Pet photos make great christmas cards
Surprise, surprise – all of a sudden, Christmas is just around the corner. Don’t you think it’s about time to take a photo for your 2010 christmas card??
Exactly this is what Critter Cavalry Rescue – a non for profit rescue organization – was thinking this week. I volunteered to take some fun puppy photos of one of their rescue puppies for their Christmas cards. The cards will be printed and in addition a digital version will be send out via email to all their fosters, volunteers and adopters. What a nice way to say “thank you” for all the fantastic work that these people have done this year.
For the first photo, we wrapped puppy Elvis in a bright red blanket to add some christmas color. Look at this cute face! So adorable!
For some reason, the puppy really likes to sit in his red box. Here he is dreaming away – what a great shot!
The box is his hide away and look out.
When puppy Elvis got tired we rested him on a stack of red and white blankets.
5 minutes later, he was sound asleep and dreaming away – hiding under his Santa hat.
And this is it: the Critter Cavalry Rescue Christmas card 2010:
You have no photo for YOUR christmas card yet? Contact me and together we will create a great, fun, cute or funny christmas card picture – just in time to send it out to friends and family. And the best part: we will have a lot fun doing it. You can chose between “picture only” package and a package which includes the design and printing of the cards. You get to pick between a flat or folded card and can choose the finish and the size. The high quality cards come in sets of 25 including envelopes. I also offer special prices and packages for over 100 cards.
Photography and More 
I love the pictures and this little puppy. I want to know more about this little guy. He is so adorable!
Hi JoAnn,
I tried calling you today. Elvis is our current foster dog and he is looking for a home.
He is a mix of shepherd, labrador and who knows what else – but I guess what matters is that he is darn cute!! I love his little ears and the big dark eyes – way to sweet!
Elvis is 10 weeks old. He is neutered and UTD with his shots. He is micro chipped and has been checked out by our vet.
Call me if you want to know more or if you would like to come and meet him :)
Best, Steffi
Very cute photos!! I want that dog for Christmas! :-)
http://www.runtobefitwordpress.com
That picture of the pup on top of the blankets is so cute… makes me want to adopt one (a dog, not a blanket)!!
If you are ever considering it – contact me! We safe puppies like this one all the time and are working hard on finding them goof forever homes :)
Awesome! I don’t even like dogs (I know, I know…but I blame it on an allergy, k? K…) and these photos made me want one!
Happy holidays… :)
Happy Holidays to you, too! Glads my pics made you like dogs a little bit more…
Geez, I wish I had an adorable little dog to dress up – that is A-dorable. Great photos and what a fun idea for the holidays.
Congrats on being pressed!!
Teri
http://yourlifesentence.wordpress.com/
Elvis is adorable! I love the final picture you chose! Awww, just sooo sweet!!!!!
the pup is so cute. I love his pictures
Cute pics! Job well done! :-)
Thank you!! All this positive feedback makes me very very happy and encourages me to keep going :)
These pictures are really sweet, and I think creative Christmas cards like this are a great idea! The picture of the puppy in the box, looking off to the side, is really ridiculously cute! I hope Elvis gets a home in time for Christmas!
Thank you Garrett – I agree!! That is one of my favorite pics, too… He looks so innocent there *wink*. Let’s hope he finds a loving home soon!
Aw, how cute! I love my animals, but when I receive a Christmas card, I want to see people’s faces. Just add the pet as well!
Oh, I do people photography, too. Or people with their pets. Just have not gotten around to posting any of those pictures yet – this website is just 3 days young…. but I’ll get there :)
if i had more money i’d A. buy that dog for whatever price you wanted and B. use your photo skills…unfortunately…ah the life of a grad student.
http://dearexgirlfriend.com/
Congrats on the feature – Elvis is a doll! :)
wow what a photogenic little pup! great photos
Thank you Leona. Yes, he is a doll – and I agree – he is very photogenic – the challenge is to get him to sit still *wink* – he’s a bundle of energy! lol
These pictures are AMAZING! Plus, you got a puppy to sit still long enough to take these wonderful photos…how on EARTH did you achieve that? I am definitely going to attempt this with my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel when I get home!
Congrats on being FP!
Thank you.
Well, I played with the puppy for a good while before taking the pictures – so he was really ready for a nap. But I’m not going to lie – it wasn’t easy and took a few shots to get a real good one…
Good luck with trying it out!
Gorgeous. I may have to dress up our little dog for the Holiday card this year after seeing this.haha
All though I’m sure might won’t be as good of a model.
http://lifebehindthemakeupcounter.wordpress.com/
With patience almost all dogs make good models :) You just need to capture their real character – then you get their inner beauty and karma on the picture :)
SO CUTE! Love the puppy!
I wish I could do this with my dog, but I don’t think she will sit still for me.
Hunter71
http://www.hcrproducts.com
Go play with her first or take her for a run – that helps!
gosh… such a poser!! :) nice…
I’m not much of a fan of Christmas Cards…But I love love love a puppy photo!
