Although Marcelo clearly adores and aspires to be like Boogie the Pug, he is, in fact, a Chihuahua. 

Candy Pilar Godoy writes about pet travel over at boogiethepug.com. She’s also the founder of Dog Candy, a whimsical dog brand inspired by her two pups. She lives between NYC and Rio de Janeiro with her dogs Boogie and Marcelo, and her cat Kitty.  Candy shares some amazing resources on her website including tips for flying with your pets as well as pet-friendly hotels.

From Candy:  “Close to 10 years ago, I found myself pet-less and traveling around the world. But traveling didn’t stop me from being around animals. In the Republic of Congo, I worked with chimpanzees and I met pandas in Chengdu, China. Additionally, I volunteered at a dog shelter in Thailand and visited a cheetah sanctuary in South Africa.

I love so much about travel and I love the thrill of the unknown. I love new immersive experiences, new smells, new eye-candy to indulge. So much of travel is a treat for the senses, new sensations to explore and unfold. It is about forcing oneself out of the comfort of the mundane.

Having pets is in many ways the exact opposite. It’s the same pleasure but comprised of love, warmth, and structure. Pets have routines; they go out every day for exercise and to do their business, and they expect food twice a day (and if you have a pug, they know mealtimes down to the minute). Taking pets along while traveling is like bringing a piece of home with you.
My dogs welcome new experiences, as long as they’re with their humans. They’re not nervous or easily frightened, which makes them great travel companions. And there’s no one I’d want by my side more. Animals and travel have always been two of the main passions in my life, with my interest in both starting at a young age. My family adopted our first dog when I was only four years old; I was on my first airplane before I could walk.

Today, I share my life with two dogs and a cat. Boogie is a seven-year-old pug. He was adopted from Badass Brooklyn Animal Rescue in, you guessed it, Brooklyn, NY. His former owner abandoned Boogie at a young age with an ear infection.

Marcelo is a puppy mill rescue from Missouri. He’s a four pound, nearly toothless chihuahua with a long tongue and a love for humping.

Kitty, the cat, was rescued from the streets of Rio de Janeiro.

I travel with my pets because they make life better. Boogie, Marcelo, and Kitty are my perpetually excited travel buddies that are always in a good mood. They get to take in new smells and meet new friends and still get the same outside time and two meals a day. It is possible to do it all – to have pets and travel – and it makes everything better.”

You can see more of Boogie, Marcelo and their cat, Kitty,  by following Boogie the Pug on Instagram.

If you need a travel companion, check your local shelter, Petfinder, or our list of rescue organizations!

Follow Pets by Petra on Instagram.

About Pets By Petra:  Located in Brooklyn, New York,  Petra Romano offers lifestyle and studio photo sessions for pets and their humans.  

The post Spotlight: Boogie the Pug (and Marcelo the Chihuahua) appeared first on Daily Dog Tag.

From Angela:  “The old saying goes “diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” Until it comes to dogs.

 A Girl and Her Dog has been my labor of love for the past year, creating images that convey the bond many of us women share with our dogs.

When my sweet boy Shep left this world in 2014 at the age of 12, I was devastated. He was my best friend, my soulmate, my co-pilot.

Thanks to our hikes in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta where we lived then, I found a camera back in my hands after an extended hiatus. I am blessed to have hundreds of amazing images of our journeys around Western Canada and the PNW.

Shep taught me so much about love, patience and living in the moment. He prepared my heart to grow 100 times bigger than I ever thought it could, allowing me to give my all to Bella, my now five-year-old Maremma sheepdog.

I am A Girl and Her Dog and I’ve finally found my calling. I carry Shep’s spirit with me whenever I pick up my camera to create lifelong memories for people who have found that same connection with their dogs.

He led me here.”

Unfortunately, some of these dogs have crossed the rainbow bridge, but I know these photos will be treasured forever.

Find a pet-friendly photographer near you.

Follow  Noses And Toes Photography on Instagram.

About Noses And Toes Photography:  Based in Spokane Valley, Washington, Angela specializes in dog photography.

The post Spotlight: A Girl And Her Dog appeared first on Daily Dog Tag.

From Bryn:  “Bean and Yoda are two Boston Terriers, but that’s where their similarities end.  Bean (her real name is Quincy, but we stopped calling her that almost immediately in favor of Bean).  She is brown, after all!  Bean’s nine-year anniversary for joining our lives was November 14th.  She was a four-pound bundle when we picked her up.  We stayed home that Thanksgiving to watch her, and both my husband and I slept on the floor to be near her the night she came home.  She was afraid of the wind and leaves.  She would sit on our feet when we went outside and hid behind us if a breeze made its way to her.

