Originally from a small town in Ohio, I moved with my husband to Seattle in 2000 and I immediately got a job with Scoop's Pet Services - one of the few (and BEST) pet services companies available at the time.  Because I'd had a very stressful "real job" in Ohio, complete with a nightmare of a boss, I especially relished the chance to spend the majority of my time in the outdoors and with animals, who have always been my best and dearest friends.  Teresa, the owner of Scoop's, took me under her wing and taught me the importance of reliability, trustworthiness and compassion in one's work, as well as showing me how a successful business operates.  She also became a close and trusted friend.

Outside of work, my hobby and passion has always been photography.  I went to the University of Cincinnati for Fine Arts with a concentration in Photography and though I didn't quite make it to my degree there, I always knew that photography would be a major part of my life.  After several of years of photographing my client's pets on the job with Scoops I realized that I could make a business out of pet photography.  It wasn't something I'd planned to do, or thought was a "serious" pursuit for an "artist", but it made sense for me considering my background in photography and my intense love for animals of every stripe.  In 2006, Raindog Pet Photography was born and I learned very quickly that pet photography is nothing to scoff at.  It is quite challenging and requires a large reserve of patience as well as a positive attitude and a well-developed sense of spontaneity, not to mention technical know-how.  I drew on my experience at Scoop's in order to operate and manage my business in an efficient and client-friendly manner, while still working for Scoop's part-time as a dog walker and pet sitter.

In 2009, Teresa at Scoop's decided that she was ready for a new challenge and closed down the business so that she could pursue her dream of opening a nighborhood cafe, which is now Melt Cafe (check it out - they have the best ham & brie sandwich on the PLANET)!  Thanks to Teresa's amazing generosity, I was able to keep my client base and add Raindog Pet Services to my roster of small businesses!  In the 18 months or so since that transition, both businesses have flourished and I really feel I have the best of both worlds.  I spend several hours each weekday walking my old friends and meeting and caring for new ones, enjoying being outside and having a bit of time to think, and also exercising my creative muscles in the afternoon and on weekends with insanely FUN pet photo shoots.  In addition to this work, I'm happy to have a little bit of time to donate weekly photo shoots at the Seattle Animal Shelter for use in the Seattle Channel's CityStream program.  CityStream has a few seconds dedicated to the Pet of the Week at the shelter where they highlight an adoptable pet in the hopes of getting them a little publicity.  So far, the Pets of the Week have a really good record of being adopted quickly and I'm SO very glad to have some small part in that!

When I'm not working, I love to take VERY long walks with my dog Rain (especially in Discovery Park), travel the world with my husband, read a LOT of books, kayak on Lake Union, eat good food and watch bad movies with friends, have marathon phone convos with my BFF in NYC, take "girls only" road trips with my adventurous mother, run, cook, and enjoy the urban and natural delights that Seattle has to offer.