Client Session ~ Nita & Turbo the Husky mixes in Brisbane

I first met Turbo on one of my regular visits to the Peninsula Animal Aid shelter to take photos of the dogs available for adoption. Though I didn’t get around to taking his picture that day, I remember seeing him through the bars of his run and thinking what a gorgeous looking dog he was and that surely, he’d have no trouble finding a new home.

Fast forward to a few months later – Turbo had been pulled from the shelter and was now under the care of Arctic Breed Rescue – a Siberian Husky and Alaskan Malamute Rescue organisation (now called Shamroq) specialising in rehoming these breeds. It was my job to take Turbo’s adoption photos, so I met up with him and his foster carer for his glamour shots. I remember thinking that his new owner was going to have their work cut out for them – he was a nervous ball of energy!

Andy met Turbo and after making sure he was a good fit, he welcomed him into his family! Here’s what he had to say about adopting Turbo:

“Right from day one Turbo and Nita were perfect together and I fell instantly for his big boofy charms. We took a couple of months to get to know each other before he officially became mine and haven’t looked back since. Turbo is this big boofy ball of energy and has been the perfect addition to our family.”

Andy booked a session with me for Turbo and his other pup, Nita, and we spent the afternoon strolling around the park, enjoying the late afternoon light.

Happily in his forever home with dad Andy and his sister Nita, the difference in Turbo is huge. So much happier, calmer and more responsive and even with time for cuddles nowadays, though he still has the odd “going turbo” moment – the birds in the paddock next to us were VERY interesting!

Although this is a nice safe location, bordered by forest and a winding creek, we decided it was best to keep Turbo on-lead. All the shots you see of him here have had the lead edited out.

One of Andy’s major reasons for adopting another dog was for some company for his dog Nita. She’s the result of the brief romance that occurred when a very expensive purebred working Kelpie was woo’ed by the charms of a rouge Husky that decided rabbit proof fences didn’t apply to him.

Nita is one very well travelled dog. For two of the four years she and her dad Andrew have been together, two years have been spent exploring Australia together!

When Andy returned to Brisbane after his travels, he started working full time it meant that for the first time Nita was being left at home without another person or dog to keep her company.

She’s certainly very content now, with her loving dad and live-in hunky boyfriend!

This location is one of the more rural spots and I love shooting here because you can shoot from any angle and not have to worry too much about background distractions. It’s lucky the place is well fenced though – as there are livestock in the adjoining paddock which can be very interesting to dogs who’ve never seen cows before! Though in Turbo’s case, he was all about the birds instead.

Being a well-travelled lass and having spent some time on farms, Nita had seen it all before and wasn’t phased in the slightest.

It can often be a challenge getting a shot of two dogs together, but in this case we used my tried and tested method of equal distance tethering (with the leashes edited out afterwards of course). This shot makes me realise how big and boofy Turbo’s head is – must be from the Staffy heritage!

After spending some time with Andy, it’s quite obvious how much he loves his dogs – he’d do anything for them. It’s also obvious how much they love him back! The image below made it onto the front cover of Andy’s Storybook Album.

Perhaps a little unconventional, there’s something about this shot that I love. We were walking back along the path, right at the end of the session, and as I was speaking to Nita she looked up at me. Andy’s hand on Turbo’s back is what makes this shot for me though.

I can never resist those last few moments of sunshine just before the sun dips below the horizon. Luckily Andy indulged me and we stopped for just a couple more shots, which I think captures how relaxed and tired they were after a pretty full-on afternoon!

It was really great to so closely follow the journey of a rescue dog to a happy new home!

Here’s what Andy had to say about his dog photography experience:

“I found the overall experience to be fantastic. Charlotte really took the time to get to know my dogs and understand the unique personalities which showed through in the range and quality of the photos she took. I absolutely love my big canvas prints and got some excellent presents to give to other people as well.”