Two Dogs. Two Cats. Three Kids. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

You love the idea of having a beautiful portrait with your pet. There’s just one problem.

Your pet.

Maybe your dog loses his ever-loving mind when he meets someone new. Your cat considers “come here” more of a philosophical suggestion than an actual request. Maybe your dog is nervous in unfamiliar places, your two pets refuse to acknowledge one another’s existence or you’ve already pictured yourself apologizing profusely while someone pees on our floor.

We have good news. Your pet does not have to be good at this.

They don’t need to sit perfectly. They don’t need to look at the camera on command. They don’t even need to understand why you have brought them to a portrait studio on a perfectly ordinary Tuesday when they could be home napping.

They just need to be themselves.

Cindy Had Every Reason to Worry

When Cindy decided it was time for a family portrait, she wasn’t exactly bringing us an easy little group.

She brought two dogs and two cats. At the same time. Along with TWO teenagers, a 21-year-old AND a husband.

We’ll give you a moment to appreciate the level of optimism involved here. 😂

Cindy admits she worried about pretty much everything. Would the teenagers cooperate? Would everyone’s clothes come together? How would the animals react to a place they’d never been before? And, perhaps most importantly, would the pets just “run amok”?

Perfectly reasonable questions.

Getting everyone into the car was an accomplishment in itself. The cats had to go into carriers. The dogs had to come along. The humans needed clothes. And somehow, all nine living creatures needed to arrive at the same place. But they did.

Then Something Surprising Happened

The cats explored. The dogs wandered around. Everyone had a chance to settle in.

Nobody expected four animals to walk through the door, line themselves up and wait politely for further instructions. We let them figure out this new place and gave them room to be animals.

And once everyone settled in? According to Cindy, they came together almost on cue.

“Once we stepped in, everybody was at ease. Animals included.”

She could tell we’d done this a time or two before. And the whole thing took far less time than she’d imagined.

“Yeah, But You Haven’t Met MY Pet.”

We hear you. There are excitable dogs. Suspicious cats. Nervous pets. Senior pets. Animals who adore everyone they meet and animals who would strongly prefer that everyone they meet go away.

There are dogs who know every command you’ve ever taught them until another dog walks into the room. There are cats. Enough said.

We don’t need your pet to suddenly develop a working knowledge of portraiture. They can explore. They can sniff. They can take a minute.

We pay attention to what they’re telling us and work with the animal in front of us. And if someone has an accident? Well…one of Cindy’s did. We cleaned it up and moved on.

That’s it. No drama. No embarrassment. No need to write us an apology letter on behalf of your dog. Cindy probably summed it up better than we ever could:

“If they can get their pets to the car, that’ll be the hardest thing that they do.”

So if the thought running through your head is, This sounds wonderful, but my pet would never cooperate, you are exactly who we hope reads this.

They don’t have to cooperate perfectly. That’s our part to figure out.

Because Perfect Behavior Was Never Really the Point

After all the worrying about carriers, clothes, teenagers, cats, dogs and potential chaos, none of those things were what mattered to Cindy afterward.

Ellie was.

Ellie is Cindy’s 13-year-old dog. When Cindy talks about the portrait they created together, she doesn’t talk about whether Ellie sat perfectly or looked in exactly the right direction. She talks about Ellie.

“I’m going to treasure the picture of me and Ellie. She’s 13 now, so I’m going to treasure that forever.”

And then Cindy told us something that says far more about why these portraits matter.

“We always joke, like, Ellie’s the one that’s going to greet me in heaven. Because we’re close, we’re tight. She’s my guard dog, and I’m going to treasure that forever.”

That’s the relationship. That’s what matters. All the worry about whether Ellie would cooperate was temporary. What Cindy has now isn’t.

Don’t Let Their Quirks Be the Reason You Wait

You know your animal better than anyone. You know they’re wild or timid.

Stubborn. Excitable. Suspicious. Elderly. Clingy. Independent. Goofy. Dramatic.

Maybe they bark at inappropriate times. Maybe they hide. Maybe they get the zoomies at precisely the wrong moment. Those things don’t disqualify them. In fact, some of those quirks are probably part of the reason you love them so much.

Cindy’s children created portraits with their animals, too. These are their first pets. As Cindy told us:

“I think there’s always a special place in your heart for your first pets.”

There is.

There are animals who become part of a particular chapter of our lives. The dog who grew up with your children. The cat who slept beside you through a difficult year. The one who waits at the door. The one who follows you everywhere. The one whose ridiculous habits have become part of the rhythm of your home.

You don’t need them to be perfectly behaved to celebrate what they mean to you.

That’s What Tender Tails Is About

Tender Tails was created to celebrate the relationships we share with our pets while supporting the animals still waiting to find their people through Great Plains SPCA.

It’s not a contest to see whose dog can sit the longest. It’s not about having a perfectly trained animal. And it certainly isn’t reserved for pets who will gaze serenely into a camera on command.

It’s about your animal.

The one whose personality you could describe for twenty minutes without taking a breath. The one who knows the sound of your car. The one who sleeps in the exact same spot every night. The one who somehow knows when you need them beside you.

The one you love exactly as they are.

Tender Tails gives you the opportunity to celebrate that relationship, create something meaningful with your pet and help other animals along the way.

So, have a pet you’re already thinking, “Yeah, but you haven’t met mine”? Perfect. We’d love to.

Bring us the wild one. The timid one. The stubborn one. The goofy one. Bring us the one you love.

We’ll take it from there.

Kaela 🐾

P.S. Ready to tell us about the pet you love? Go here and fill out the form, we can’t wait to hear about them!

Strauss Peyton Portrait Studio is a portrait studio in Overland Park, Kansas, specializing in guided portrait experiences that help people celebrate the love and connection they share with their families, significant others and pets.