As Bean grew up, she found her spunk.  She also learned how to work the camera pretty darn amazingly.  My daily posts of her on Instagram led to some pretty wild adventures.  Let’s see, because of Bean and her photos, we have traveled across the country, been invited to a dog wedding and a dog fashion show in a non-satirical way, and have raised thousands of dollars for animal rescue.  Oh, did I mention that her photo was once on display at the Louvre?  Yep, THAT Louvre!

We decided that our home had too many breakables that hadn’t been destroyed yet, and elected to seek a second dog to join our home.  At first, we tried to adopt a dog through rescue organizations.  On multiple occasions, we went through the final stages of the adoption process, including interviews, home inspections, people vouching for us, etc.  At the last step, we were told that the dog we had wanted had been adopted out to another family.  Frustrated, we thought it was a sign from the cosmos.  A couple weeks later, a post from Bean’s breeder indicating that she had a male stud who needed a forever home, we jumped at the opportunity.

Yoda has managed to break every single one of our blinds.  He has also peed on all the things, eaten some of my favorite books, and I’m pretty sure he stores farts for when he’s nice and close to our faces.  He’s brash and bumbling, silly and slobbery.  Yoda is the Ying to Bean’s Yang.  He quickly learned the ways of sitting in front of a camera, and I’m pretty sure he likes his new life of stardom.  He has been on TV more than once!  Oh, and he’s a pretty sweet drinking buddy and loves to hang at dog-friendly breweries with us!

To date, we have been able to donate over $10,000 worth of supplies, food, treats and money to local animal rescue organizations due to the generosity of the brands we have worked with, affiliate money earned, and prizes won.”

If you need a little more Bean in your life, (and really who doesn’t?), fear not!  You can now purchase Bean merchandise from Inkopious.   (Using that link will help Bean and Bryn earn a small commission.) Use the code DOGWALKSINTOBAR for a 10% discount. 

Be sure to check out  A Dog Walks Into A Bar for great information about taking your dog to a dog-friendly brewery, traveling with your dog, and even how to cut a dog’s nails.  Yoda and Bryn were recently featured on TV giving tips for winterizing your dog.  It is also a great place to learn about products for pets and win fantastic prizes.

Bryn’s photos were featured on Martha Stewart, BarkPost, and Cuteness Overload.  She also won the 2018 BlogPaws Nose to Nose Award for best photo. Additionally, A Dog Walks Into A Bar was a finalist in several different categories over the years.

Follow A Dog Walks Into A Bar on Instagram.

The post Spotlight: A Dog Walks Into A Bar appeared first on Daily Dog Tag.

Although there are lots of ways to include pets in weddings,  these wedding illustrations by Megan Hamilton are new to me.  In today’s digital world, it is always exciting to see something created by hand like Megan’s portraits.  

From Megan:  “I create my illustrations in my home studio in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Every illustration is hand-drawn using pen and ink, watercolor, and colored pencil techniques from photos provided by my clients.

Each illustration is unique to the client and often includes something special, like a pet, or items of sentimental value. My illustrations are purchased by newlyweds or brides-to-be, family, wedding guests, bridal parties for showers and wedding anniversaries.

Each custom portrait is more than just art for the wall. Illustrations have been used on thank you cards, photo guestbooks, memory boxes, and hung in dressing closets worldwide.”

While it seems like more wedding venues are pet-friendly, not every pet should attend a wedding.   Megan’s illustrations can even include a pet who has crossed the rainbow bridge.

Follow Megan Hamilton Weddings on Instagram.

Megan also creates illustrations of Christening gowns, flower girl dresses, etc.  Check out her Etsy shop that carries a mix of vintage and handmade bridal accessories in addition to portraits.

The post Spotlight : Megan Hamilton Wedding Illustrations appeared first on Daily Dog Tag.

From Steffi:  “Before I got into wedding photography I was a successful fine artist. But over the years, I became allergic to oil paints and stopped painting and started to do digital artwork.  I thought it would be lovely for people to have something other than just a photograph of their fur babies.

It makes me happy to create a memory for people of their babies.   

Dogs are my love, my husband and I have four rescue dogs.  It brings us such joy to give them another chance and see them turn around to be loving and happy.”

Follow For The Love Of Art | Steffie Smith on Facebook. If you’d like to learn more about the pricing of a portrait by Steffi, please visit her website.

About Steffi Smith:  Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Steffi turns photos of wedding bouquets, floral arrangements, and pets into digital portraits.

The post Spotlight: Steffi Smith | For The Love Of Art appeared first on Daily Dog Tag.