone. She visited the shelter in hopes to find a new doggie friend, but ended up not finding any good fits. As she was walking out of the shelter, she happened to see a scared, little Lissy and knew she had to meet her!
Christine said, “As soon as we were in the room together she started running circles around me. She was just so energetic and full of life. I immediately fell in love with her.
I remember I had to wait an entire week before I could take her home because she still needed to be spayed. So, I visited her every day after school that week until the day I could pick her up. As soon as I got out of school that day I sat and waited at the humane society in the lobby until I could bring her home. She slept in bed with me every night since the first night I brought her home.”
Lissy loved going for nature hikes with Christine. One of her favorite memories with Lissy was when they went on a hike together at the Saugatuck Dune Park. Christine remembers that Lissy loved hiking with her so much that she would walk with her for hours, never wanting to slow down, but as soon as they got back into the car Lissy would pass out before they could even leave the parking area!
When asked how Lissy impacted her life, Christine stated,” Lissy was always such a happy girl! She always made me smile and she loved cuddling. She was always with me for every change in my life and my constant from the day I got her.
When my daughter Ava was born Lissy would sit next to me while I was holding Ava. She loved Ava so much and would always make her laugh. I loved how patient Lissy was with Ava too!
We wanted to know if the End of Life photoshoot helped Christine and her family deal with the loss of Lissy. Here is what she had to say, “We loved having the End of Life photos taken with Lissy. Ava had just turned 4 when Lissy passed and Ava cherishes the photos now. She loves looking back at them anytime she has those days where she misses Lissy a lot. It was really hard for my daughter to understand that Lissy was no longer going to be home with us and having these photos definitely helped her through the grief process.”
When asked if she had any advice for other pet parents going through loss, Christine, said this:
“Losing a pet is so hard because they become so ingrained in our lives and are part of our family. It’s okay to cry and grieve however is best for you.
My advice for pet parents with young kiddos is to get “pet loss” books to read with your kids. My daughter’s favorite books are “Fair Dog Heaven” and “What is Doggy Heaven?” These books helped her understand that Lissy was no longer with us.”
When asked about Emily, the photographer, Christine expressed that she was very happy with her work!
“Emily was amazing! She was patient with us and ensured that we got every photo that we wanted. She has such a welcoming personality and it was nice that she came out to our home to do the photos. We got to do Lissy’s photoshoot in her favorite bay window. Lissy loved sunbathing in that window!”
Lissy will surely be missed by her family and our pet care team at Jackie & Joe’s Pet Care, as we cared for Lissy in her last months. She was such a sweet, little dog with a big, fun personality. She will always be remebered fondly and we will cherish the memories we have with her. We are so thankful for Emily at Em-Bracing the Moment Photography for capturing such beautiful photos of Lissy and her family.