Rutherford County PAWS {Nashville Pet Photographer}

One part of my job I love doing on a regular basis is taking photographs of current dogs and cats available for adoption!

Rutherford County PAWS is a wonderful local pet adoption center based in Murfreesboro, TN. From one week to the next, there is rarely an animal there for too long, which means that I'm always getting the chance to meet new furry faces (and also means that the ones I already met have found forever homes!). The staff there really care about the sweet pups and cats that stay there until they are adopted. PAWS also works closely with other rescue organizations in the area, so very often animals will go out to rescues and foster homes. 

Here are some of the sweet pets I've had a chance to photograph lately, and although they may not be available any longer for adopting, you can visit the adoption page on the PAWS website to see which ones are still available or which newcomers have arrived! 

Thank you Rutherford County PAWS for all you do for these sweet animals!

~ Mandy

This is Hazel, who's my current favorite and has been at the shelter for a little while now. She's an absolute sweetheart, and I loved her photo session. Hazel is an 8 year old labrador/retriever mix, and she may be getting passed over because of her age, but she's a happy dog that won't chew up your house!

This is Lucy! She's a 6-year-old Maine Coon Mix and is very regal.

Meet Meika, a 1-year-old spayed American Bulldog Mix. Her previous owner surrendered her as they didn't have enough time for her but didn't want to neglect her, so we hope she finds a better home soon! 

And lastly, here's a success story! These last two images are Great Pyreneese mixes that were SO scared the day I was there, the gal who works with them had to carry them outside to do photos (and they are not small). They were surrendered by their owners and had been outside dogs, and the shelter just wasn't comfortable for them. I was concerned about them and later asked her what happened and found out they were adopted together by a sweet family with older kids and a German Shepard puppy. Apparently, when they saw the kids and the puppy they just came alive, and it was a perfect match!

Adopting a Pet? Capture the Moment on Camera!

Mandy Whitley Photography is Nashville's premiere pet photographer. Mandy Whitley creates fun and playful photographs with pets and their people. She photographs portrait sessions, family sessions, couple portraits, and weddings - as well as just pets! To inquire about booking a photo session, contact Mandy!

My Second Home Pet Resort {Nashville Pet Photographer}

This week I'm featuring an amazing local company, My Second Home Pet Resort! This is one of the premier pet boarding facility based in Franklin, TN, and is the top go-to for many pet owners in the Nashville area to take their furry family members for boarding, grooming and daycare.

They have been established in the community for over 14 years and work very closely with several animal rescue organizations every year by raising donations, sponsoring charity events and fostering cats and dogs looking for forever homes. They are always looking for new ways to offer great services to the community and their pets! I've done a few mini session events for charities there in the past year.

The resort facility is fantastic, with several types of boarding rooms for dogs, an outdoor play area, a cat boarding room, grooming, day care and dog training! And as of August 1, they will also offer in-home pet care services to the local area with walks and home visits Monday - Friday!

One of the best features about My Second Home is that there is no breed discrimination at the facility. They welcome everyone and can build a custom package for any pet -- even dogs that don't like being around other dogs. 

Also, every employee is a pet parent. The manager said, "If we simply employed people who “love animals”, everyone would qualify. Instead, we look for individuals who not only love animals, but practice compassion and take pride in their quality of work. We have over 20 staff members that have been with MSH for years, and some have made a career out of helping My Second Home continue to succeed in the community." I love this company philosophy and can see first-hand how it makes a difference in the quality of service they provide.

I highly recommend visiting the facility with your own furry family members, and if you mention Mandy Whitley Photography sent you, there's a discount waiting for you!

~ Mandy

Contact a Pet Photographer in Tennessee

Mandy Whitley Photography is Nashville's premiere pet photographer. Mandy Whitley creates fun and playful photographs with pets and their people. She photographs portrait sessions, family sessions, couple portraits, and weddings - as well as just pets! To inquire about booking a photo session, contact Mandy!

Fostering Cats & Kittens {Nashville Cat Photographer}

Over the years, we've fostered dozens of puppies, dogs, kittens and cats -- and I believe it's one of the best ways we can help animals find forever homes! Fostering is such a needed service and it provides so much for the animals (and us!), including a warm and inviting home, food, and tons of love. 

That's why I wanted to highlight some information on fostering cats and kittens today on the blog, especially since it's kitten season here in Nashville! Read on for more information (and adorable kittens!)

Although it may seem like a big undertaking, fostering pets is really easy. Some people choose to integrate the kittens right into their entire home, but since we have three dogs and a grown cat, we choose to keep them separate from our animals. 

Here's how we do it!

My husband and I both work from home, so we set up a large dog crate in my office complete with a litter box, food, water and a small box for them to chill out in until they get used to being here (kittens love to hide).

Then, while I'm working during the day, we let them run around and play in my office. We don't like to leave them unsupervised because kittens are notorious for chewing cords so when I leave the office for the day they go back in the crate. They have just as much room in that big crate as they would in a cage at the shelter, and tons of extra play time. 

And we, in return, get adorable kitten snuggles and laughs from all their antics - what is better than that!?

When you foster through an animal shelter, you will normally only have them until they weigh enough to be adopted. If you foster with a group, you might have them until they are adopted by a family, so that time frame is sometimes much longer. This is certainly something to consider when deciding who to foster with.

As a foster pet parent, you are also responsible for transportation to the vet or shelter for their medical appointments. The group you foster with will normally provide everything else: food, litter and medications if they need them. And of course if you are willing to provide some or all of these supplies yourself, it's a huge help for the shelters! 

There are several groups in the Nashville area who need foster families for cats and kittens. If you aren't local to Nashville, just reach out to your local animal shelter and they can point you in the right direction!

Here are several shelters and organizations in the Nashville area you may be able to foster cats and kittens through:

Metro Animal Care & Control 

Williamson County Animal Center 
(this is who we currently foster with)

Nashville Cat Rescue 

Rural Animal Rescue Effort 

... and that's just scratching the service! :) 

All of the images in this post are of kittens we've fostered along the way. If you have questions about what it's like to foster these adorable kittens, comment below! I promise it's an amazing experience -- we're hooked!

And if you are looking to adopt a cat, you might be interested to read our previous post about the Mewsic Kitty Cafe in Nashville!

~ Mandy