Crystal
http://www.crystalspins.com
OMG! This idea is absolutely FABULOUS! I hope my little Mini Schnauzer will sit still long enough. lol
The average American dog has a bigger carbon (and protein) footprint that a lot of Sub-Saharan Africans. If someone sent me a Christmas card with a pet picture I would be deeply insulted.
Jim, thanks for your comment. And I agree with you – the issue of environmental sustainability and energy saving is a big topic – especially in the US – and should be addressed. I just don’t see the dogs as the problem – it’s the people. If the average American human could lower their carbon footprint than no one would have to worry about the dogs – don’t you agree? So I feel that the roots of this problem have to be addressed and so let’s not blame it on the dogs. You might not enjoy a christmas card like this – but a lot of other people do and it makes them happy. That has to count for something, right!? I respect your opinion but can only share it to some degree.
Stefanie–You are absolutely right that no one thing is the cause of the problem and that means there is no one solution. And spreading a little joy in the world is always good too!
I admire your thoughtful response to my admittedly snarky comment.
You are very welcome. And I am certainly glad to hear that there are people out there that care enough to make a “snarky” comment :) Have a nice day!
I’m in love with this puppy! He’s adorable.
He’s up for adoption! Interested?
Puppy Elvis is such a handsome little fellow! You’ve taken some wonderful shots of him :D
Thank you ;)
He looks my Anna dog in the face. So cute. How in the world did you get him to sit still for so many pictures??? I love,love,love the red and white blankets one. Excellent job, I hope they get lots of adoptions out of these cards. I have three dogs. One is a rescue, part greyhound. My mom does rescue and fostering for Bloodhounds.
It is a great thing you are doing! Merry Christmas!
P.S. Going to get my fella fur friends Santa hats now!
Merry Christmas to you, too – and thank you for your kind words! Let’s hope Elvis finds a loving home soon!
I’m not surprised they chose the “sleeping puppy” picture for the card – that was my favorite, too. :-)
-Jen
http://littlecreekvet.wordpress.com
http://sasfiction.wordpress.com
My co-worker and I agree, Elvis is absolutely darling. I just wish I lived close by so I could adopt him!
I LOVE IT! That’s a great idea!
Hy! Well done! I love animals…and Elvis is so beautiful!
Please, give a big big kiss to him for me and I hope he can find a sweet sweet home for Christmas!
Elis
Stefanie,
I love your adorable photographs. We have two black standard poodles at my studio who love to keep me company during the work day, and often pose as subjects in between my human clients!
There is nothing quite like a canine companion to make you smile and bring some warmth to your life. I’m sure your cards will be a hit – kudos to you for your creativity, and for helping out some sweet four-footed friends who deserve a home for Christmas.
Congrats on being pressed!
-Patricia
Thanks Patricia –
I’m just getting back into photography – I studied it 10 years ago but then went into Marketing and Events for a while… It’s good to be back behind the camera and I’m overwhelmed by all this support. Wow.
All the best,
Stefanie
Oh my goodnass, absolutely adorable. I used to think our dog fell straight from heaven until our daughter came into our lives.
Congrats on being freshly pressed, I’m going to take your idea with a twist –my daughter and our doggie.
Please take this quiz to find out what fear, if any, is holding you back in life:
http://bigbangbang.wordpress.com/2010/11/16/whats-stopping-you/
Much love,
Shan
This puppy is so adorable i just wanna take it home. These are some great photos
This is darling! But while we’re talking about precious puppy pics, I can’t help but suggest you check out my post from last year called “Hats off to Hanoi and other Millinery Musings.” While we were living in Vietnam, I took the shot of my maltese Lucy wearing a tiny but traditional conical hat. I’m not a photographer or anything, but it’s a totally comical photo.
http://reinventingtheeventhorizon.wordpress.com/2010/11/11/haiti-cholera-and-other-mind-bending-events/
Yours is truly a precious post, oops, I mean pooch!
There is a Christmas card written which few take the time to read. In fact the card is forgotten even as Christmas is spoken. The pictures are words and the soul sees them clearly. What is valued in this world is an abomination to God.
All that is lovely and all that is praised
Will fall at the feet of the One who was raised.
His will will be done and there’ll be no delay.
What will we say on that horrible day?
By His Grace.
Awwww… see, now I’m beginning to think my puppy needs a puppy… Yes. That’s what I said. My dog needs a pet. (Whatever excuse I need to have that kind of cuteness to snuggle with!)
Adorable.
I’m getting Punkin, BoBo, Itty Bitty and Pookie ready for our newest Christmas card photo. Hmm, maybe we should use you as our photographer, I’m just in NYC.
Blessings,
Ava
xox
Ava,
I could come to NYC to take the pictures – or maybe we can meet in the middle. Are you in Manhattan? I am in the city somewhat frequently and am sure we could work something out.
