Helping to raise money for local animal shelters

Last year was my first year of teaming up and doing holiday mini sessions at Ritzy Rover, a dog grooming boutique in Highlands Ranch. We had such a great turn out – having two days full of photographing pups of all sizes – that we decided to offer them again this year. To start, we put one day in November on the calendar to see if we had as much interest as last year and sure enough we had a full day! So we added a second date which filled up quickly as well.

This year I also wanted to give back to the community with the sessions, where I would donate 10% of the session fee + a percentage of each additional order to a worthwhile charity. Knowing that a lot of the dogs that came to the mini sessions last year were actually rescue dogs, I chose to find an organization that was tied to rescues. Enter Racing for Paws.

Racing for Paws is a local organization that was founded by Jamie Klenin and Debi Haning, both Lone Tree residents and dog lovers. Their overall goal is to facilitate, organize and plan fundraisers for animal rescues and shelters. Their mission is to be a foundational resource for all animal shelters, rescues and rescued animals throughout all of Colorado. I thought this was a very worthwhile cause to donate to, knowing that the money would be appreciated and put to good use.

Over the course of the two days I photographed over 30 super cute pups – some small, some large, some by themselves and some with their humans. I was so happy to see a few repeat customers but also happy to meet lots of new wonderful dog owners in the area.

I am really excited to report that we were able to raise $85 for Racing for Paws which will go towards buying toys for Christmas to animals in rescues and shelters that have been through a lot and just need a little happiness.

Thank you to everyone who came out for one of the mini sessions! If you’d like more information on puppy mini sessions in the future, please sign up for my newsletter or follow me on Facebook.

For those of you who were not able to participate in the mini sessions but want to help – Racing for Paws currently has a box at Petz Love in Lone Tree where you can donate a toy or two.