sunsets are beautiful, aren’t they? partly because of the vibrant colours and ever-changing display – and partly i think because they are only with us for a short moment and then they are gone. why am i talking about sunsets?

brie the golden lab has had a sad life until recently: tied up unloved and unable to walk in a yard for several years. now she is in her sunset years, only with us for a while longer – and she has been fortunate to be rescued and fostered by Animal Rehoming, which means recovering health, fun, companionship, and love.

and she is beautiful. who can argue with a sunset?

to help Animal Rehoming with their mission, donate towards their vet bills or become a foster carer. www.animalrehoming.co.nz

…and thanks to RCR Cat Rescue and kind people sharing posts like this online, they will get good homes and have happy lives. there are 19 kittens here but she currently has 20… one kitten decided to remain invisible throughout the shoot. while i do have a certain level of skill & proficiency when it comes to pet photos, i still have the annoying limitation of needing to be able to see the animal

if you wish to donate to help Raewyn out, she gratefully accepts good quality kitten & cat food, cat litter, and financial support towards vet expenses & care.

this beautiful and friendly young cat has so much attitude and confidence… and the story of how he comes to be looking for a home is a sad one. he got into a fight and developed a small abscess on his back, which his owners neglected – and so it grew into a life-threatening condition which would cost about $400 to treat. their solution? “put him to sleep.” fortunately for Azlan, Animal Rehoming took him in and paid for his treatment – so now he needs a new home. more photos to come, here’s just one for now…

come on, people – when are we going to finally accept that pets are not disposable? this poor cat is one of the lucky minority who gets a second chance… he’s only two years old; so many others aren’t so fortunate

yes – it’s that time again! on this shoot i photographed five identical black long-haired baby kittens; one tabby kitten; one tabby & white kitten; and one grey kitten who had been rehomed previously, but due to an unrelated family situation had to be returned.

here’s my favourite shots (more on my facebook page)

couple of months back, i met up for an evening at the beach with the sweetest wee girl and her dog, oh – and their mum and dad too! max & marie love the beach, and marie wanted to create lasting keepsakes from their regular family walks. i love her reasoning: no need to wait, just do it right now, because life is always changing and these simple everyday memories will become more precious than you can imagine

i have a lot of faves – so, enough chat, here’s the pics

family walk

gorgeous duke looks so vicious in the second photo – but in fact he was just trying to spit all the sand out of his mouth & nose!

sweet baby jodie

jodie is doing her starfish impression

two-stage sand experiment

a dog and his girl

jodie’s first sand-castle

beautiful duke

paddling!

extreme paddling

i love this one

just a quick post to share some photos of beautiful cats & kittens who are looking for their forever homes this week at RCR Cat Rescue. please share this post around so they can find loving homes as quickly as possible

if you can’t offer a home but wish to help, donations of money, kitten food & cat litter are always most gratefully accepted.

two sneak peeks in one evening – what is going on? lol… but i had to share one from a recent beach family shoot. this handsome young dog was so patient, and so funny! he loved it when it was time to go off-leash and get wet & dirty… but this photo was taken a little bit earlier, when he was still presentable (look at those eyes!)

who says that a lemon tree has to be big to sit under it? and who says that lemons don’t make a tasty summer snack? i like to challenge assumptions such as these – and this lucky family was the recipient!

here’s the sneak peek for those who don’t remember – and in that post, i promised another lemon-related photo, which is coming up at the end of this entry. this family (who are my good friends, even after what i asked them to do!) were great sports and it was a lot of fun working with them at their home.

some faves…

the sister on the right is a recent cancer survivor – praise god!

proud grandma

everyone “being cool”

everyone

just the boys!

with two beloved dogs (featured here previously)

as promised: my other lemons idea!

the family “enjoying” their lemons (actually, grandma WAS!)

the boys: mischief personified

another back-dated blog post lol… slowly catching up! in october i visited the sullivans at their gorgeous home near the beach, and met their two dogs as well (earlier blog post here)

here’s some more of my faves from the shoot…

omigosh, these babies “will make you ded of cute!!!” (LOLcats reference)

on tuesday evening i dropped by the headquarters of RCR Cat Rescue to photograph 18 (yes, EIGHTEEN) kittens for re-homing. 16 of these are young babies, and two are older kittens.

first – photos! here’s the whole set…

a few outtakes from the general ruckus which went on in the background during the shoot that are too cute not to share…

and last of all i want to share this absolutely darling cat’s story. she was abused before being rescued, and as a result has lost an eye which of course reduces her chances of being chosen for adoption. but she is literally the most friendly and over-the-top-playful kitten i have ever met (and i’ve met a few!) she LOVES to rub her head against your hand, and absolutely refused to stand still or sit down the whole time i was there, which made it tough for me to photograph her. but i was determined not to leave until i had some pictures which would help her find her “forever home”. so here’s a couple more of her…

if you can give a loving permanent home to any of these beautiful affectionate creatures please email Raewyn or Vanessa here: RCR Cat Rescue (Auckland NZ) or mobile 021 834 023. if not but you still want to help: donations of kitten food, litter, or money are gratefully accepted.