What kind of dogs are those? Do you have an idea for a photo already? Contact me via Email and we can talk: stefaniekapra@gmail.com
VERY CUTE DOG! i think any cute animal on a card always brings a smile to the receiver!
http://enjoibeing.wordpress.com/
Your puppy is absolutely lovely! I so wish I could get my dogs to sit so nicely – the older one would probably be calm enough for a Christmas card photograph, but my puppy has yet to outgrow his crazy stage…
Great photos! Elvis deserve a good home.
Congrats on being pressed !!
Yes it’s true, they do !!
So Do Custom Portraits !!! Of your Pets or AND Family !!
Happy Holidays
Joseph Palotas
http://www.etsy.com/shop/artsinwonderland
http://artsinwonderland.wordpress.com/
Thank you! Yes, custom portraits with heart and charisma is exactly what I am hoping to do. Just getting started – but hopefully this will grow into something bigger. :)
Happy Holidays to you, too!
Adorable!!
Those photos are so cute they make me want to throw up. If I could get my little bastards to sit still for a photo, I would love to do something similar.
Great job!
Oh my goodness. This makes me miss when my dog was a puppy! He still behaves like one though–all 85 lbs of him ;)
I did a dog photo christmas card one year… it was a pain to get him to chill out (for some reason he doesn’t like getting his picture taken… even with my cell phone and even when it’s not posed!). But the card turned out great. I suspect things would go a bit more smoothly with a professional photographer though.
Thank you! Your comment put a big smile on my face. My dog also has the puppy still inside of him – maybe because I keep having all those puppies around!? Keeps us young I guess ;)
Love this post. I just think about this recently, since we got Beyonce (a Min Pin)as our new family member. Thanks for the idea. I don’t know how we’re goig to do it, since she is a very active one.
Catch her at a time just before she goes to take a nap – that’s how I did it. ;)
I love those lovely creatures! They are adorable!
after nearly one morning’s work, it is really tiring, but these pictures refresh me.
Love the photos! Hmm… I wonder if I could get my dog to wear a santa hat…
So cute! He’s so photogenic!
these pictures are great! I love pet christmas cards. Too bad they never want to sit still haha! Good luck greetings ixult
Wow. Absolutely gorgeous. Can I have him in my stocking for Christmas please Santa?!
;)
I spend time in the foothill and the Mountains around the Las Vegas area and the adventures with my dogs are and the beauty that surrounds us are a photographers heaven…Dogs, hiking, pictures–all goes together. Contentment in a minimal way.
However we should remember the old adage about every parent (….of pets or people) seeing their special ones through ‘rose colored glasses’. Is your dog named Harley reallllllyyy that cute……
so sweet :)
This pup is super cute! I love the photos where he’s popping out of the box :) Really great Holiday Greetings cards! Congrats on being freshly pressed!
Thank you!! I’m so happy people like this post :)
I love these pictures! Yes, the pup is precious but you captured him perfectly. Nice shots!!
http://chachatiff.wordpress.com
This is a great idea! It’s amazing that photographs can make such great Christmas cards, and plus the dogs look really cute in all of the pictures!
Now you’ve got me inspired. I’m going to go take a picture and turn it into a Christmas card, although I know it’s not as easy as it sounds!
These pictures are so adorable! Now I wish I had myself an adorable little doggy to dress up in Christmas stuff and take pictures of him.
I have a question to the author, I am doing a wordpress blog too but for school and I was wondering how to make your own blog header instead of using one of the default pictures already put on there.
You have to pick a theme that allows for a custom header – there are a good handful off those themes out there to pick from. Once you apply the theme, it’s going to ask you to upload a picture and it will tell you the exact measurements in pixel. You can upload a bigger picture, too, and it will then allow you to crop it to the right size. I hope this helps. If not get back to me and I’ll try to explain it better.
My <3 just melts looking at these photos. How do you manage to get the puppy to stay so attentive and look at the camera? So impressive. Happy Holidays!
THESE ARE ADORABLE!!!
What a little cutie!!!
OMG so cute … great idea
Elvis was our foster pup in TN. . .he is an absolute DOLL! The pix are great! I know he find a wonderful forever home, but I sure do miss that sweet boy in TN!!!!
He found a wonderful home in CT – not far from us – with a young super sweet couple :) YAY. I’m so happy for him but miss him terribly already!!
Who doesn’t love dogs? So cute!
Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed from all of us here at http://www.allovernews.wordpress.com consider it an honor to be Freshly Pressed.
Thank you very much and happy holidays!
awww such cute pics. Elvis loves to have his pictures taken too :)
Such a cute puppy! Hey, nice idea with the Christmas card. Will try to do one this season :) Thanks for sharing!
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Hi, it’s one of the wordpress themes but I added a custom header, background and color scheme. It’s easy to do!
Cute pics!!! Finally I can stop the hunt for the cards!!
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Cheers
Hi Jenise,
Yes, I did it all myself. It’s time consuming but pretty easy to do. Good luck with your page
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