A lot of really cool things have been happening recently to fabulous pet business gals I know, including myself.
You can call them opportunities, but I like to call them ‘cool things’.
I never really felt like a quick “hey that’s great- congrats!” email sufficed when I got the news, so I wanted to pay tribute to these cool things and officially congratulate the folks who are the recipients, here in this post.
Linda O’Neill, owner of Abby Creek Studios finally (I bugged her for months on this) brought home a new baby girl last month, a darling puppy that is. The pup’s name is Maisie, and you will find lots of photos of her on Linda’s blog. Maisie is beyond adorable and Linda is taking some really terrific shots of her in and near their home in Colorado. Yay Linda! Yay Maisie!
Nichole Smith, owner of Dane & Dane photography, just nailed a terrific gig with the W Hotel in Seattle to provide photography to their guests, in the form of a ‘Whose Pet is Picture Perfect’ featured hotel package through February 28th, 2008. Super cool Nichole! I look forward to seeing her shots of the guests pups.
Donna Angevine, owner of the fabulous Primp Doggy couture landed an opportunity so cool that I can’t share any details on it here for another month (or two?) yet. I am beyond excited for Donna, and also excited that this opportunity may have a fringe benefit for yours-truly, and that I get to help Donna (in a little, small way) on her project. And Fergie gets to help too! I truly can’t think of a more deserving person (Donna, not Fergie. Although Fergie is a deserving person too. Nevermind).
As if this super secretive opportunity wasn’t enough, Donna is having a live fashion show on KING-5 (major Seattle news channel) the morning of Wednesday December 19th (sometime between 8:30-9am?). And Fergie gets to be in that too! Yay Donna! Yay Fergie! Yay us! Be sure to tune in next week! Check the KING-5 website for details and showtimes.
Jill Beninato, owner of Sit. Stay. Smile. Photography and fellow dog artist, had a terrific write up today on the popular Dog Art Today blog. What I think is even cooler is this informative and interesting newspaper article on Jill that was published in the Virginia Beach paper Hampton Roads. I love this article.Way to go Jill!
Kathy Weller, owner of the awesome Kathy Weller Pet Portraiture, recently had this seriously rockin interview on Design Inspiration, a cool blog for designers and illustrators. Kathy’s interview is proof that she is one of the most talented people I know. I stand in awe of you Kathy. 
Brandie Ahlgren, illustrious editor and founder of CityDog Magazine, a terrific Seattle and West Coast lifestyle magazine for humans and their dogs, is going to be on KOMO News-4′s Northwest Afternoon later this week to talk about dog friendly holiday entertaining, stocking stuffers and gift ideas. The show tapes tomorrow, December 12th and will air a few days later. Check KOMO’s website or the CityDog Blog for actual date and time. Looking forward to seeing it and getting ideas on what to get Fergie!
Lori Fields, owner of the Fields Group, and Pet Lounge, (where you can find my art and photography available for mobile downloads by the way), just gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Dylan. Here’s to your first good night sleep with the little one Lori!
Andrea Murphy, friend, owner of the new That’s the Spot massage therapy for dogs, and proud owner of Gypsy, the namesake for my business, recently started working with Spawzdog, a doggie daycare, fitness center and aquatic exercise center, offering swim therapy and massage to the clients dogs. Congrats Andrea on this great new opportunity!
Jamie Pflughoeft (that’s me for those who are new), owner of Cowbelly Pet Photography and creator of Decopaw Design art, was recently featured in a stellar Merryvaluation on Pamperedpuppy, one of my favorite websites for all things dog. I love Angie McKaig, I love Merry the pug, and I only hope that one day I can be in Toronto to meet them in person. Be sure to check out Angie’s photos of Merry on her blog; she recently got a new camera and her photography is getting really, (really) good.
Then there’s the aforementioned possible (maybe, hopefully) fringe-benefit opportunity through Primp Doggy. I don’t know that I’d call it an opportunity, it’s just a very cool thing that a dear friend is doing by including me in her opportunity in a very cool way. I will post more on it in the future to update y’all.
Also, I just got word from the aforementioned Lori Fields (petlounge.com) last week that she will be receiving her first royalty check from her mobile content distributors at the end of the quarter. What this means is that I will be getting MY first royalty check from her in the first quarter of the year for downloads of my art and photography images from 2007. Yippee! I was beyond thrilled to learn that out of the top 5 most downloaded images, mine were 4 of the 5! This project has been a long time coming but it may finally start paying off for both of us. I’m so grateful to Lori for all of the hard work she has done on this project and am excited to see what 2008 holds in store.
Lastly, last week Fergie and I did a photo shoot here in our home for a really cool article that will be coming out in the winter issue of CityDog Magazine. I didn’t do the photography- my very talented friend Nichole of the aforementioned Dane & Dane did as she does a lot of editorial photography for the magazine, and I tell ya, work never felt so much like fun, lol. I’m super excited (and admittedly a little nervous- I feel I do best behind the camera) to see the article when it comes out in January. For those living in Washington, Oregon and Northern California, look for it on newsstands! (Or better yet: subscribe). Also look for my new Decopaw ad in the same issue. It’s super purty and has a really unique blue frame around it. You won’t see it anywhere else.
But I have to say that, even given all of these cool opportunities (I can only speak for myself here but I am venturing to guess that my friends above agree), it’s the opportunity to work with my client’s dogs (and cats) every day that is the most satisfying of all. In the past 2 weeks I have photographed a handful of dogs who have just
a very short time left on this earth, and the experiences working with them are rewarding on a level that no press or recognition ever will be.
If it weren’t for the many loving dog and cat owners in the Seattle area and beyond who commissioned me for photography and art I wouldn’t be where I am today or be in the position of having these cool things fall into my life.
I deeply thank all of my clients and friends who have supported me over the past 4+ years and have helped make my little business possible. And thank you to you my many blog followers!
Here’s to an equally fabulous 2008!
LOVE YOU ALL!